A WA concrete manufacturing company’s bank account is close to $600,000 lighter after it was fined for a serious but preventable workplace safety incident in which a worker lost his leg.
WorkSafe WA revealed Ransberg Pty ltd, trading as WA Premix, a Perth-based concrete and aggregates supplier with four concrete plants, in business for more than three decades, pleaded guilty to the December 2020 incident, resulting in a $580,000 fine with $6180 in costs.
A large waste pit gate fell had fallen on the worker when he was trying to empty it. The gate then fell forward, hitting the worker first in the chest then striking his left leg above the knee, then his shin and ankle. He suffered multiple open fractures and other injuries that ultimately resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee, according to SafeWork WA.
Steel and concrete waste pits are four-walled boxes three metres wide by one point five metres high with a removable front wall weighing around two tonnes known as the waste pit gate. These hold the waste products from the concrete mixing process and are regularly drained and emptied.
Emptying of the waste pit was normally a two-person job but when no other was available it was done by one person. However, SafeWork WA found that no worker at the plant had been formally trained in the procedure. The waste pit gate had no supporting mechanism, something which the company knew about, while another of its batching plants’ waste pits was supported by a C-channel.
WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said the incident had been “entirely preventable” if a comprehensive risk assessment had been performed at the workplace. Since the incident, improvements have been made that eliminate the need for lifting chains and a front-end loader, with forklift lifting pockets now added to the gates. In addition, a more comprehensive safe work procedure was created, requiring two people to empty the waste pits and all relevant personnel have undergone training.
WorkSafe revealed it has investigated or is currently investigating several incidents involving large gates and other similar barriers, including a fatality that occurred in the Perth suburb of Welshpool in early May.
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia, at the helm since December 2013, and our weekly news writer since 2016. Focused on concrete and construction for more than 11 years, her expertise in this field forms part of a journalism career spanning three decades. To get in touch please email desi@corbettcomms.com