WORKSAFE Victoria has prosecuted 23-year-old Matthew Lever, an apprentice who set fire to a new workmate in a workplace ‘prank’.
Lever is the third apprentice to be prosecuted after a January 2008 incident where three apprentice mechanics ignited brake-cleaning fluid which they sprayed on another apprentice.
The injured apprentice had been working at the workshop for just three days. He was hospitalised for a week with burn injuries.
The Ringwood Magistrates’ court convicted Lever on three charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and fined him $5,000. The two other apprentices were convicted on health and safety charges in December 2008, and also fined $5,000 each.
According to WorkSafe Victoria, such ‘pranks’ can lead to serious and permanent injuries. This is often exacerbated by the fact that young workers, including apprentices, are less likely to speak up about bullying behaviour at work or pranks that go too far.
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