A SOLAR company has been fined $30,000 after a worker died after falling from a ladder in Bendigo in 2018.
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Solar 2.0 Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Friday to failing to reduce the risks associated with a fall in the workplace and failing to ensure high risk work construction work was carried out in accordance with a Safe Work Method Statement.
The plea was made on a non-causative basis.
The court heard a number of Solar 2.0 employees were installing solar panels on the roof of a Kennington property in November 2018 when a worker fell and landed on concrete below.
The 21-year-old man suffered head injuries and later died in hospital.
The court was told there was no fall protection in place on site and workers had accessed the roof via an extension ladder, placed against a veranda with a polycarbonate roof.
Investigators found the ladder had been fitted in a gutter guard at the top, and was not fixed at the bottom.
The company was also ordered to pay costs of $14,197.
OTHER NEWS:
WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Julie Nielsen said the death was a tragic reminder of the devastation caused when employers fail to take a safety-first approach.
"Like all workers this young man deserved to return home safely to his loved ones, who are now left dealing with unimaginable grief," Ms Nielsen said.
"It's well known that falls are a common cause of serious injuries and deaths in Victorian workplaces, so there is simply no excuse for not having the appropriate measures in place to protect workers."
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