The earth-moving company charged over the workplace death of Wayne Vickery intends to fight accusations that it failed in its safety duties, a court has heard.
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Mr Vickery, 45 of Yass, was working for Canberra Contractors levelling a road at a construction site in West Macgregor in late 2011, when a heavy grader reversed into him.
The construction worker, a highly-experienced member of the industry, was crouched behind the vehicle on his hands and knees to check levels.
The grader had no side mirrors, but did have a warning alarm when reversing and a rear-view mirror.
The machine caused fatal injuries to Mr Vickery.
Canberra Contractors was charged with two criminal offences over the death in the early stages of an inquest into Mr Vickery's death.
Now, the ACT Industrial Court has heard the company intends to fight the charges of failing to comply with a safety duty recklessly causing serious harm and an alternate charge of negligently causing serious harm.
Lawyers for the company indicated the pleas of not guilty on Monday, but they are to be confirmed next week after the full brief of evidence has been served.
That means the case is likely to be heard in a five-day hearing involving roughly 20 witnesses at some point next year.
The Industrial Court's inaugural magistrate Lorraine Walker said she will have to excuse herself from sitting on the case, because she presided over the coronial inquest as Chief Coroner earlier this year.
The inquest is currently on hold while the criminal charges are dealt with.
Mr Vickery had been working on a Village Building Company construction project in Canberra at the time of his death.
A court has previously heard that level checks would usually be conducted in front of the grader.
The criminal case will come back before the Industrial Court on November 10.
