Farm safety under microscope after woman run over by truck

Farm safety has been put in the spotlight following the conviction and $80,000 fine of Werribee vegetable grower J & K Zausa after a woman was run over by a truck reversing from a machinery shed. Perica Simic, who ran a labour hire company which supplied workers to the property, was also fined $15,000. The prosecution followed the death of Katerina Hrecesin, 61, in December 2008.

WorkSafe Victoria’s Director of Operations, Lisa Sturzenegger, said the penalties were significant for small businesses and should send a clear message about the commercial impact of what can happen when appropriate standards are not in place or maintained.

County Court Judge Irene Lawson was told that WorkSafe’s investigation into the death of Ms Hrecesin found traffic management at the Werribee South farm was poor and that a number of safety improvements had to be made after the incident. These included marked walkways, plastic bollards and chains, as well as signage and induction of new workers.

The court was told that although the truck’s reversing beeper was working, the driver did not see the woman, whom other workers said had bent down to pick up something off the ground. The other defendant, company director Perica Simic, also pleaded guilty to workplace health and safety charges including one in his role as the director of the labour hire firm Agriculture King, which is no longer trading. Sturzenegger said that in this case it was a harvesting period, so the risks were elevated.

“This case demonstrates that safety responsibilities are shared between the host employer and the labour hire firm, and that identifying and dealing with safety issues must be done before someone is hurt, not after.

“This is an issue for farms which employ their own people and labour hire firms which are a big part of the rural economy, particularly at the busiest times of the year.

“This incident is a reminder to labour hire companies to ensure the places their people are sent meet appropriate standards.”

Sturzenegger said regional Victoria already had a higher rate of work-related deaths than its population would warrant and that death rate was magnified in the farm sector.

“WorkSafe has produced a considerable amount of guidance material to help farmers and companies involved in farming to maximise safety, including the 15-minute farm safety check which helps with the identification of common hazards and how they can be eliminated.”

A series of case studies on labour hire has also been published. This publication provides information for companies hiring through labour hire agencies and information for agencies on their OHS obligations.

WorkSafe also funds a free and confidential three-hour safety assessment by an independent consultant. Information on this program can be found at WorkSafe’s website or from the Victorian Farmers Federation.