An engineering company has been fined $567,000 (and ordered to pay $28,695 in costs) over the 2019 death of a worker at its Bassendean workshop.

Hofmann Engineering Pty Ltd pleaded guilty under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing the death of a worker and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court yesterday.

In May 2019, the worker was using a welding manipulator at Hofmann’s fabrication workshop to weld clamp plates to the end of a girth gear segment. To do so, he needed to work underneath the boom of the welding manipulator, which weighed 1350kg.

The boom fell suddenly when the man was working underneath it, resulting in fatal crush injuries.

The court heard there was no manufacturer’s manual or maintenance logbook kept for the 40-year-old welding manipulator.

The only checks done were visual pre-operation checks limited to checking buttons, ensuring the machine went up and down and that it was not making any unusual noises.

Apart from these pre-start visual checks, there was no other scheduled maintenance or inspections carried out or recorded by a qualified fitter.

The court agreed that the incident was caused by a lack of reasonably practicable safety measures.

WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said today the case was a reminder of the crucial importance of regular inspection and maintenance of machinery in workplaces.

“The court found that the machinery involved in his incident had not been adequately maintained and had also been sitting unused in storage for several years, exposing it to foreign materials such as dust,” Ms North said.

“When independent experts inspected the welding manipulator, they confirmed the threads on the nuts involved in holding up the boom were worn to such an extent that they were unable to maintain the load placed on them.

“In addition, grease on the lead screw was grossly contaminated with foreign fine solid material to the point where it was having a negative effect on the screw.

“The tragic outcome of the company’s failure to implement safe work procedures should serve as a warning to all employers with heavy machinery at their workplaces to conduct regular inspections and maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and take action to eliminate or minimise any risks to workers’ safety.”

Information about machinery safety is available on the department’s website.

Media Contact: Caroline De Vaney, 0408 927563 (media enquiries only).

caroline.devaney@demirs.wa.gov.au