An aviation company accused of safety breaches after a worker fell and injured his back while mopping a plane at Canberra Airport will fight charges in the ACT Industrial Court.
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An employee of Qantas contractor Star Aviation is alleged to have fallen backwards from a service door as he cleaned the cabin of a Q400 turboprop aircraft parked in the airport's QantasLink hangar at midnight on January 30, 2014.
Court documents said the plane's rear doors had been opened to provide ventilation due to hot weather and the cleaner was mopping backwards when he stepped into the doorway.
The worker allegedly dropped more than 1.5 metres onto the concrete ground of the maintenance hangar, landing on his back and fracturing his spine and ribs.
WorkSafe ACT investigated the incident and alleged the airline breached its duty of care under the Work Health and Safety Act.
It will allege the company failed to identify the risk posed by falling from an aircraft, didn't implement measures to lessen the risk of a worker falling, and failed to provide proper information about risks of a fall to the worker involved.
The investigation also revealed claims the company had "a relaxed attitude" to workplace health and safety, and that workers had not received adequate safety training in some areas.
Star Aviation pleaded not guilty to two charges of failing to comply with health and safety duties and the case was mentioned briefly before industrial magistrate Lorraine Walker on Wednesday.
Crown prosecutor Trent Hickey estimated a maximum of three days would be needed for the case to be heard and said the prosecution would call evidence from nine witnesses.
The case was set down for a hearing in September.
In response to the incident, Qantas entered into an enforceable undertaking – a legally binding agreement often used as an alternative to court action – with WorkSafe ACT to improve its safety practices and policies.
The airline agreed to six terms, including the purchase of new "fall from heights" infrastructure for the ACT and a $70,000 donation to the Snowy Hydro Southcare rescue helicopter.
The company also agreed to develop an injury and hazard reporting app, standardise workplace induction processes across the group and complete a university research project related to contractor safety management.
