Ensign Services (Aust) Pty Ltd, trading as Laundry Services Australia, was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to ensure a workplace under its management and control was safe and without risks to health.
The company was also ordered to pay costs of $8,500.
The court heard Ensign engaged a transport company to support its laundry collection and delivery operations by providing vehicles and approved truck drivers.
On arrival at the Dandenong South laundry, drivers would reverse into a dock and lower the truck's tailgate to form a bridge which was then used to load or unload linen trolleys.
In June 2023, two drivers were working in neighbouring docks when one heard a loud noise and realised the other driver had fallen 1.2 metres from an elevated tailgate onto the concrete floor.
The 55-year-old man was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries.
A WorkSafe investigation found the truck involved in the incident not did have fall protection handrails installed at the time.
Ensign admitted it was reasonably practicable to have reduced the risk of a fall by installing swing gates at the dock, which could be used when trucks without safety handrails were being loaded and unloaded.
WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said it was crucial that duty holders did everything in their power to prevent falls from both employees and contractors alike.
"Since 2021, 39 workers across nearly a dozen industries have tragically lost their lives in falls from height," Mr Jenkin said. "We have the tools and education to prevent every single one, but it's up to employers to ensure all appropriate safety measures are in place."
"Health and safety obligations extend to everyone at a workplace, and WorkSafe won't hesitate to take strong action against employers who fail in their duties."
Rodrigues Transport Pty Ltd, the deceased driver's employer, is also facing charges over the incident and will next appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 11 November 2025.
To prevent falls from height employers should implement the highest possible measures from the five levels in the hierarchy of controls:
- Level 1 Eliminate the risk by, where practicable, doing all or some of the work on the ground or from a solid construction.
- Level 2 Use a passive fall prevention device such as scaffolds, perimeter screens, guardrails, safety mesh or elevating work platforms.
- Level 3 Use a positioning system, such as a travel-restraint system, to ensure employees work within a safe area.
- Level 4 Use a fall arrest system, such as a harness, catch platform or safety nets, to limit the risk of injuries in the event of a fall.
- Level 5 Use a fixed or portable ladder, or implement administrative controls.
