Alice Springs fuel company fined for employee’s death

Indervon Pty Ltd (Indervon) pleaded guilty in the Alice Springs Local Court on Wednesday 29 April for failing to provide adequate training, instruction and supervision, which lead to the death of one of its drivers.

Indervon was convicted and fined $140,000 for one breach of Section 32 of the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011.

In July 2017, a 51-year-old worker was in his fourth week of employment as a fuel truck driver with Indervon when he delivered fuel unsupervised along the Maryvale Road. The worker failed to negotiate a curve on an unsealed portion of the road approximately 74 km south of Alice Springs.

Acting Executive Director of NT WorkSafe, Melissa Garde says it is important that employers appropriately train and instruct workers and supervise workers to ensure they are working safely.

“NT WorkSafe’s investigation raised questions around the worker’s ability to safely operate the fuel truck.”

“The unsealed outback roads in Central Australia present a range of hazards to drivers who are unfamiliar with the conditions,” Ms Garde said.

“A large proportion of worker fatalities in the Northern Territory involve a vehicle collision, with a majority of those crashes occurring outside of urban areas.”

“Employers need to go beyond checking the worker holds the correct licence to operate the work vehicle,” said Ms Garde.

“Employers also need to make sure they provide the worker with appropriate training and instruction to safely operate the vehicle in the conditions they may encounter.”

Indervon was also required to pay a victims levy of $1,000.