Reported
Person rescued from grain silo in Dunolly
A person was rescued after becoming trapped in a grain silo on Thompson Street in Dunolly, Victoria, on 6 October 2026. The Country Fire…
Agriculture Dunolly, VIC
Record summary
- Date
- Saturday 7 September 2019
- Location
- Lindfield
- Employer or operator
- A1 Arbor Tree Services
- Type
- Woodchipper entanglement / machinery crush injury
- Deaths
- 1On Saturday, 7 September 2019, Samuela Cirivakayawa, a 40-year-old employee of A1 Arbor Tree Services, was killed when he was drawn into a woodchipper while hand-feeding branches at a work site in Lindfield, Sydney
- Injured
- One worker drawn into woodchipper; fatality at scene
What happened
Incident Overview
On Saturday, 7 September 2019, Samuela Cirivakayawa, a 40-year-old employee of A1 Arbor Tree Services, was killed when he was drawn into a woodchipper while hand-feeding branches at a work site in Lindfield, Sydney. The machine was known to be faulty and designed for mechanical feeding only.
In November 2023, the NSW District Court handed down a $2.25 million penalty against A1 Arbor Tree Services—the largest fine for a business in the state at that time—following the company’s guilty plea to breaching workplace health and safety legislation.
- Fatalities:
- On Saturday, 7 September 2019, Samuela Cirivakayawa, a 40-year-old employee of A1 Arbor Tree Services, was killed when he was drawn into a woodchipper while hand-feeding branches at a work site in Lindfield, Sydney
- Injuries:
- None reported.
- On Saturday, 7 September 2019, Samuela Cirivakayawa, a 40-year-old employee of A1 Arbor Tree Services, was killed when he was drawn into a woodchipper while hand-feeding branches at a work site in Lindfield, Sydney
SafeWork NSW investigated the incident and determined that A1 Arbor Tree Services had failed to conduct a risk assessment of the equipment, failed to provide adequate training or information regarding safe operation, and failed to implement controls to prevent hand feeding of the faulty woodchipper. The company pleaded guilty to breaching the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW).
SafeWork NSW continues to monitor workplace safety in the arboricultural and tree management sector. Any workers, contractors or members of the public with information about unsafe woodchipper practices or similar equipment hazards are encouraged to report to SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 or via the online incident-report form at safework.nsw.gov.au.