Directors charged over fatal aerial mustering incident

Directors charged over fatal aerial mustering incident

Northern Territory Worksafe has charged two directors of Hewitt Cattle Australia over a helicopter crash that killed an employee and seriously injured another in November of 2018 at Ambalindum Station.

Under the Northern Territory’s workplace health and safety laws, the directors were charged with several breaches and could face maximum penalties as high as $400,000 if found guilty.

According to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau, the subsequent investigation into the incident showed the pilot had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14 at the time, and the helicopter was also found to be likely overloaded.

The investigation by the ATSB concluded that due to the unnecessarily low flying height at the time of the incident, there was insufficient height for the aircraft to recover when it encountered turbulence.

Bill Esteves, senior director at NT Worksafe explained that the process of mustering using aircraft can be extremely hazardous.

“This, coupled with the additional hazards of intoxication, overloading and poor weight distribution, increases the risk of a crash to extreme levels,” Mr Esteves said. He added that the directors of the company had failed to “demonstrate a high standard of due diligence in workplace safety”.

“We allege the company directors failed to comply with their duty to verify the company had and used appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimise the risk,” he said.

Hewitt Cattle Australia issued a statement, which explained that the company and “its directors are committed to providing a safe working environment for team members, contractors and visitors, and take their safety obligations very seriously,” the statement read.

“As this matter is now before the court, it would not be appropriate for the company to make further comment.”

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