Latest news with #SafeWorkSA
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Worker found dead on South Australian BHP mine site, death not considered work related
A BHP worker has died after being found unresponsive at the Olympic Dam copper-gold mine on Friday morning. Operations were halted through the day as police responded to reports that a person had been found unresponsive on site. A spokesperson for BHP told the Adelaide Advertiser that the worker's death was not considered work related, with the company sharing its sympathies to family and friends. 'This morning at Olympic Dam a team member was found unresponsive at a surface location,' they said. 'Site emergency services and SA Ambulance attended the scene but sadly they could not be revived. 'Our thoughts are with their family, friends, and colleagues during this incredibly difficult time.' SafeWork SA told the masthead it was 'aware of an incident' and would be making inquiries.
7NEWS
20-05-2025
- 7NEWS
SafeWork SA lodges criminal proceedings against AGL for alleged lead exposure
A workplace ombudsman will take South Australia's largest electricity company to court over alleged workplace breaches. SafeWork SA has lodged criminal proceedings against AGL Torrens Island Pty Ltd, alleging the company exposed workers to unsafe levels of lead during the decommissioning of its 'A' power station. SafeWork SA launched the action in the South Australian Employment Court on May 16, following an investigation. AGL Torrens Island engaged the workers to decommission the 'A' power station between October 2022 and April 2023. The work involved de-energising, or preparing to de-energise, cabling throughout the power station., which allegedly exposed the workers to lead or lead dust. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was provided – but SafeworkSA alleges that this did not include a full-face respirator. Safework SA said that five workers allegedly recorded an elevated blood lead level subsequent to the work. It is alleged that AGL Torrens Island Pty's failure to comply with its health and safety duty exposed workers to unsafe levels of lead. SafeWork SA has charged AGL Torrens Island Pty Limited with a Category 2 offence under section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2012. The maximum penalty for a Category 2 offence for a body corporate is $1.5 million.
ABC News
19-05-2025
- ABC News
SafeWork SA launches criminal proceedings against AGL over 'unsafe' lead levels
SafeWork SA has lodged criminal proceedings against energy giant AGL, alleging the company exposed workers to "unsafe levels of lead" at its Torrens Island plant. Last year, the ABC revealed workers, including AGL employees, had been affected by lead exposure while working on the decommissioning project of the power station north of Adelaide. At the time, the energy giant was also accused of multiple breaches of work safety laws and regulations during its decommissioning of the station by South Australia's electrical and plumbing union. In a statement, SafeWork SA said it launched legal action in the South Australian Employment Court on May 16, following a "lengthy and complex investigation". It said AGL Torrens Island failed to comply with its health and safety duty, when its workers were allegedly exposed to unsafe lead levels during the plant's decommissioning process between October 2022 and April 2023. "This involved de-energising, or preparing to de-energise, cabling throughout the power station, allegedly exposing the workers to lead or lead dust," the statement said. "Personal protective equipment was provided — but allegedly did not include a full-face respirator. AGL has been charged with a category two offence to the Work Health and Safety Act, which carries a maximum penalty of $1.5m. "As the matter is before the courts, SafeWork SA is unable to provide any further information at this time," SafeWork said in its statement. In a statement, an AGL spokesperson confirmed the legal action had been launched and said it could not provide further comment. "AGL reported the event to SafeWork SA in May 2023 and has been working co-operatively with SafeWork SA," a spokesperson said. "Health and safety is a core value of AGL and is an integral part of the way we work. "As this is an ongoing matter, AGL cannot comment further at this time."
ABC News
15-05-2025
- ABC News
Stone wall collapse claims life of man at Barossa Valley property
A man has died in a workplace accident in which a stone wall collapsed on him in South Australia's Barossa Valley region, authorities say. Emergency services were called to a property on Stonewell Road at Nuriootpa about 11am. Police said the victim, a 46-year-old man from Owen, had become trapped under the wall and died at the scene. They said SafeWork SA had been made aware of the man's death. "SafeWork SA has been notified of an incident where a wall collapsed on a man at a property in Nuriootpa," a spokesperson for the work safety agency said. "Investigators and inspectors are attending the scene to make enquiries into the circumstances." Police described the incident as a workplace accident and said a report was being prepared for the coroner.
ABC News
30-04-2025
- ABC News
Lochert Bros fined $129k over 22yo worker's serious degloving injury
A Riverland citrus exporting company has been fined $129,000 after an employee was degloved in a workplace incident. In March 2023, a 22-year-old employee's left forearm was degloved and suffered lacerations while working at a Lochert Bros Pty Ltd citrus packing facility in Ramco, South Australia. In an online judgement from the South Australian Employment Tribunal, the incident was said to have taken place when the employee reached into a high-pressure washing machine while it was operating to dislodge stuck oranges. The machine was designed by the company and custom built approximately 30 years prior. The sleeve of the victim's jacket became caught in a pinch point and her arm was pulled by the rotating drive chain into the pusher bars. She suffered a degloving injury between her elbow and wrist and underwent surgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital which included a "split thickness" graft from her left thigh. Tribunal deputy president Stephen Lieschke said the injuries were "extensive and severe". Charged on two counts The company was charged on two counts: committing a Category 2 offence against the Work Health and Safety Act 2012, and failing to ensure the pressure washer's emergency stop control complied with Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012. It was found the control "was not prominent", nor was it "clearly and durably marked and immediately accessible to each worker operating the plant". It was also not coloured red. The particulars of the offence also found the company had failed to provide "information, training, instruction or supervision" to protect workers from risks. Mr Lieschke said Lochert Bros entered an early guilty plea within four weeks of its first appearance, allowing for a reduction in penalty. A conviction was recorded for each count, a fine of $129,000 was issued and Lochert Bros was ordered to contribute to the informant's legal costs. Safety compliance priority SafeWork SA was notified of the incident and investigators attended the workplace on March 10, 2023. Lochert Brothers was issued with 44 improvement notices by SafeWork following several compliance inspections in the months after, including 18 relating to inadequate machinery guarding. On 20 June 2023, the company advised SafeWork SA it had spent a total of $12,669.98 on repairs and safety upgrades to the pressure washer post-incident. The tribunal heard that following the incident Lochert had appointed Liz Fourie as a chief executive and the company had since spent more than $250,000 on various safety upgrades. The workplace incident occured in Ramco, in South Australia's Riverland West region. ( ABC Riverland: Anita Ward ) Lochert Bros said it conducted an audit of its safety compliance where the incident occurred, and that it planned to arrange a similar audit of its transport division and site. Mr Lieschke said the victim had "made a good recovery", felt supported by Lochert Bros with ongoing employment and had taken note of the safety improvements. However, he said the victim had 'unnecessarily struggled financially while [still] recovering', after she did not receive her entitled workers' compensation for unexplained reasons. Mr Lieschke said Lochert had acknowledged income support should not have been lost, and a voluntary ex gratia payment of $20,000 was made to the victim before Christmas 2024. Lochert Bros was contacted for comment but did not respond before publishing.
