Ballooning company fined after worker falls through roof

A hot air ballooning company in Victoria’s Yarra Valley has been convicted and fined a total of $44,000 after a worker was seriously injured in a fall at Dixon’s Creek.

Global Ballooning Australia was sentenced in the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The company was fined $40,000 for failing to provide safe systems of work and $4000 for failing to notify WorkSafe immediately after an incident. The court also ordered the company to pay costs of $9770.

In June 2021, the worker was on a shed roof cleaning gutters when he fell about three metres through a fibreglass skylight to the concrete floor below.

The worker was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured spine, and it took two days for the company to report the incident to WorkSafe Victoria.

WorkSafe’s subsequent investigation found Global Ballooning Australia had no system in place for assessing and controlling falls from height and no fall prevention measures were in place.

It was reasonably practicable for the company to provide a safe system for working at height, including ensuring a fall arrest system such as a safety harness was used.

Falls from height sadly remained a leading cause of workplace death and injury across a number of industries, said WorkSafe Victoria executive director of health and safety, Narelle Beer.

“Last year alone, nine workers tragically lost their lives as a result of a fall from height in Victorian workplaces, while many more suffered serious and life-altering injuries,” Dr Beer said.

“Each one of these incidents was absolutely preventable and will not hesitate to prosecute employers who ignore the risks of working from heights.”