A major Queensland construction company has been fined $60,000 over a workplace accident that resulted in a man's arm being crushed in a concrete pump.
ASP Piling pleaded guilty to one count of failing to comply with a health and safety duty that exposed a person to death or serious injury or illness.
No criminal conviction was recorded.
The accident happened during the construction of the WaterPoint Residences apartment complex at Biggera Waters on the Gold Coast in November 2018.
The worker, a man in his 50s, was cleaning build-up from the inside walls of a hopper when a swing tube moved, trapping and grinding his arm.
It took his workmates and paramedics half an hour to free him before he was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
His injuries were so severe doctors feared he would lose his arm.
ASP Piling was charged with a category two offence, which carries a maximum penalty of a $1.5 million fine for businesses.
The penalty was handed down in the Southport Magistrates court last week.
Second investigation open
The Gold Coast-based company is also being investigated by workplace health and safety inspectors for a separate incident at Broadbeach in April 2022, where a 55-tonne pile drilling rig toppled over, narrowly missing neighbouring apartment buildings and crushing the cabin of an unoccupied excavator.
The 67-year-old operator suffered a compound fracture to his leg while jumping clear of the rig as it fell.
The company was barred from using the rig and excavator, which were both damaged in the accident.
"Two prohibition notices were issued and subsequently complied with," a Workplace Health and Safety Queensland spokesperson said.
"Our investigation relating to the worker injured in [the Broadbeach] incident is ongoing.
"Other than this and the 2018 concrete pump incident, there are no other current investigations involving this company and no other historical serious non-compliance issues that required a comprehensive investigation."
The man made a full recovery and has returned to work.
The company specialises in piling, anchoring and dewatering — structural work that serves as the precursor to laying foundations during large construction projects.
It has worked on major projects around Australia, including iconic Surfers Paradise high-rises the Jewel and Q1, Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the Australia Fair and Pacific Fair shopping centres, as well as airports, hospitals and the redevelopment of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Following the court decision, ASP Piling issued a statement saying it had taken steps to prevent an incident like this from happening again.
"The health and safety of our workers and others was, and remains, our highest priority," a company spokesperson said.
"We deeply regret the incident that led to [the man involved in the 2018 accident's] injuries, and the impact it has had on him, his family and friends."
