A company has been convicted and fined $45,000 following an incident in which two workers fell into a water tank, resulting in one worker becoming paraplegic. 

The sentencing of Watertank Solutions Victoria Pty Ltd has taken place at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court after the company pleaded guilty to charges of failing to maintain a safe system of work. The court also ordered the company to pay $3,960 in costs.

The incident occurred in April 2022 at a property in Yendon, near Ballarat, where Watertank Solutions was engaged to repair, drain, and clean an in-ground water tank. 

The work included removing and replacing the tank's metal roof. 

The concrete tank, approximately 2.1 metres deep with an outer wall extending 45 centimetres above the ground, and a peaked metal roof reaching about 3.1 metres from the base, posed significant hazards.

Workers accessed the roof using metal planks balanced precariously across the tank's outer wall and roof apex, without any fall protection measures in place. 

While attempting to dislodge a roofing panel, a 43-year-old worker standing on the ground at the tank's edge fell head-first into the tank, suffering severe head and neck injuries that led to paraplegia. Another worker, who fell from the roof, sustained a shoulder injury.

A third worker intervened, climbing into the tank to support the injured worker's head above water and later using a ratchet strap to pull him out. WorkSafe inspectors discovered that there was no Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) in place, a requirement for high-risk construction work.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, Sam Jenkin, emphasised the severity of the breach. 

“In this case, the employer failed to take even the most basic of precautions for working at heights and, as a result, one man has suffered catastrophic and life-changing injuries,” Mr Jenkin stated. 

He said the employer’s duty is to ensure worker safety, particularly in high-risk environments such as working from heights of two metres or more.

The investigation concluded that Watertank Solutions could have implemented passive fall prevention measures, such as scaffolding, fixed ladders, perimeter guardrails, or fall arrest harnesses, to significantly reduce the risk of falls.