A coronial inquest has begun into the death of a man who was attacked by dogs while working on a property at Greenbank in 2022.
Kane Minion, 42, was an electricity meter reader working under contract with Energex.
While trying to check the electricity meter on an Ison Road property in December 2022, Mr Minion was attacked and killed by two dogs after opening and entering the gate to the property.
Now, officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Mr Minion’s fiancée, Toni Baird, said she wanted the inquest to shed light on Mr Minion’s death and drive “real change”.
“My hope is that the findings this week will lead to recommendations that drive real change – towards stronger systems, stronger procedures and stronger protections for workers,” Ms Baird said.
“People’s lives are at risk, and corporations have a duty of care to their employees to ensure every effort is made to keep them safe every day when they go to work – and when those safeguards fail, there are back-ups in place.
“It will then be up to those responsible for worker safety to act on what is learned this week and put recommendations into practice – so that any safety protections found to have failed Kane never fail again.”
At the time, police said they found three dogs on the property, which were handed to Logan City Council animal control officers.
The two dogs that mauled Mr Minion – a bandog bull-mastiff cross and a Rhodesian ridgeback cross – were impounded and euthanased.
The inquest, which began Monday, 13 October and will end Friday, 17 October, in Southport, is investigating the workplace systems, procedures, and technologies that were in place on the day of Mr Minion’s death.
This includes whether the property owner was notified of Mr Minion’s arrival on the property and if this work could have been conducted remotely.
The inquest will also consider the measures that could be implemented to prevent further tragedies like Mr Minion’s death from happening again.
Ms Baird’s lawyer, Travis Schultz, said he hoped the inquest would improve workplace safety measures and determine the safety gaps that led to Mr Minion’s death.
“Taking steps to manage risks is not optional – it’s a condition of doing business in Queensland. And while workplaces are already subject to safety laws and regulations, this inquest is a chance to examine whether those protections were adequate in Kane’s case and to consider what improvements might be needed,” Mr Schultz said.
“There is a very real human cost when corporate systems break down.”
Ms Baird and other members of Mr Minion’s family said they want the inquest to provide long-awaited answers about their loved one’s death.
“This inquest is our chance to finally understand what may have failed Kane that day – and how such a failure might have happened,” Ms Baird said.
“But I don’t want it to stop at answers – and neither would Kane. He would want everyone to know what happened that day so it could be fixed.”
