The Northern Territory’s safety regulator has charged a mobile crane hire company operating out of Darwin following a crush incident where two workers were seriously injured.
A.M. Cranes & Rigging Pty Ltd faces two charges under the WHS Act and faces a maximum penalty of $1.5 million for each charge if found guilty.
In February of 2019, the company transported and positioned a large-scale electrical switchboard at the Palmerston Police Station in Darwin. A crane was used to lift the switchboard into place before being loaded on to skates.
Three workers then worked to move the item over a cable pit and into place. During the move, the switchboard, weighing 1.8 tonnes, fell backwards and pinned two of the workers underneath it.
One of the company’s employees was injured and freed by co-workers, while a second worker employed by a separate company suffered serious head injuries and required specialist emergency services to be extracted.
NT WorkSafe’s investigation found that A.M. Cranes & Rigging did not have a safe system of work in place for the work that was being undertaken, despite the risk of injury and fatality.
In filing the charges against the company, NT WorkSafe alleges that they should have reasonably known the risks associated with moving the machine and the likelihood of falls.
The matter is listed for mention later this month.