An 800 kg gate fell after damaged powered gates were operated manually for 21 months. The SMB sentencing decision examines concurrent company duties, officer due diligence and the controls that should have stopped the incident.

Painting and Blasting Industries had procedures, inspections and an external WHS consultant, but an unguarded conveyor remained accessible to workers. The NSW Industrial Court decision provides a strong lesson about guarding, isolation and whether safety audits are actually finding critical hazards.

On 27 Jan 21, marine salvage worker Max Haywood was fatally struck by the collapsing mast of a submerged steel yacht during a crane operation at Rozelle, New South Wales. The lift involved an uncertain load, an unsuitable lifting point, overloaded equipment and an operator who did not hold the required crane licence. The incident was not caused by an obscure technical defect or an unforeseeable change in conditions. It developed from a work method that replaced engineering, v

Photo by Kilyan Sockalingum on Unsplash On 02 Jul 26, the Industrial Court of New South Wales convicted Wumbulgal Agriculture Pty Ltd following the death of a farmhand operating a quad bike during livestock mustering. The company was fined $555,000, ordered to pay SafeWork NSW’s agreed costs of $55,000, and required to arrange side-by-side vehicle training for all workers employed or engaged by the business. The offence was prosecuted as a Category 2 contravention of sections

Editor’s note: This article provides general information about an NSW court decision and WHS governance. It is not legal advice. The legal question Can the sole director of a company prevent the production of corporate safety records by arguing that locating or producing them might incriminate the director personally? The NSW District Court considered that question in SafeWork NSW v Paul Whitmarsh (No. 2) [2025] NSWDC 86. The answer was no, at least where the subpoena is dire

On 19 Sep 25, Kellogg (Aust.) Pty Ltd was convicted in the Industrial Court of New South Wales and fined $510,000 after two workers fell approximately four metres from an elevated work platform at its Banksmeadow manufacturing site. SafeWork NSW reported the prosecution publicly on 23 Sep 25, confirming that the incident occurred on 03 Mar 23 when a truck reversed into a loading dock and struck the EWP with both workers inside. Image generated for visual effect. The two injur

On 11 Nov 22, a formworker fell nearly 3.85 metres from a bridge abutment at a construction site in Huntley, New South Wales, while stripping formwork. The worker was positioned on the top of the southern abutment, using an extension ladder to attach wire chains between a 26-tonne excavator and form soldiers, and was not wearing a harness because the steel available for anchoring was on the opposite side of the abutment. Image generate for visual effect. The incident resulted