Bendigo lab fined $10,000 over lead testing failures

On Site Laboratory Services Pty Ltd was sentenced in Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 23 June after pleading guilty to failing to arrange for biological monitoring of employees engaged in lead-risk work at the required intervals.

The company was fined without conviction and ordered to pay $4,259 in costs.

The court heard that between June and September 2024, the two workers conducted lead processing works when using a fire assay to determine the content of core mineral samples sent to the workplace.

Both men underwent blood tests during this time and the results triggered a requirement under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations for further testing.

WorkSafe inspectors visiting the workplace later found On Site Laboratory Services had failed to arrange follow-up blood tests within the set timeframes, putting the workers ongoing health at risk.

WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said lead was a potentially deadly poison which posed serious risks to health and wellbeing in the workplace.

"Exposure to lead in the workplace can cause a range of illnesses including cancer, kidney damage, nerve and brain damage, paralysis, reduced fertility, and birth defects in children," Mr Jenkin said.

"When working with lead, safety must always be the first priority and WorkSafe has an abundance of practical guidance to help employers follow the correct procedures."

The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations impose legal responsibilities on employers and employees in relation to lead exposure in workplaces where lead processes are carried out, and further obligations when lead-risk work is being performed.

This includes notifying WorkSafe that lead-risk work is being undertaken, arranging health monitoring of employees, and removing employees from lead-risk work if their blood-lead levels reach certain thresholds.

Lead-risk work is defined as work performed in a lead process that is reasonably likely to cause an employee's blood-lead levels to exceed those specified in the regulations.

WorkSafe's Compliance Code provides practical guidance for controlling risks associated with lead exposure in the workplace, including requirements for lead-risk work and lead processes.