MHE-Demag Australia fined after crushing boilermaker Mishal Prasad at Sydney worksite
Boilermaker Mishal Prasad, 35, was crushed to death when two steel beams weighing about nine tonnes fell on him and his company, MHE-Demag Australia, was fined $525,000.
New details have emerged about the day a young man was crushed to death by nine tonnes of steel in a horrific workplace accident.
Boilermaker Mishal Prasad, 35, was working at a Smithfield site in western Sydney when the tragedy unfolded in July 2020.
The company he worked for, MHE-Demag Australia, was fined $525,000 on Tuesday after SafeWork NSW found it did not have proper procedures in place to protect Mr Prasad while working at the Option One construction site.
One of Mr. Prasad’s jobs at the site was to erect steelwork.
On the day he died, Mr. Prasad and a colleague were grinding the sharp ends of two beams that weighed 8979 kg and were 29 meters long.
‘Mr Prasad finished grinding the edges on one side of the girder [beams] And on the other side the edges are going to start grinding,’ said judge Andrew Scotting, Seven News reports.
‘The grinders needed to be overturned before it could be done.’
Mr Prasad’s employer, MHE-Demag Australia, was fined $525,000 after SafeWork NSW did not have proper safety procedures in place (pictured, paramedics at the scene of Mr Prasad’s death).
The pair used an overhead crane to lift and rotate the beam but the crane moved.
Mr. Prasad was standing between two beams when the first one fell and hit the other beam, causing both to crush him.
Another worker tried to lift Mr. Prasad’s beams using a crane but was unsuccessful.
Paramedics tried to treat her horrific chest and leg injuries but she tragically died at the scene.
NSW Ambulance Duty Operations Manager Jenny Potter said at the time of the incident, ‘No one goes to work expecting to not come home.
‘Those who administered CPR and acted quickly to save him should be commended.’
SafeWork NSW found that MHE-Demag Australia had some risk management systems in place.
However, Judge Scotting said that ‘at the time of the incident there was not a separate, documented system of work which related exclusively to the work carried out by Mr Prasad’.
The court heard that the risks associated with lifting heavy beams with cranes were obvious.
‘The consequences of the risk included the potential death of several workers,’ said Judge Scotting.
The measures identified were relatively inexpensive and could be implemented with minimal inconvenience to the offender.
‘Society is entitled to expect that both small and large employers will comply with safety requirements.’
Boilermaker Mishal Prasad was crushed by two steel beams weighing around nine-tonne at a Sydney worksite (above) in July 2020.
MHE-Demag Australia hosted a morning tea at the workplace on the day of Mr Prasad’s funeral at the request of his mother and erected a park bench with a plaque dedicated to the late worker in front of his workshop.
It also offered to cover his funeral expenses.
On Mr. Prasad’s death anniversary, the company held a mass at the worksite.
MHE-Demag Australia to close in early 2021 and sell its assets and workforce to Konecranes Pty Ltd.