Menai Civil Contractors Pty Ltd has been fined $69,750 by the Industrial Court of NSW after pleading guilty to a category 3 offence under the Work Health and Safety Act NSW 2011.
The prosecution followed a workplace incident on 11 November 2022, where a worker fell nearly 4 metres from a bridge abutment during formwork stripping at a construction site in Huntley, New South Wales.
The worker, positioned atop the southern abutment, was using an extension ladder to attach wire chains to a 26-tonne excavator. Critically, the worker was not wearing a harness—because the anchoring point was located on the opposite side of the abutment.
The court found that Menai Civil was aware of the fall risks associated with formwork stripping and failed to ensure subcontractors were implementing safe systems of work. The company’s lack of a systematic safety approach ultimately led to the conviction.
"Falls from heights are a primary cause of serious injuries and fatalities across workplaces in the state... Safety obligations are not optional and proactive risk management is crucial in keeping workers safe." — Janet Schorer, SafeWork NSW Commissioner
Falls from heights remain one of the most common causes of injury and death at construction sites in NSW. For 2025–26, SafeWork NSW has listed this hazard as its top regulatory priority, reinforcing the importance of safety compliance in high-risk activities.
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