Alcove hit with $45k fine over worker fall

The state’s workplace safety watchdog has issued a stark warning to the construction industry after another builder was hit with a hefty fine over an employee fall at a work site.

Alcove Engineering and Construction was fined $45,000 in Rockingham Magistrate’s Court this week and forced to hand over $5,000 in legal costs after pleading guilty to failing to maintain a safe working environment.

The Balcatta-based company was leading a major home renovation in Safety Bay alongside a host of subcontractors in 2019 when a worker fell three metres through a void that had been concealed by a tarpaulin.

An Alcove employee and a carpentry subcontractor had removed a 2.5 metre square portion of the upper level mezzanine floor to make way for stairs, with plans to install a protection handrail to the void the following morning.

But the property owner requested a tarpaulin be placed over the void to protect the lower level from the elements, which the carpenter agreed to do following consultation with Alcove’s site supervisor.

The carpenter removed the ladder and assured the site supervisor he would be the first to return to the site, but three glass fitters arrived first, accessing the upper floor via the scaffolding.

One of the workers stepped on the tarpaulin, with no signage, railing or indication of a void below, falling three metres to the concrete floor below and suffering severe injuries to his elbow and shoulder. 

WorkSafe Commissioner Darren Kavanagh expressed his disappointment that there had been yet another serious injury resulting from a fall on a construction site, which had been the cause of 14 percent of all construction-related fatalities since 2012/13.

He described the decision to place the tarpaulin over the void with no signage as a “serious failing” and said unfortunate omissions led to serious injuries that could have been much worse.

“WA has had a Code of Practice for the Prevention of Falls at Workplaces since 2004, and this code provides practical guidance to effectively manage fall risks and should be followed in all workplaces where a risk of falls is present,” he said.

“The code is almost 20 years old, so it would be reasonable to think construction industry employers and workers would be familiar with its requirements by now.

“Alcove Engineering had control of the workplace and of access and egress to the site, and the company failed to take any practicable measures to ensure the safety of the workers there.

“The WHS regulations will, after a transition period, see increased safety requirements in workplaces in which high risk construction work is taking place."