Residential Builder Desbo Industries Fined $40,000 Over Dangerous Work at Height at Grovedale Site

A Geelong residential construction company has been convicted and fined $40,000 after workers were found installing flooring sheets on a first-floor building site more than three metres above the ground without any fall protection in place. Desbo Industries Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 5 March 2026 after pleading guilty to a single charge under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. The company was also ordered to pay costs of $4,422.

The Worksite Incident

Desbo Industries Pty Ltd was engaged as the principal contractor to construct a two-storey residence in the Geelong suburb of Grovedale. In October 2024, a WorkSafe Victoria inspector attended the workplace following a report of unsafe work at height practices. The inspector observed two contractors installing flooring sheets on the first floor of the property, working more than three metres above the ground, without any fall protection in place around the perimeter edge or the stair void.

The Charge and Guilty Plea

The company was charged with a single offence under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004: failing to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that a workplace under its management and control was safe and without risks to health. Desbo Industries pleaded guilty to the charge. The company accepted that it was reasonably practicable to reduce the risk at the Grovedale site by restricting access to the first floor until suitable and compliant perimeter guard railing had been installed around the perimeter edge and stair void.

Fine and Costs

Ordered by the Court Desbo Industries was sentenced in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 5 March 2026. The court imposed a fine of $40,000 and also ordered the company to pay costs of $4,422. WorkSafe Victoria published details of the prosecution outcome on 13 March 2026. The combined total ordered against the company was $44,422.

Subcontractor Also Charged

A subcontractor engaged to undertake carpentry works at the same Grovedale site was also charged in connection with the incident. That matter is listed for hearing in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on 14 April 2026. The outcome of those proceedings had not been determined at the time of publication.

Principal Contractor Obligations on Residential Sites

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, principal contractors are responsible for ensuring that worksites under their management and control are safe for all workers, including subcontractors. This obligation extends to managing fall risks before work at height begins. Residential builders carrying out work that involves working above ground level are required to have appropriate fall prevention measures in place at all times, regardless of the duration of the task being performed.