Company charged over trench collapse deaths

The men were laying pipe at the Winterfield Estate housing development in the Ballarat suburb of Delacombe on March 21 when the trench collapsed.

Following a comprehensive investigation by WorkSafe, Ballarat company Pipecon Pty Ltd was charged with two breaches of section 21of the Occupational Health and Safety Act:

• Failing to maintain battering or benching of the excavation and to use trench shields and manhole cages to protect the workers from the risk of engulfment.
• Failing to provide supervision to ensure its employees did not perform work in the trench without battering, benching, trench shields or manhole cages.

The matter is listed for a filing hearing at the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on 4 February 2019.