Two firms and director fined $205,000 after scaffold fall
11 Aug 2026•BlueSafe Team•Source: SafeWork NSW
Two construction companies and a director have been fined a combined $205,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries in a fall of about six metres from an unsafely constructed scaffold.
The Industrial Court of NSW imposed fines of $100,000 on Ausko Design Constructions Pty Ltd, $15,000 on Oh Haan Constructions Pty Ltd and $90,000 on its director, Mr Ju Sik Oh, following a SafeWork NSW prosecution. The incident occurred on 5 October 2023.
Ausko Design Constructions pleaded guilty to an offence under section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to meet its health and safety duty to workers under section 19(1).
Mr Oh, who was both sole director and site foreman, also pleaded guilty to an offence under section 32 of the Act. His offence concerned a failure to comply with his health and safety duty under section 28(b).
Both companies and Mr Oh can appeal their sentences. The full judgments for each defendant are available on the NSW Caselaw website.
SafeWork NSW identified falls from heights as a primary cause of traumatic injuries and deaths in NSW workplaces. Preventing fall-related injuries is an area for action in the regulator’s priorities this year, and it reminded businesses of their duty to protect workers exposed to falling hazards and work at heights.
Workers concerned about health and safety at their workplace can contact SafeWork NSW anonymously by calling 13 10 50 or using the Speak Up Save Lives website.
Resources to help business owners and workers manage the risks of working at heights are available on the SafeWork NSW website.
How Blue Safe can help: Our free SWMS tool can help you document safety controls for high-risk construction work involving scaffolds and work at heights. Create a free SWMS