A Geelong residential builder has been convicted and fined after workers were found carrying out flooring work more than three metres above the ground with no fall protection in place — the company’s fourth interaction with WorkSafe Victoria over fall risks in five years.

Desbo Industries Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to failing to ensure a workplace under its management and control was safe and without risks to health. The company was also ordered to pay costs of $4,422.

A WorkSafe inspector attended the site in October 2024 following a report of unsafe work at height practices, and observed two contractors installing flooring sheets on the first floor, more than three metres from the ground, without fall protection in place. Access to the first floor was via an extension ladder in the stair void, where an incomplete attempt had been made to create an exclusion zone using tape.

An investigation revealed the company had three prior interactions with WorkSafe between 2020 and 2024 relating to the risk of serious injury or death from falls. A subcontractor engaged for carpentry works at the site has also been charged and is next due to appear in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 14 April 2026.

WorkSafe Victoria has reiterated that employers must implement the highest practicable level of fall prevention under the hierarchy of controls — prioritising passive measures such as scaffolding, guardrails, and safety mesh before relying on personal protective equipment such as harnesses. The regulator has made clear it will not wait for a serious injury to occur before taking enforcement action.