A construction company has been fined $250,000 after one of its employees was crushed to death while working on a road upgrade north of Newcastle.
The 31-year-old labourer was using a hand-held hose to remove asphalt that stuck to the roller during highway upgrades in January 2010.
He was crushed when the operator accidentally released the brakes of the heavy vehicle.
A WorkCover investigation found that the company, Coastal Asphalt and Civil Constructions Pty Ltd , failed to properly train or supervise the man, and that the incident could have been prevented if the roller’s built in-diesel spray unit had been working.
A Workcover press release earlier today wrongly named the company that had been fined as Coastal Asphalt Pty Ltd, and later corrected it to Coastal Asphalt and Civil Constructions Pty Ltd.
Workcover released this apology;
Apology to Coastal Asphalt Pty Ltd
“Earlier today a press release was issued that wrongly named a company in relation to the death of a man in January 2010 during a road upgrade project north of Newcastle.
WorkCover NSW deeply regrets the mistake, which came about through a clerical error.
Coastal Asphalt and Civil Constructions Pty Ltd was the company convicted of an offence under section 8(1) under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and fined $250,000 plus court costs by the Industrial Court of NSW in December 2012.”
