A company charged over a man's death at a Delacombe worksite has fronted court.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Worksafe Victoria charged Ace Metal Treatment Services with three offences relating to the death of a 50-year-old Alfredton man on October 29, 2019.
He died in an industrial shed on Williamson Street after becoming trapped in a machine while working. The Courier reported at the time two colleagues discovered the man after they were alerted to an alarm.
Paramedics and firefighters freed the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The matter was listed for a committal mention at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
Defence barrister Stephen Russell said he was seeking an adjournment for on-going negotiations to continue with Worksafe.
IN OTHER NEWS
Magistrate Ron Saines granted the request and adjourned the matter for a further committal mention on March 11.
Melbourne-based Ace Metal Treatment Services is facing three charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Charge sheets allege the company failed as an employer to 'provide and maintain for employees a working environment that was safe and without risks to health'.
The company is charged with failing to 'control the risk associated with plant' and failing to provide 'information, instruction and training' for employees to perform their work safely.
The incident occurred on the same day an industrial manslaughter bill was introduced into Victoria's parliament.
The laws were passed on November 27, 2019, meaning employers who negligently cause a workplace death will face fines of up to $16.5 million and individuals will face up to 20 years in jail from July, 2020.
The Delacombe death was the fourth workplace death in Ballarat in just over 18-months.
