Tarneit building supervisor John’s life changed forever in 2006 when he fell through a floor on the second-storey of a building, rupturing his lower spine and fracturing his neck.
John’s wife Pat knows that he is lucky to be able to walk, but the trauma and resulting mental injury has meant he can no longer work.
“John’s accident turned our whole world upside down. It absolutely destroyed him and it wasn’t long after that he actually had a mental breakdown. The person that John is today, is not the person he was before the accident,“ said Pat.
WorkSafe is putting employers on notice to address workplace fall hazards after 41 workers were killed and 7,395 seriously injured in workplace falls in the past five years.
Already this year three people have died after work-related falls, including a worker who died from head injuries after falling from the roof of a van and a jockey who died after falling from a horse, both in April, as well as a worker who died after falling three metres at a school in March.
Another 380 people have been seriously injured in workplace falls this year – including a toddler who fell from a second-storey office window and a contractor who fell 5.5 metres while repairing a factory roof in Campbellfield.
Since 2018, WorkSafe has accepted 927 claims from workers seriously injured in falls in the western metro region. This includes 58 claims since the start of 2023.
WorkSafe executive director health and safety Narelle Beer reminded employers that it doesn’t matter whether a project involves a day’s work or five minutes – it’s never ok to take short-cuts when working at heights.
“A fall can happen in just seconds but the consequences can last a lifetime, including devastating injuries and loss of life,“ Dr Beer said.
“Yet despite the well-known risks, we still see things like workers on a roof without fall protection, harnesses not attached to an anchor point, poorly installed scaffolding, platforms without guard rails, unprotected voids and unsafe ladders.“
Since January WorkSafe has prosecuted 17 employers for failing to take reasonable safety precautions while working at heights, leading to $1.1 million in court fines, costs and enforceable undertakings.
Last month WorkSafe charged garlic bread manufacturer Risham Nominees Pty Ltd, trading as Centenary Bakehouse, with workplace manslaughter for multiple health and safety breaches after a worker fell to their death in August 2021.
In March, electrical services company Sentenal Technologies Pty Ltd was convicted and fined $32,000 after a WorkSafe inspector saw five workers on the roof of a Corio warehouse without harnesses or edge protection.
