Caramin, Olivier Max - Non-inquest findings
Deceased
Olivier Max Caramin
Demographics
27y, male
Date of death
2017-11-01
Finding date
2021-08-20
Cause of death
multiple organ failure due to or as a consequence of heat stroke
AI-generated summary
Olivier Caramin, a 27-year-old Belgian national on a working holiday visa, died from heat stroke while picking pumpkins on 31 October 2017 in Far North Queensland. He was just three days into farm work without proper acclimatisation, working 7.5 hours in extreme heat (40°C in direct sun) with minimal shade, no hat, limited food and water, and no dedicated first aid officer. The employer and farm operator failed to conduct heat risk assessments, provide adequate shade or rest areas, implement heat management protocols, or properly induct workers. Workers reported pressure to continue despite raising concerns about conditions. The coroner found the death wholly preventable. Prosecutions resulted in guilty pleas; the labour hire contractor was fined $65,000 and the farm operator $100,000. Key preventive measures identified included thermal risk assessments, heat stress training, acclimatisation protocols, provision of shade structures, rescheduling to cooler times, and adequate supervision of vulnerable foreign workers.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Error types
Contributing factors
- failure to identify and assess risk of heat stroke
- failure to implement adequate heat stress controls
- lack of acclimatisation of worker to hot climate
- working 7.5 hour shifts without physiological adaptation
- inadequate shade provision at workplace
- no shade on harvesting equipment (trailer and conveyor)
- worker wore no hat despite extreme heat
- limited food and water supply
- inadequate worker induction and training
- no heat stress safe work procedures
- no trained first aid officer on site
- pressure on workers to continue despite concerns about conditions
- vulnerability of overseas national on working visa
- labour hire arrangement diminishing accountability
Coroner's recommendations
- Thermal risk assessments to be conducted for outdoor farm work
- Provision of shade structures for rest areas and on harvesting equipment
- Heat stress management training for workers and supervisors
- Implementation of safe work procedures addressing heat-related illness risks
- Acclimatisation plans for workers new to hot climates
- Dedicated trained first aid officer on site
- Rescheduling of picking work to cooler parts of the day
- Enhanced protections and oversight for vulnerable foreign nationals on working visas in agricultural settings
- Recognition that safety duties under Work Health and Safety Act cannot be delegated through labour hire arrangements
Full text
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