Wigg, Allan Thomas

44y · Male·Massive brain damage due to multiple skull fractures from crush injuries sustained when run over by banana bagging machine after work platform collapse

Allan Wigg, aged 44, died on 3 December 2004 when the rear levelling pin securing the work platform of a banana bagging machine failed due to a defective weld. The platform collapsed, ejecting him from the operator's basket, and the machine ran over him causing fatal crush injuries. Critical failures included: (1) Russell Moyle, a hydraulic fitter without welding expertise, welded the pins without realising they were high tensile steel (not mild steel as he assumed), causing cold-cracking failure; (2) Barry Duggan had replaced the original mild steel pins with high tensile steel six months earlier without consulting the manufacturer; (3) no maintenance logbook existed to inform contractors of prior modifications; (4) the parking brake was non-functional; (5) no safety harness was used despite Australian Standards requiring one. The coroner found the machine's original design acceptable, but identified systemic failures in maintenance documentation, contractor oversight, modification procedures, and industry education. Key recommendations: develop and promote safety harnesses for banana bagging machines, establish mandatory inspection regimes for high-risk farm machinery, require maintenance logbooks, alert farmers about levelling rod integrity, improve regulator-coroner coordination, and enhance rural safety education.