Crane firm fined for serious incident

Fines totalling $164,750 have been imposed by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission sitting in Court Session following a serious workplace incident on a Sydney construction site in which a concrete panel fell onto the roof of a neighbouring factory. As a result of the incident, Combined Crane and Rigging Pty Ltd has received two fines totalling $155,000 after being found guilty of breaching Sections 15(1) and 16(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983, for failing to ensure the health and safety of their employees and other people in the workplace.

Working company director, Arthur Didovic pleaded guilty to breaching Section 50 (1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983 and received a fine of $9750. The court heard that on 3 October 2000, Combined Crane and Rigging Pty Ltd had been engaged to install concrete panels, each weighing eight tonnes, at an Artarmon construction site. The crane being used to position the concrete panels had to be relocated and during this operation one panel fell onto the roof of a factory unit next door to the site.

Before moving the crane and props, Didovic had discussed the procedure to be followed with the principal contractor on site, and agreed on a particular method for relocating the crane, whilst ensuring the concrete panel would remain safe. However, the court found that Didovic failed to ensure that the method agreed upon was followed. In handing down his decision, Justice Boland said: "The breach in this case was a serious one and [Mr Didovic] was directly involved in the breach." "[Combined Crane and Rigging Pty Ltd and Mr Didovic] left the task to employees and in doing so failed to provide a safe system by which the work was to be carried out, failed to provide the necessary information, training and supervision and failed to ensure the task could be carried out in a safe manner without the risk to employees and to persons who might be in the immediate vicinity," he said.