Sentencing Held After Man Drowned At Waste Treatment Facility

Ronald Arthur Watts drowned in a pond full of fecal matter at an Australian wastewater treatment facility two years ago. This month, his employer was held responsible.

A hearing was held at Mandurah Magistrates Court of Western Australia in early July in relation to the drowning death in the Shire of Waroona’s waste treatment facility.

According to the Mandurah Coastal Times, the Shire pleaded guilty to being in control of a workplace and failing to ensure others were not exposed to hazards.

A Worksafe prosecutor told the court that the Shire was responsible for the wastewater treatment plant near Waroona.

The prosecutor argued that the penalties against the Shire should be tough because of their refusal to accept responsibility for the role they played in Watts’ death.

The Mandurah Coastal Times reported that the Counsel for the Shire argued that pleading guilty showed they accepted responsibility and “were remorseful.”

Andy Pisconeri had been contracted to work on the refusal site, the prosecutor reported to the court. Pisconeri had enlisted Watts, his uncle, to help.

The Shire had been aware that Watts assisted Pisconeri since they had seen him operating machinery, the Mandurah Coastal Times reported.

Septic waste was treated at the compound in five ponds, they had been sealed off with a cyclone fence that was kept locked when the site was not operating. The depth of human waste in pond one was three meters, making it difficult for someone to climb out if they had fallen in.

It was never determined how Watts found himself in the pond, but the coroner determined that he did die by drowning, according to the Mandurah Coastal Times.

The Shire of Waroona was told to put fences around each pond and to install an auto pump following the incident.

To read more about treatment facility worker safety visit Water Online’s Labor Solutions Center.