Prosecutors have dropped their work safety case against a commercial bakery whose customer was hit by a prime mover while picking up stale bread.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the Buttercup Bakery, owned by Quality Bakers Australia Pty Ltd, has instead entered a legally-binding agreement with WorkSafe ACT to improve safety practices at its Fyshwick depot.
The accident occurred one December morning in 2012, while customers queued to pick up loaves of stale bread.
One customer, Julie Arbalis, was there to collect the loaves for stock feed, something she had done since 2005.
The loading dock was full, so Ms Arbalis parked her car on nearby concrete.
It pushed her back onto her car, before she fell forward onto the concrete.
The impact left her with significant injuries to her knee, and she was rushed to hospital.
The driver, who worked for a different company, got out and went to her aid.
WorkSafe ACT investigated the incident, obtaining CCTV footage in the process.
A case was then brought before the ACT Industrial Court, where Quality Bakers was criminally prosecuted for breaching work safety laws.
It had been alleged that the bakery failed to put up signs to stop people parking on the concrete and to provide a designated parking area for people waiting to use the loading dock.
Quality Bakers, prosecutors said, owed a safety duty to all persons using the dock during business hours.
The company also allegedly failed to appoint a supervisor to watch over the activities at the dock area.
The matter appeared before Industrial Magistrate Lorraine Walker on Thursday.
Prosecutors withdrew the charge from the court.
Instead, Quality Bakers will be subject to a enforceable undertaking, a legally binding agreement with WorkSafe ACT to improve its safety practices and policies.
The exact details of the undertaking will become publicly available at a later date.
