A Kununurra hydraulic repair company and its sole director will be forced to pay $435,000 over a forklift incident that left a teenage worker with life-threatening injuries.
A Kununurra hydraulic repair company and its sole director will be forced to pay $435,000 over a forklift incident that left a teenage worker with life-threatening injuries.
CDM Hydraulics has been fined $375,000 and Clinton Douglas Morey fined $60,000 after pleading guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment, which resulted in the serious injury of a 19-year-old employee in October 2019.
The parties were fined in Kununurra Magistrates Court last week.
The worker – who was on the third day of a trial to become a trade assistant - had been underneath a forklift attempting to remove a steering ram when it rolled down a ramp, causing the counterweight to come down on his head.
As a result of the incident, the worker suffered multiple fractures and permanent impairment including double vision and neck pain, problems with eating and issues with memory and processing skills.
WorkSafe commissioner Darren Kavanagh said the worker's life would never be the same because of the injuries he sustained.
“In this case, a simple measure such as the use of wheel chocks would have reduced the likelihood of the forklift rolling and the young man suffering these devastating and permanent injuries,” he said.
“The magistrate said it was inexplicable not to use external restraints, and that the mitigating steps that could have been taken were breathtakingly simple and easy.
“Incidents involving mobile plant account for a considerable percentage of injuries in workplaces, and the manufacturer’s instructions should always be followed.”
Separately, WorkSafe is investigating the death of a foreign national worker in his 20s at the WAMMCO International Meat Works at Katanning on Saturday.
