WorkSafe prosecuted a north-west Victorian labour hire company. (Supplied: WorkSafe)
In short:
A labour hire company in north-west Victoria has been fined for workplace safety breaches relating to the death of a man at a fruit farm.
Jafar Bunyad, 70, died after falling from a moving trailer towed by a tractor.
AH Vision’s labour hire service provider license has been cancelled.
A labour hire company in north-west Victoria has been fined $415,000 over the death of a 70-year-old worker who fell from a moving trailer.
AH Vision Pty Ltd, based in Swan Hill, was sentenced in the Mildura Magistrates’ Court on Monday after being found guilty of two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Afghan national Jafar Bunyad died in January 2022 after he fell from a trailer being towed by a tractor at the intersection of North South Road and Reserve Road at Woorinen South.
He was working his second shift picking fruit at a farm in Woorinen.
Jafar Bunyad fell at the intersection of Reserve Road and North South Road. (ABC Mildura-Swan Hill: Francesco Salvo)
AH Vision Pty Ltd was fined $400,000 for failing to provide its workers with necessary information, instruction and training, and a further $15,000 for failing without a reasonable excuse to provide WorkSafe with the required information and documents about the incident.
The company was also ordered to pay $16,045 in costs.
The court heard AH Vision was engaged to provide labour to Woorinen South stone fruit grower Cutri Fruit Pty Ltd.
Cutri Fruit was fined $750,000 over the man’s death in December 2024.
Mr Bunyad was working his second shift at Cutri Fuit. (ABC Mildura-Swan Hill: Francesco Salvo)
Court documents showed the incident happened as a trailer Mr Bunyad was riding on was being towed between two farms.
Mr Bunyad fell from the trailer as it turned a corner and suffered serious head injuries, including a fractured skull.
He died later the same day in hospital.
Court documents revealed the trailer was designed to carry large fruit bins but was not intended to carry workers while moving.
The court heard AH Vision’s labour hire service provider license was cancelled in 2022.
Worksafe health and safety executive director Sam Jenkin said labour hire companies had a duty to the health and safety of workers they employed.
“Labour hire companies can’t just send workers off to a worksite and hope for the best, leaving them to work in unfamiliar environments without providing appropriate safety training and information,” Mr Jenkin said.
