Fines levied after man falls 14 metres

Visy Pulp and Paper Pty Ltd (Visy) is the owner of the Tumut pulp and paper mill, which produces recycled paper for the packaging and building industries. Visy engaged Allied Industrial Engineering Limited (AIE), a company that supplies specialised engineering services to wood and paper processing plants, to carry out annual maintenance work at the Tumut mill.

The maintenance work included upgrading a 60m high, 5m wide digester vessel used to break down wood chips into pulp. Visy also engaged Bell Scaffolding Pty Ltd (Bell) to construct the specialised scaffolding inside the digester needed to carry out this maintenance.

On 5 July 2008, 21-year-old worker was working inside the digester on the internal scaffolding when he fell through a 430 millimetre gap between the scaffolding and the digester wall. The worker fell approximately 14m, striking pieces of the lower scaffolding before landing on the floor of the digester and sustaining significant injuries.

A WorkCover investigation found the companies had failed to make sure the scaffolding was properly installed before allowing employees to work at heights. Bell had failed in numerous ways to provide safe and secure scaffolding to carry out the maintenance.

Visy and AIE should not have accepted the verbal assurances of Bell that the scaffold was complete and safe for use, but rather should have checked the status and condition of the scaffolding for themselves.

All companies were charged with breaches of the Occupational Health & Safety Act 2000 - Visy pleaded guilty and was fined $145,000; Bell pleaded guilty and was fined $120,000; and AIE pleaded guilty and was fined $90,000.