Sanctions accepted over Tiger Brennan Drive fatality

NT WorkSafe has accepted an enforceable undertaking from Queensland based construction company BMD Constructions Pty Ltd over the 2016 death Mr Peter Bonnell.

Mr Bonnell was killed when his motorbike crashed into the traffic diversion setup as part of the Tiger Brennan Drive duplication in the early hours of 30 April 2016.

Under the terms of the sanction, BMD will spend a minimum of $305,000 on activities that will deliver health and safety benefits to BMD’s workers, the NT construction industry and wider community.

NT WorkSafe Acting Executive Director Mel Garde said it was appropriate to accept the enforceable undertaking as the traffic diversion setup was not the sole contributing factor to the incident. A number of activities contained in the sanction will upskill the construction industry on traffic management, creating a safer environment for workers and the wider community.

“Traffic management is an important factor in maintaining a safe workplace,” Ms Garde said.

“There is an obligation to not only protect workers from the hazards of oncoming traffic, but also to protect road users from potential hazards created by the worksite.”

“The driving skill and experience of road users will vary widely so it is critical that traffic management plans and traffic diversions are compliant with Australian Standards, so that all road users can safely navigate them,” Ms Garde said.

The proposed activities include:

• Engage subject matter experts to develop and deliver safety training and awareness packages for:
  • Silicosis in the construction industry;
  • Mental Health; and
  • Exercising Due Diligence.
• Develop a presentation and make available the silicosis safety training and awareness package to the NT construction industry.
• Engage with Vocational Education and Training providers to deliver the available silicosis safety training and awareness package to young workers.
• Develop a presentation and make available the Due Diligence training package to the NT construction industry.
• Create an e-learning training package for general awareness of traffic management for the NT construction industry.
• Fund $20,000 to upskill existing and new construction workers to undertake the Work Zone Traffic Controller (WZ2) qualification.

Details of the BMD enforceable undertaking is available on the NT WorkSafe website.