Multiple charges brought after worker crushed by stone slabs
The Case
WorkSafe Victoria v Australia Rong Hua Fu Pty Ltd (2022)
Australia Rong Hua Fu Pty Ltd, trading as RHF Stone, imports and manufactures stone slabs and benches. Employees of RHF Stone frequently enter containers used to transport stone slabs (each weighing approximately 250kg) to assist a forklift in unloading the slabs. Although the slabs were stored at an angle for safety, the slope of the yard reduced the stabilising effect, and caused an increase to the risk of a crushing injury or fatality.
On 30 April 2020, an employee entered a container and was crushed by three falling stone slabs, leading to her death. WorkSafe identified several reasonably practicable steps that should have been in place to minimise the safety risks of the slabs, including:
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