A DURAL-BASED building company has been prosecuted after a contractor fell 2.5m at a West Pennant Hills building site.
Billyard Homes Pty Limited was fined $60,000 and forced to pay legal costs, for failing to ensure the safety of a worker, who suffered a serious brain injury during a fall in June 2015.
Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean said the company was the principal contractor at 6 Yarralumla Way, West Pennant Hills building site when plasterer Yin Peng Zhang, 23, fell through an unguarded void.
Mr Zhang was plastering nail holes in an upper level of the development on June 29, 2015, when he fell through an unguarded void to the concrete ground floor below.
“The Sydney District Court heard this poor worker sustained multiple injuries, including a major brain injury, which sadly left him unable to work or continue his studies,” Mr Kean said.
Mr Zhang has been in Australia on a student visa with work allowances since December 2013. According to court documents, Mr Zhang sustained multiple injuries as a result of the fall, “including a major traumatic frontal brain injury, and associated head injuries”.
“When these proceedings were commenced in September 2016 Mr Zhang was still unable to work or continue his studies,” court documents read.
Mr Kean said the investigation, which was conducted by SafeWork, found the company had failed to ensure the health and safety of the worker as they did not check if the scaffolding was safe or if fall prevention measures were in place.
“This year alone, eight people have tragically died in work-related falls, and many more have been severely injured,” Mr Kean said.
“Falls are not only deadly but they can easily result in workers like this man being injured so badly they are unable to continue work.
“Incidents like this can be easily avoided and I will continue to fight for every worker in this state so they can go home safely to their families each night.”
A representative from Billyard Homes pleaded guilt in front of Judge David Russell, who imposed a $60,000 fine last week.
The article by Jake McCallum appeared in the Hornsby Advocate
