A man using an automatic car wash became crushed and died days later. Now a Melbourne service station has been charged following his death.
A Melbourne service station operator has been charged after a customer using an automatic car wash was crushed and died days later.
A 73-year-old man had driven into the car wash, before walking out to re-enter an access code at the Springvale service station in November 2019.
However, when the customer tried to get back inside his vehicle, he was crushed when the wash cycle started and his car door was struck by a gantry, WorkSafe has alleged.
The Mulgrave man died from his injuries in hospital three days later.
WorkSafe has charged Chevron Australia Downstream Fuels Pty Ltd with four breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for allegedly failing to ensure a workplace was safe and without risks to health.
The authority alleges Chevron failed to put up signs instructing car occupants not to leave their vehicle while the car wash was operating.
It further alleges the company failed to fit anti-collision bars or other controls to detect impending contact between the car wash’s moving parts and obstacles present in the wash bay and remove protruding brackets from inside the gantry legs.
WorkSafe also alleges the company failed to install boom gates that would only allow entry to the wash bay after a valid access code was entered.
The matter is listed for a filing hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Extracted from News.com.au