Companies fined after steel plate fall almost injures worker

Commercial construction company L.U. Simon Builders Pty Ltd and hoist supplier Rigtech Pty Ltd have both been fined after a 12 kg steel plate fell approximately 15 storeys from a South Melbourne high-rise project, narrowly missing a worker on the ground below. The construction company was fined $25,000 without conviction and ordered to pay costs of $5461 after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the workplace was safe and without risks to health. The hoist supplier was fined $20,000 without conviction and ordered to pay $7441 in costs after pleading guilty to failing to ensure people other than employees were not exposed to health and safety risks.

In March 2022, two personnel and material hoists supplied and maintained by Rigtech were operating at a construction site managed by L.U. Simon Builders. One of the hoists featured a manual drop flap system, which was used to cover the space between the hoist and the building to allow trolleys to roll smoothly onto each level. As the hoist ascended, the steel drop flap, weighing approximately 12 kg, fell from the hoist between 13 and 15 storeys to the ground, landing about two metres from a worker in the loading bay below.

An investigation by WorkSafe Victoria found the manual drop flap was not attached to the hoist and required the hoist operator to remove the plate and place it inside the hoist before ascending or descending to other levels. On the day of the incident, the regular hoist operator was not at work and the replacement operator forgot to retrieve the drop plate before ascending to the upper floors.

L.U. Simon also failed to reduce the risk of falling objects by providing a hoist that included a drop flap that was either a fixed drawbridge plate or a manual plate that was attached to the internal wall or roof of the hoist by chains or a lanyard system.

The court also found that it was reasonably practicable for Rigtech to have completed an inspection report or risk assessment at the time of installation that required workers to inspect the drop flap to check that it was either a fixed drawbridge plate or an attached manual plate.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said more than a hundred Victorian workers were seriously injured by objects falling from construction sites every year. “In this case, both companies failed to take action over the obvious risk posed by the unattached drop plate and it could have had catastrophic consequences for those on the ground. The construction industry is inherently high risk and WorkSafe will continue to take strong action against employers not doing everything they can to protect workers and others, even when an injury has thankfully not occurred,” Jenkin said.

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