CHARGES have been laid over the death of one worker and the serious injury of another at the Murray Goulburn dairy processing plant in Leitchville two years ago.
WorkSafe Victoria has charged a Cobram engineering company, a Bendigo crane hire firm and an engineer from New Zealand in relation to the December 7 accident.
Glenn Parsons, 59, from Kialla was killed inside a shipping container at the disused milk plant when a condenser that had been craned into the container fell and crushed him.
His 54-year-old workmate, from Cobram, received leg injuries and was treated at the scene before being airlifted to hospital.
Reports at the time said the two men were part of a crew of four men from a company working to dismantle the former dairy processing plant who were present when the accident occurred at around 11am.
WorkSafe issued a statement on Friday detailing the charges against the companies and the engineer, which were filed on November 27.
The safety watchdog said A-1 Engineering has been charged with eight offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to provide a safe working environment.
WorkSafe alleges the company failed to ensure employees did not work under suspended loads, provide a system that eliminated risks while loading heavy equipment into an enclosed shipping container, take measures to ensure heavy equipment would not fall, and ensure that loads were lifted in a controlled manner.
A-1 Engineering is alleged to have also failed to ensure employees were appropriately qualified and experienced, provide a supervisor or supervision to ensure the work was carried out safely, provide necessary information, instruction and training to enable the work to be performed safely and undertake a risk assessment.
Bendigo company Big Hill Cranes has been charged with four offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to ensure their work did not expose people other than their workers to risks to their health or safety.
The charges allege the company failed to ensure crane loads were not suspended over people, eliminate the risk of heavy equipment falling while being moved inside the shipping container, ensure that loads were lifted in a controlled manner and undertake a risk assessment.
The engineer, who was absent on the day of the incident, has been charged with four offences under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to take reasonable care as the manager or controller of the workplace.
The charges allege the engineer failed to provide a safe workplace and a safe system of work for moving heavy machinery, ensure people were qualified for the work, ensure there was a supervisor on site in his absence and undertake a risk assessment of the work required
The matter is listed for a filing hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on December 18.
