What’s a life worth?

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
THE FAMILY of East Warburton man Phil Dickson, who died in a tragic accident at a Powelltown sawmill three years ago, is still looking for answers.
Powelltown Sawmills Ltd pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Safety Act during a plea hearing, ending the criminal prosecution before witnesses could take the stand.
The company agreed to a 12-month good behaviour bond and a fine of $60,000.
The family will now seek answers from the Coroner’s Court, which could take a further six to 12 months.
Mr Dickson, 58, was crushed to death by a four-metre high stack of timber at Powelltown Sawmill on 2 October 2008.
He had been stacking timber for air-drying, and was found by someone from a neighbouring property who heard a loud noise.
Although WorkSafe investigators were unable to determine how the incident occurred, they did find a number of unsafe practices and a case against the sawmill was set to be heard at Latrobe Valley Magistrate’s Court on 22 August 2011.
Powelltown Sawmills pleaded guilty to failing to provide a safe method of stacking the packed timber in the drying room, and failing to provide perimeter fencing at the sawmill, and the inherent risks to the safety of others that this created.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen ordered the company to abide by a 12-month good behaviour bond. The $60,000 fine would normally be paid into consolidated revenue, but Magistrate Vandersteen ordered that $45,000 be paid to the Upper Yarra SES and $15,000 to the Gladysdale CFA by 14 December 2011.
Mr Dickson’s partner of 22 years Pat Ingram said the outcome of the case was “disgraceful”.
“It’s been 35 months since his death and it (the court case) has caused a lot of stress,” she said.
She said $60,000 was “a pittance for somebody’s life”.
Mr Dickson’s son Mark said the one year probation was “a bit of a joke”, but the court case was complex to understand.
“It was about getting a conviction for them (the prosecution), not getting the answers,” he said.
“We still have some concerns for the Coroner.”
Mark said “beyond reasonable doubt” were the three words that put everything into doubt.
“We know Dad died at work, working by himself, and that sawmills are known to be a high-risk workplace,” he said.
“We’re talking about Dad’s life…and it boiled down to a lot of things that happened that made the timber fall.
“They can’t prove what happened because there were no witnesses.”
Mark said several new regulations to improve safety in the workplace had eventuated since his father’s death.
“It’s nice to see there is some good that’s come out of it,” he said.
“I had a good 40 years with my father, but I can’t imagine what it would be like for a five-year-old to grow up without their dad.”
WorkSafe Victoria spokesman Michael Birt said there had been a number of fatalities in the timber and other industries over the past years where materials had fallen on people.
“It illustrates how important it is to make sure workplaces are as safe as possible,” he said.
“His death was no good for anyone. Certainly not his family and friends, it was no good for the company and no good for a small community like Powelltown where he was well-known.
“For the sake of getting on top of these issues for little or no cost, you’ve just got to get on top of these issues because there’s no turning back once something like this goes wrong.”
Powelltown Sawmills’ directors were approached for comment, but said they had not been given sufficient time to formulate a response.