A BUILDING company has been fined a total of $175,000 after failing to provide a safe workplace which resulted in the death of a contract worker in 2017.
Gran Designs WA Pty Ltd pled guilty to five charges in the Bunbury Magistrates Court on May 11, after the death of a worker in the South-West town of Yarloop.
The charges against Gran Designs also involved workers not wearing safety helmets, not having a Safety Management Plan, not having a Safe Work Method Statement on site and workers not holding High Risk Work Licenses.
In March 2017, an unsecured concrete panel weighing between 750kg and 1.1 tonnes fell on the worker during a house build in Yarloop.
It was found that the panel was not the next required in the construction sequence and was therefore stored out of the way temporarily by leaning it up against a row of five tree stumps.
The worker received fatal injuries.
WorkSafe Western Australia Commissioner Darren Kavanagh said the case was a tragic example of several factors conspiring to result in a terrible outcome.
"This company neglected its duty of care, not properly identifying and assessing potential hazards or taking steps to reduce or eliminate the risks, culminating in the sad death of a young worker," Mr Kavanagh said.
"The tilt-up panel that was leaned against the tree stumps should have been safely laid flat, to be retrieved when the building sequence required it."
Mr Kavanagh expressed hope that others would learn from the case to ensure that workers were protected from any hazards in their workplaces.
Bunbury Magistrate Coleman pointed out that the original fines totaled at $230,000 before she discounted the amount due to mitigating circumstances.