Respond to a crisis

Defending safety prosecutions / An employee of our client was working at a mine near Townsville when it was alleged that he was struck and killed by a front end loader operated by another employee of our client. The incident was investigated by the Mines Inspectorate and Police and the Chief Inspector issued complaints to our client with circumstances of aggravation also alleged. Our clients were also charged with failure in their safety obligations. This matter was successfully resolved with all charges against our client dropped.

Incident investigation / We acted on behalf of an electrical contractor in relation to an alleged breach of Queensland electrical safety legislation causing serious injury to a worker. Our investigation into the incident involved obtaining witness statements, viewing documented procedures, work method statements and safety presentation materials, liaising with the Queensland regulator in relation to the incident, attending to information requests and making submissions in relation to the alleged offence. The matter was ultimately resolved and our client was not prosecuted in relation to the incident.

On site incident response / Providing onsite incident response and crisis management for a marine transportation company following two deaths onsite, including liaising with multiple transport authorities, Australian Customs, Queensland Police, Port Authority and Maritime Safety Queensland.

Negotiating with safety regulators / We acted for a vegetation management operator to defend a safety prosecution resulting from the death of a by-stander who entered an exclusion zone during a tree-lopping operation at a retirement village.  The matter was successfully resolved with all charges against our client dropped.