Somersby based kitchen cabinet manufacturer, Wholesale Joinery Pty Ltd, has been fined in Sydney District Court, after a 55-year-old employee, fell 4.5 metres from atop a cool room.
The Central Coast kitchen cabinet manufacturer was found to have failed to protect the health and safety of their worker in April 2016. “This poor man sustained serious injuries, including a fractured wrist and elbow, and a fractured kneecap, which meant he missed out on months of work,” Minister for Better Regulation, Mr Matt Kean, said.
The worker had no specific training in high-risk construction work or working at heights when he was asked to help remove ducting from a cool room at the Somersby factory, Mr Kean said. The incident occurred while the worker was helping to remove and discard air conditioning ducting from the top of the cool room. He fell 4.5 metres onto a concrete floor after the suspended ceiling panel gave way. “Wholesale Joinery got a quote, but thought the cost was too high and felt its employees were experienced enough to undertake part of the works,” Mr Kean said.
Source: Media release, Apr 23 Brooke Eggleton, Office of Matt Kean, Minister for Better Regulation