Dandy Premix Concrete Pty Ltd has been convicted and fined $120,000 after a worker was run over by a truck at its Pakenham plant on July 20, 2018.
The concrete manufacturer was found guilty of failing to provide a safe workplace by failing to take reasonably practicable steps to eliminate the risk of powered mobile machines colliding with pedestrians. It was also ordered to pay costs of $13,850.
The Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard that on the day of the incident, workers were cleaning up spilled slurry as a truck was loading concrete. Once the truck was full, it pulled out, passing the two workers.
One of the workers tripped and fell under the truck’s rear wheels and his left arm was run over. He suffered serious injuries as a result, including amputation of his little finger and partial amputation of his ring and middle fingers. He has required multiple surgeries and ongoing rehabilitation.
The court heard the company did not have a traffic management plan that identified hazards, including collisions between trucks and pedestrians while spilled slurry was being cleaned up, and that there were no risk control measures in place, such as exclusion zones or physical barriers to separate pedestrians from vehicles.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Julie Nielsen said there was no excuse for failing to use appropriate safety measures to keep pedestrians and vehicles separated.
“This worker is still living with the consequences of an incident that could have been avoided,” she said.
“It is vital that employers have appropriate traffic management plans and risk control measures in place to keep vehicles and pedestrians at a safe distance.”