The company facing criminal charges over the death of construction worker Ben Catanzariti has delayed the case by more than a month, despite complaining of the prosecution's tardiness just two weeks ago.
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Mr Catanzariti was killed while working on a building site at the Dockside apartment development in Kingston in July, 2012.
He was killed when a 39-metre boom from a concrete-pouring machine collapsed and struck him.
The boom had recently undergone an inspection, but failed regardless.
His case was one of a spate of construction deaths in a 12-month period, and sparked a major investigation involving police and work safety organisations from ACT and NSW.
Criminal charges have since been laid against a NSW maintenance engineer, Phillip James O'Rourke, and the company that conducted the maintenance work, Schwing Australia.
Those charges were the most serious of their type to be laid under nationally harmonised occupational safety laws.
The case is currently before the ACT Industrial Court, but has been bogged down by delays.
Late last month, the defence criticised prosecutors for failing to give them the brief of evidence and particulars of the charges.
"We seem to appear every one to two months in that manner without ever getting anywhere," the defendant's lawyer said last month.
The brief and particulars were handed over to defence lawyers two weeks ago.
The matter came back before Industrial Court Magistrate Lorraine Walker on Tuesday, and Ms Walker asked if the defendants were ready to enter pleas.
But it was the defence who this time delayed the case.
They asked for a six-week adjournment so they could go over the volumes of "highly technical" material they had since received from prosecutors.
An engineering expert may need to be engaged to review the evidence, as would defence counsel.
"I appreciate, your honour, that it was my position on the last occasion to oppose an adjournment," the lawyer said.
A plea is expected to be entered when the case next returns to court on November 28.
Schwing Australia faces a maximum penalty of $3 million, and the engineer faces a fine of up to $300,000 and a maximum of five years' imprisonment.