Sydney Trains fined for being unable to carry out duty to protect workers

In 2016, Charles Lagaaia was killed after being hit by a train while working on the tracks. A Sydney Trains employee for 26 years, the courts have found that the employer failed to protect him and that his death could have been prevented.

He was not given a site induction, hadn’t signed a pre-work briefing and wasn’t even shown a safety diagram for the work site.

Though there were some safety measures in place, they did not cover the section of track Mr Lagaaia was working on, a fatal oversight.

“Horrible accidents happen when safety isn’t the first priority for every employer. We hope that Sydney Trains can learn a lesson from this and improve their safe work practices,” said RTBU Loco Division Secretary Bob Hayden.

“Our condolences go out to Mr Lagaaia and his family.”

Please click here to see the full story on the Sydney Morning Herald.