Court hears evidence about Ballarat trench collapse that led to men's deaths
A geotechnical engineer has told a court that two men who died following a trench collapse in Ballarat last year must have been standing in the trench to have become engulfed in dirt.Charlie Howkins and Jack Brownlee were laying pipes when a trench collapsed, killing Mr Howkins instantly, while Mr Brownlee died later in hospital
The Victorian Workcover Authority charged Pipecon Pty Ltd over failing to provide a safe working environment and safe systems of work Pipecon's defence barrister told the court his client disagreed with the allegation works were being carried out without safety measures Charlie Howkins, 34, and Jack Brownlee, 21, were laying pipes in the Ballarat suburb of Delacombe when a sewage and drainage trench collapsed, killing Mr Howkins instantly.The Victorian Workcover Authority has brought charges against construction company Pipecon Pty Ltd over failing to provide a safe working environment and safe systems of work, arguing the company breached several requirements of Section 21 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
At the committal hearing in the Ballarat Magistrates Court, prosecutor Andrew Palmer, QC, said the first charges related to the system of work and the maintenance of the system of work."There are alternative safety measures … but this trenching and pipe laying was occurring without any of those systems in place," he said.
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