Aussie company Avant Stone fined $450k after worker crushed to death by 600kg stone slabs at Newcastle warehouse

An Australian stone company has been fined nearly half a million dollars after one of its workers was crushed to death by 600kg of stone.

Avant Stone, a stone supplier based in both Sydney and Newcastle, was fined $450,000 in the District Court of New South Wales last Thursday after it was found the company had insufficient safety systems in place.

The 56-year-old warehouse worker, identified as Anton Bauer, died on August 20, 2022, when he was crushed beneath two stone slabs at the company’s warehouse in Beresfield, a northwestern suburb of Newcastle.

“The stone slabs, with a combined weight of approximately 600kg, fell from an A-frame storage system, landing on top of the worker,” SafeWork NSW said.

About 11.15am that morning, one of Bauer’s colleagues, another warehouse worker, had left the warehouse showroom to use the bathroom, the court heard.

When the worker returned to the showroom, he saw Bauer lying on the floor, partially crushed under two stone slabs.

The stone slabs weighed approximately 315kg each.

The worker called an ambulance and emergency services attended, however, Bauer was unable to be revived and was declared dead at the scene.

There were no direct witnesses to the incident, and the last act the worker saw Bauer performing was the operation of the remote control to move a crane holding the slabs.

In the district court, Avant Stone pleaded guilty to failing its work health and safety duty and therefore exposing Bauer to a risk of death or serious injury.

“The risk was the risk of workers, in particular Mr Bauer, suffering serious injury or death as a result of being struck and/or crushed by a stone slab being unloaded by the overhead travelling crane, whilst undertaking work in the warehouse,” it was heard in court.

The company failed its duty on multiple counts, it was found, including failing to provide an adequate racking system to prevent stone slabs from falling; failing to implement a documented job safety analysis specific to lifting and moving slab; failing to enforce a supervisory/spotting system to ensure safe systems of work are followed when moving or lifting stone slabs, and failing to provide training and instructions on how to implement these.

Bauer had only been working at the company for about a month before he died at the warehouse, and was reportedly provided with induction and training when he started.

He was given oral instruction concerning the safe handling of heavy stone slabs, but there were no written procedures.

One of two directors of Avant Stone expressed “genuine remorse and contrition”, and gave details in court of steps taken after the incident to deal with the emotional and psychological impact of the incident upon workers.

Avant Stone was convicted in court and fined $600,000 which was reduced by 25 per cent to reflect the early plea of guilty.

The company is now set to pay a fine of $450,000.