Canberra man says he is penniless ahead of legal action over workplace death
A man facing charges over a workplace death in Turner two years ago says he is seeking free legal help from a PhD student because he is not eligible for legal aid.
Kenoss Contractors and Munir Al-Hasani are facing two charges each of failing to comply with safety duties and exposing Michael Booth, 48, to a risk of death.
Mr Booth is believed to have been electrocuted while working on a site in Turner.
The court heard the company, Kenoss Contractors is now in receivership and will not be legally represented.
Al-Hasani has not pleaded to the charges and has said he is penniless.
If found guilty he could face a maximum fine of $150,000 because he has been charged under tough new national work safety laws.
Al-Hasani told the court the incident did not happen under his command, that it was an outside contract and the site had been handed over to someone else the week before.
The case was to be heard in December but it has been delayed until February to allow Al-Hasani to obtain legal advice.
Further delay in hearing over Ben Catanzariti's workplace death
Meanwhile, another company, Schwing Australia, and one of its maintenance engineers were due to plead to charges over another workplace death in the industrial court last week.
Both have been charged over the death of Ben Catanzariti, 21, who died when a beam from a concrete pouring machine fell on him at a Kingston worksite in 2012.
But when the court convened lawyers said they were not yet in a position to plead.
Magistrate Walker questioned the situation, saying they had been provided with eight weeks to make a decision.
She formally entered pleas of not guilty for both parties although she acknowledged that could change when the case is next in court.
The parties are now considering whether they want the matter dealt with in the ACT Magistrates Court or the Supreme Court.
The case will be back next month.
Canberra Contractors to stand trial over the death of Wayne Vickery
In a separate case charged under earlier legislation, Canberra Contractors has been committed to the Supreme Court for trial over the death of Wayne Vickery, 45, at Macgregor.
Mr Vickery died after he was hit by a reversing grader in 2011.
The company faces a maximum penalty of just over a million dollars if found guilty.
