Death of teenager is a wake-up call for employers

A husband-and-wife manufacturing partnership was sentenced recently in the Melbourne Magistrates Court following the death of an 18-year-old worker at a cardboard packaging factory in 2009.

Gary Reid, trading as Advanced Cartons, was convicted under two sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and fined $60,000, while Cheryl Reid faced one charge under the Act but was not convicted. The couple were placed on good behaviour undertakings which require them to complete a manager’s safety training course.

The death of the man, who was dragged into an exposed roller on a machine that printed and stacked cardboard, was described by Magistrate Sarah Dawes as “the sudden, unexpected and agonising loss of a son and brother”.

The court heard the conveyor arm of the printing and stacking machine had been raised at a 90° angle, so workers could complete a specialist job. This action exposed the machine’s unguarded feed-rollers. The man was dragged into the rotating feed-rollers by his clothing and died from his injuries the following day.

“This was a young man at the start of his life, whose death could easily have been prevented if his workplace had stopped to consider his safety,” WorkSafe’s Executive Director for Health and Safety, Ian Forsyth, said. “Following his death, guards and an interlocking system were installed on the machine at a cost of around $6000. Tragically, this is the price that could have saved this young man’s life.”

The court heard that Mr and Mrs Reid failed to conduct a risk assessment on the machine, imported from China, which would have identified the risks to workers. In addition, there was inadequate information, training and supervision for workers using the machine.

Forsyth said all Victorian employers needed to take a careful look at how they train and supervise young workers: “Young workers may lack the experience, knowledge or skills to understand the risks involved in the work they are doing.

“They are more likely to follow instructions without questioning them. Sometimes they struggle to speak up about safety even if they see that something at work isn’t safe.

“This is a wake-up call for employers, managers and supervisors to recognise their added responsibilities when employing young people, and make sure their risk assessment, training and supervision practices reflect this.”

Forsyth added that young workers had the highest rate of injury in the state when compared to other age groups. Last year, more than 2500 young Victorian workers were injured badly enough on the job to make a workers compensation claim.