Operator to pay $230,000 for failing workplace OHS duties
WorkSafe Victoria reports a quarry operator has been convicted and fined $230,000 after a subcontractor died when his dump truck rolled on a stockpile in May, 2016.
Keilor Melton Quarries Pty Ltd was sentenced recently after it was earlier found guilty of contravening section 26 of the OHS Act, by failing to ensure the workplace was safe and without risks to health and safety.
The Melbourne Country Court heard the driver, a man in his 60s, died when the dump truck he was driving flipped over the edge of a stockpile at the Plumpton quarry and slid down the other side.
The court heard the subcontractor was moving material up an earthen ramp to dump near the top of the stockpile when the incident occurred.
WorkSafe WA highlights mobile plant safety issues. Read more, here
A WorkSafe investigation found that Keilor Melton Quarries should have completed a risk assessment and a Safe Work Method Statement for the task.
It also found the company failed to take a number of reasonably practicable steps including ensuring the perimeter of the stockpile was adequately walled and engaging a qualified engineer to assess the stability of the stockpile.
“Employers have a responsibility to ensure Safe Work Method Statements are prepared for all high-risk work, including work involving sub-contractors,” WorkSafe health and safety executive director Julie Nielsen says.
“It is not acceptable to put the safety of any worker at risk by failing to identify hazards and failing to take action on these.”