Queensland WHS Prosecution – Construction

Broadbeach fatality costs contractor $70,000 in fines

One contractor suffered fatal injuries when two large concrete beams fell onto the backhoe he was operating to demolish a concrete pedestrian footbridge. The defendant had a previous convicton under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 which was taken into account with this breach. The WHSQ investigation revealed the defendant did not conduct an adequate risk assessment or have control measures in place that could have prevented the accident. The magistrate commented that “it was only a matter of good luck rather than good management” that an incident did not occur earlier when the structural integrity of the bridge had been compromised by the removal of supporting beams.