General Forest Tree Surgeon Pty Ltd has been convicted and fined $70,000 in the Industrial Court of NSW as a result of a prosecution by SafeWork NSW.
These proceedings arose from an incident on 22 November 2022, when a worker suffered serious injury after he was struck by a falling section of a tree trunk, which was being cut down.
General Forest Tree Surgeon plead guilty to an offence pursuant to section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to comply with its duty to workers under section 19(1) of the Act.
The full judgment against General Forest Tree Surgeon can be read on the NSW Caselaw website.
General Forest Tree Surgeon Pty Ltd has the right to appeal against its sentence.
Workers who have concerns about workplace health and safety can anonymously contact SafeWork on 13 10 50 or through the Speak Up Save Lives website.
Business owners and workers can access a range of resources to help manage the risks of working around trees on the SafeWork NSW website.
SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer said:
“Risk control measures for falling objects such as exclusion zones, traffic management plans and adequate supervision are well known, so businesses have no excuse for not implementing them.”
“SafeWork NSW reminds all businesses of their duty to ensure their workers are protected when working with potential falling hazards.”
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