A farmer has been charged more than a year after a worker died following a machinery incident in southeast Victoria.
Incident Details
The 47-year-old woman was working alone at a farm in Jack River, Gippsland, on November 13, 2024, when the incident occurred. She was operating silage-wrapping equipment when she entered the machine’s danger area and was later found critically injured beneath the machinery by other workers.
She was airlifted to hospital but later died from her injuries.
WorkSafe Allegations
WorkSafe Victoria alleges the 66-year-old farm operator failed to reduce the risk of serious injury or death by not ensuring a safety barrier designed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the machine while it was operating was functioning properly.
The regulator alleges he either failed to ensure the barrier had not been disabled or failed to engage a suitably qualified person to ensure the machine’s interlock sensor was operating as intended.
WorkSafe also alleges the man failed to ensure the machinery had been properly shut down and isolated before the worker undertook the task.
Charges and Court Appearance
He has been charged with four offences, including two counts of failing to ensure people were not exposed to health and safety risks arising from his undertaking, and two counts of failing to ensure a workplace under his management or control was safe and without risks to health.
The man is due to appear before Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court next Wednesday.
