The largest ever penalty for a workplace death in the Northern Territory has been handed down. 

Darwin equipment hire company Titan Plant Hire and its managing director, Jason Madalena, have been fined a total of $1.14 million for the death of worker Dwayne Beaumont in 2019. 

Beaumont, 30, died when he was hit by an unsecured excavator bucket while guiding the machine onto another vehicle at a hire site in Darwin.

Last week, Madalena and Titan Plant Hire pleaded guilty to charges of failing to conduct due diligence in preventing Beaumont's death. 

In the Darwin Local Court, Judge Ben O'Loughlin said the company's health and safety policies amounted to “ink on paper”, and that implementing measures to prevent Beaumont's death would have been relatively easy and inexpensive.

The court heard that Beaumont had not received adequate training or site inductions before the accident, and had raised concerns before loading the excavator. 

Charges were also laid against the excavator operator, but were withdrawn after the individual's death in 2021.

Safety watchdog NT Worksafe stated that the fines are the highest ever handed to a private company in the Northern Territory. 

Work Health and Safety regulator Peggy Cheong said; “This tragedy could have been easily avoided if Titan Plant Hire had appropriate systems in place to ensure the safe operating and loading of machinery and equipment which was being hired”.

Beaumont's former partner and family expressed their grief in victim impact statements delivered last week. 

In a statement issued today, Beaumont's sister said; “We will forever wish that Dwayne was still here with us, until we meet him again”.