A workplace death at Bell Bay in 2013 was not the fault of BIS Industries’ safety practices, a coroner has found.
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Launceston’s Richard Barker died on April 23 that year from head, neck and chest injuries he sustained when he was crushed by a metal plate.
The crushing occurred when he removed a number of bolts attached to a metal wing from a piece of decommissioned equipment stored at the site.
An inquest into Mr Barker’s death was held at the Launceston Magistrates Court last year.
Coroner Andrew McKee released his findings on Friday afternoon.
Mr Barker was 43 when he was working as a sub-contracted greaser at BIS, through ATH Engineering and Maintenance. However, when he was not performing maintenance on the plant and equipment, he performed other duties.
Shortly before his death, he was involved in the collection of scrap metal from the site, Mr McKee said.
Grantley Hamilton was the site manager at BIS. Mr McKee said Mr Hamilton called a meeting on April 23, after witnessing a trades assistant working at height on one of the decommissioned machines without a safety harness or safety rails in place.
“The evidence supports a finding that once Mr Hamilton became aware works were being performed on the hopper that he deemed to be unsafe, he acted immediately and appropriately by issuing a direction to ATH contractors and employees not to undertake any further works until a risk assessment had been undertaken,” Mr McKee said.
“The evidence supports a finding that the majority of the ATH employees/contractors present at the meeting understood the direction.
“The totality of the evidence leads to the conclusion that Mr Barker, contrary to a direction given to him by Mr Hamilton on the day, prior to his death, proceeded to the area the hopper was stored at and cut steel bolts from the hopper.
“There is no evidence to explain why Mr Barker acted in the manner he did.”
Mr McKee did not make any recommendations.
