Coles fined $170,000 when worker

fell through a ceiling.

Following an investigation by WorkCover NSW, the NSW Industrial Court has Coles Supermarket chain $170,000 after a worker was injured when she fell through a ceiling at a Manly store in 2007.  

On August 29, 2007, a 42-year-old Freshwater woman working at Coles climbed over a handrail to access promotional material stored on a suspended plasterboard ceiling.

The plasterboard collapsed and she fell more than 2m. She was treated for lacerations to her head, whiplash and bruising.

A WorkCover investigation found the company knew it was dangerous to use the ceiling for storage and had built a railing and posted a warning sign.

It said that, despite this, management failed to undertake a risk assessment on the ability of the plasterboard to withstand weight and to adequately instruct staff not to access the area or use it for storage.

Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd pleaded guilty, and was convicted and fined $170,000.

WorkCover Work Health and Safety Division general manager John Watson said a number of simple steps could have prevented the fall from happening. He said WorkCover was “pleased” the issue had also been addressed in the design of all new Coles stores.

“This particular area should never have been allowed to be used to store merchandise and Coles management should have been more vigilant,” he said.

“While store management knew the area was not safe, the area was still used for storage and there was no proper information or training given to staff to warn of the risk.

“Following this incident, Coles has initiated a number of steps to eliminate a re-occurrence, including a new plywood barrier to block off all access to the dangerous area and issuing a safety alert to staff. 

Coles employs more 23,000 people in 238 stores across NSW.