$51K fine after worker crushed by stone slab

A conviction and $51,000 fine has been issued to a Dandenong benchtop manufacturer after a worker was crushed by a 300-kilogram stone slab during his second day on the job.

Baltic Stonemason Professionals Group Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of three breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The court fined Baltic Stonemason an aggregate of $45,000 with conviction for two charges of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace, by failing to provide the necessary information, training and supervision for employees to work safely.

The company was also fined $6000 with conviction for failing to comply with an improvement notice, and ordered to pay costs of $5674.

In August 2023, an assistant at the company’s Dandenong warehouse was attempting to pry apart two stone slabs on a storage rack to position a grab clamp for lifting via a davit crane.

The court heard the worker used his hand to pull forward one of the two-metre-wide slabs, which then fell onto his chest and shoulders, shattering on impact.

The injured worker was able to crawl out from beneath the slab before he was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital.

WorkSafe Victoria’s investigation found the injured worker was not supervised at the time of the incident and had only been given verbal instructions on how to move slabs after returning to the workplace in a new role the day before, following an 18-month absence.

Investigators also found there was no restraint in front of the slabs and that the injured worker had been standing in the fall shadow at the time of the incident.

The court heard it was necessary for the company to provide workers with information on the hazards of moving stone slabs and the loading capacity of the racks and retaining posts; instructions to fit upright retaining posts with suitable load capacity before moving slabs; and training in documented procedures for the task.

It was also necessary to supervise workers to ensure they installed upright retaining safety posts before moving stone slabs into the safety racks.

The court heard the company had initially failed to comply with an improvement notice requiring it to update its standard operating procedures and ensure all employees were trained.

WorkSafe Victoria Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said employers must ensure every worker has the training and supervision to work safely, especially when starting a new job or returning to work.

“Every worker deserves, and is owed, information about the hazards involved in their work — there’s simply no excuse for failing to take the time to properly train a worker,” Jenkin said.

“A stone slab or any other object weighing 300 kilograms could easily kill someone; this is hazardous work that should never be undertaken by untrained and unsupervised workers.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Dwirant. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.