A rural tyre business in the Northern Territory was fined $142,000 plus an additional victim levy of $2,000, after a two-year-old boy was killed on its premises.

The toddler’s family had gone to Gibbo’s Tyres (t/a Stuart Highway Tyres) in Katherine to have a tyre replaced. While they were waiting, the boy and his three-year-old cousin had wandered into a workplace area where unsecured truck tyres were leaning against a wall.

He was later found under one of those tyres, which weighed about 90kg, and died in hospital from head injuries.

The company admitted two breaches of the Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act; Section 32 for failing to comply with a health and safety duty and Section 38 for failing to notify a notifiable incident.

NT WorkSafe Executive Director Stephen Gelding stated: “This tragic loss of such a young life could have been avoided by implementing some very simple measures.

“Areas of work and storage must be out of bounds for customers, who may not be aware of the hazards in that part of the workplace.”

He advised businesses to have a safe system of securing and storing goods or materials at their premises to prevent anything from accidentally falling and injuring workers or customers.

He urged businesses to undertake a risk assessment of their workplaces to ensure there was an appropriate separation between areas of work and areas that are accessible by customers and other people.”