Ratepayers have been slugged with an $80,000 fine and the revamp of Eagleby pool after a council worker was injured in a freak accident.
In 2022, an Eagleby Aquatic Centre staff member was electric shocked by an overhead powerline after hitting it with a pool cleaning pole.
The incident almost led to the permanent closure of the centre.
However, council backflipped on the decision and instead refurbished the centre with safer working conditions, which saw the pool where the worker was injured removed.
On Tuesday 16 January, Logan City Council pleaded guilty to one charge of failure to comply with an electrical safety duty that exposes a person to risk of death, serious injury or illness.
Beenleigh Magistrates Court heard the staff member, who was cleaning the pool with a nine-metre aluminium pole, was thrust back and paralysed for five to 10 minutes after accidentally hitting 110kw high voltage electrical lines.
The court heard council did not implement “a number of safety tools including a risk assessment”, according to reports from media agencies.
Council was reportedly fined $80,000 and ordered to pay $1601 in court cost, as well as $5000 compensation to the victim.
No convictions were reported.
A Logan City Council spokesperson said council “expressed its genuine remorse to the court and regrets the incident, as staff safety is a top priority for the organisation”.
“Significant changes have since been made to council’s health, safety and wellbeing practices and Eagleby Aquatic Centre has been redeveloped to remove the facility where the incident occurred,” the spokesperson said.
“Council continues to provide support to all employees involved.”
The centre was closed after the incident, and later council announced it would shut for good.
But in March last year, thanks to local councillor Karen Murphy and the Eagleby residents who submitted close to 500 surveys to council, it was announced the centre would be upgraded.
In December it finally reopened in time for the school holidays.
Only weeks later, in early January this year, a toddler almost drowned at the centre in a “freak accident”.
She was resuscitated and rushed to Queensland Children’s Hospital in a serious condition.
The next day a family member told MyCityLogan the young girl was home and well.
