A crane driver ignored warning systems in his cabin on the day a 1.9-tonne load of plaster fell onto a worker causing serious injuries, the Launceston Magistrates Court heard.
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A heart-rending victim impact statement from the 43-year-old victim Darren Worker said that he had been emotionally, physically, financially and socially affected by the outcome of the day.
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Glenn Alec Gault, 36, pleaded guilty to a failure to comply with a health and safety duty in that he engaged in conduct without reasonable excuse that exposed a worker to the risk of death or serious injury.
Gault faces a maximum fine of $300,000 or five years' jail.
His employer Pfeiffer Cranes Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to a failure to comply with a health and safety duty in that it was a person conducting a business which owed a duty to workers at the worksite and failed to ensure the provision of instruction, information and training. The company faces a maximum penalty of $500,000.
Defence counsel Mark Doyle said Gault was genuinely distressed and apologised in the hope it would provide some solace to Mr Worker.
He suffered multiple back fractures, a punctured lung and broken collarbone.
On April 7, 2017, a 40-tonne crane was being used to lift four pallets of plaster to the first floor of a new home in Trevallyn.
The crane had a counterweight of 1.4 tonnes when it needed one of 3.5 tonnes. The task was complicated when the builder sought that the plaster be placed further away from the crane-at the rear of the top-level rather than the middle. The crane has a safety system which stops the crane from moving when it senses it has reached 75 per cent of capacity.
"When it reaches 100 per cent of its capacity, alarms and lights also sound. The lights are visible both inside and outside the crane," she said.
"For the second, third and fourth of these lifts Mr Gault manually overrode the safety system by using a 'LMB override' button," Ms Bill said.
The crane's manual indicated that overriding the system "can cause serious damage and tremendous risk to persons and equipment."
The court heard that the fourth lift of 1.9 tonnes was 117 per cent of the crane's capacity when the load slipped from the crane.
"Mr Worker was struck by the pallet and trapped under the load ...the boom of the crane then collapsed," Ms Bill said. The manual override had been used on more than 100 prior occasions. Workplace Tasmania found.
Pfeiffer defence counsel Chris Dockray said it was a failure of communication about the change in the task.
Magistrate Sharon Cure will sentence on May 21 at 2.15pm.
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