Inspector Wade v Goldspring's Earthmoving Pty Ltd
[2011] NSWIRComm 106
At a glance
Source factsCourt
Industrial Relations Commission (NSW)
Decision date
2011-04-04
Before
Backman J
Catchwords
- Kirk Group Holdings Pty Ltd v WorkCover Authority of New South Wales (Inspector Childs) [2010] HCA 1
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Catchwords
Judgment (7 paragraphs)
Judgment 1The corporate defendant, Goldspring's Earthmoving Pty Ltd ("Earthmoving"), pleaded guilty to a single contravention of s 8(2) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 (the Act). Peter Michael Goldspring (Mr Goldspring), in his capacity as a director of Earthmoving and by virtue of the operation of s 26(1) of the Act, pleaded guilty to the same contravention of s 8(2) of the Act. 2The corporate defendant, Fred Goldspring & Sons Pty Ltd (Goldspring & Sons), pleaded guilty to a single contravention of s 11(1)(a) of the Act. In addition to the contravention of s 8(2) of the Act referred to above, Mr Goldspring, in his capacity as a director of Goldspring & Sons, and by virtue of the operation of s 26(1) of the Act, also pleaded guilty to the same contravention of s 11(1)(a). 3All defendants entered pleas of guilty to the charges on 3 June 2009. The pleas of guilty were confirmed on 30 March 2011 following the filing in the Court of amended Applications for Order in each matter. 4Earthmoving, which started business in 1991, carried on business providing earthmoving services and heavy haulage services in the transport industry. Following the date of the offences (7 November 2006) the businesses formerly conducted by Earthmoving and Goldspring & Sons were transferred to new companies, namely, Goldspring's Earthmoving & Heavy Haulage Pty Ltd and Goldspring Equipment Hire Pty Ltd, respectively. 5On 7 November 2006 Earthmoving employed Jade Marshall as a machine operator. Mr Marshall was assigned by Earthmoving to attend at a construction site known as the Sandgate Grade Separation Project, located on the Kooragang Railway, at Sandgate. Mr Marshall was to operate a Kobelco SK 60 Hire Rail excavator owned by Goldspring & Sons, which was on "wet hire" to John Holland Rail Pty Limited (John Holland) for use at the site. 6Goldspring & Sons commenced operation in the construction industry in 1993 providing "dry" hire of transport and civil construction (earthmoving) equipment. (Generally, "dry hire" of equipment consists of the supply of transport, for civil construction equipment. By comparison, "wet hire" consists of the supply of transport for civil construction equipment with operators, fuel, oils and all other sundry items by the supply company). 7According to the Agreed Facts, on the day of the offences, the excavator was not fitted with the following: a compliance plate; any externally mounted rear-vision mirrors; an audible motion alarm and/or an audible reversing alarm; an operable rotating beacon (ie, the bulb in the rotating beacon fitted on the machine did not work); an operable horn. 8Mr Goldspring was aware of some of the defects, outlined above, in the excavator. In a supplementary affidavit filed in these proceedings on 31 March 2011, Mr Goldspring explained: I had used the excavator five days before the incident and had identified the light and reversing alarm needing repairs. The documents outlining the problems were then delivered as part of the daily hire paperwork to our office's administration department. Unfortunately, the documents were not handed in to the appropriate section to do the repairs and the excavator went out in the meantime. 9On 7 November 2006, Mr Marshall operated the excavator at the site, but without undergoing a site induction on that day, although it was conceded by the prosecutor in submissions that he had worked at the site on previous occasions. This matter is confirmed in the Agreed Facts which record that Mr Marshall had worked at the site previously and had completed a site induction. 10On the day of the offences, however, Mr Marshall was not required to undertake a safety inspection of the excavator before commencing work. In addition, he did not undergo a safety briefing concerning the engineering risk controls and safe work methods that were to be put in place in relation to the operation of the excavator at the site. In particular, he was not briefed on the engineering controls and safe work methods that were to be put in place for the purpose of isolating the excavator from ground workers or the administrative controls intended to maintain minimum safe work distances between the excavator and ground workers who were likely to be working in its proximity, such as track welders who were doing track welding on the same rails as the excavator. Further, no engineering controls such as barriers or "truck stops" were put in place to isolate the operation of the excavator from the ground workers. Similarly, no safe work methods or administrative controls, such as demarcation markers (or flags) or a spotter were put in place for the purpose of maintaining the isolation of the excavator and safe minimum working distances between the excavator and ground workers, who were working on the same rail lines within the site. 11Edward Joseph Faux (Mr Faux), an employee of John Holland, was assigned by it to supervise the works being performed at the site on the day of the offences. He directed Mr Marshall to commence work spinning up the ballast on the same lines as the track welders were working. He also directed Mr Marshall to operate the excavator, spinning up the ballast, in a southerly direction from the northern end of the site, which involved Mr Marshall operating the excavator in reverse as it travelled in a southerly direction along the rail lines at the site. At the same time, Mr Faux assigned ground workers, which included Caleb William Stalder (Mr Stalder) and Todd Faux (also employees of John Holland), to perform track welding work in a northerly direction from the southern end of the site on the same lines as the excavator. Initially there had been two lines (and "up" line and a "down" line) with the excavator and the welding teams working on the separate lines. Some time in the early afternoon, however, Mr Marshall moved the excavator to the same line as the track welding crew. 12At about 1pm, Mr Stalder was working in the most northerly position of three welding crews and in the process of completing a cut through the eastern rail track of the rail line on which he was working, when he was struck by the excavator as it moved in a southerly direction in reverse while spinning up the ballast on the same rail line. The rear wheel of the excavator severed Mr Stalder's left arm just below the elbow.