Company ordered to pay $138,000 after workplace death…

An employee suffered fatal head injuries after falling while at work. The machinery the employee was working with stopped working and he tried to restart it when it was not stable on the ground. He fell and was fatally injured.

The District Court has convicted the employer under Health and Safety legislation for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the employee’s safety while at work.

The Court found that maintenance staff were not sufficiently trained, and did not know where the operation manual was and had not read it.

Employers need to ensure the proper cleaning, testing and maintenance of all workplace equipment that might put their employees’ safety at risk, and need to ensure that their staff are well-trained on how to use equipment safely. Employers should also have in place an effective safety management system to pick up on any issues.

The Court fined the employer $63,000, and ordered the employer to pay $75,000 in reparation to the employee’s family.