A worker was left paralysed after falling headfirst into a concrete water tank and needed a colleague to keep his head above water while he was rescued, a court has been told.
Details of the horrific incident were revealed in the Ballarat District Court on Friday after water tank installation company Watertank Solutions Victoria pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe system of work.
The company was fined $45,000 and must pay additional costs.
In April 2022, at the time of the collapse, workers had been hired to repair, drain and clean an underground tank on a property in Yendon, west of Melbourne.
Part of the work involved removing and replacing the metal roof of the tank.
The tank itself was approximately 7 feet (2.1 meters) deep, with the outer wall extending 18 inches (45 centimeters) above the ground and the top being approximately 10 feet (3.1 meters) from the bottom of the tank.
Workers used metal planks balanced across the outer wall of the tank and the ridge of the roof to access and remove the roof panels.
There was no fall protection present.
A worker was left paralyzed after falling headfirst into a concrete water tank west of Melbourne in 2022
Two workers, one standing on a plank on the roof and the other on the ground near the edge of the tank, tried to shake loose one of the panels as it fell.
The 43-year-old worker, who was lying on the ground, fell headfirst into the tank, sustaining serious head and neck injuries. He is now paraplegic.
The other worker on the roof suffered a shoulder injury.
A third worker on the construction site jumped into the tank and helped the worker with the injured shoulder to keep the head of the “semi-conscious” 43-year-old above water.
A tension strap was used to pull him out.
WorkSafe Victoria inspectors later discovered that a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) had not been prepared, as required for high-risk construction work.
Research has shown that Watertank Solutions can reasonably reduce or eliminate the risk of a fall with passive protection such as a scaffold or fixed ladder to access the roof and a handrail or fall arrest harness at the edge of the tank.
The company pleaded guilty on Friday to two charges: failing to provide and maintain a safe system of work.
In addition to the fine, they were ordered to pay $3,960 in costs.
The worker’s severe head and neck injuries left him paraplegic and resulted in his employer being fined $45,000 (stock image)
Sam Jenkin, director of health and safety at WorkSafe, said there was no excuse not to take the notorious risk of falls from height seriously.
“In this case, the employer failed to take even the most basic precautions for working at height, resulting in one man suffering serious, life-changing injuries,” Jenkin said.
‘This is a serious breach of the employer’s duty to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of workers, particularly when working with known hazards such as heights of two metres or more.’