A Victorian company has been ordered to pay a $3 million fine over the workplace manslaughter of subcontractor Michael Tsahrelias, after the state’s Court of Appeal ruled the original penalty was too lenient.
According to ABC News, Tsahrelias was killed in 2021 when a forklift, driven by LH Holding Management Pty Ltd owner Laith Hanna, tipped while reversing down a slope at the company’s Somerton warehouse and crushed him.
The incident, described as “harrowing,” was captured on security cameras.
Initially, the company was fined $1.3 million—the first conviction under Victoria’s workplace manslaughter laws. However, following an appeal by the Office of Public Prosecutions, the fine was more than doubled.
On Friday, April 11, appeal judges acknowledged the company’s conduct was not the worst case of workplace manslaughter, but involved “a very significant departure from acceptable safety standards.”
They also noted the fine may go unpaid due to the company’s financial state, but said it must reflect the need for general deterrence.
Prosecutors also attempted to increase the penalty against Hanna, who was fined $120,000 and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. That appeal was dismissed.
WorkSafe health and safety director Sam Jenkin told ABC News that Tsahrelias’ death was “a completely preventable tragedy” caused by employer negligence.
“While no penalty will ever make up for a life lost, today’s decision reinforces that WorkSafe — and the courts — will hold negligent employers accountable when they fail in their ultimate responsibility to protect the lives of their workers,” he said.
Source: ABC News.
