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
- Wednesday 6 March 2024
- Location
- Safety Concerns
- Employer or operator
- Qantas Airways Limited
- Type
- Workplace health and safety violation - reprisal against safety representative
- Deaths
- None reported
- Injured
- None reported
What happened
Incident Overview
In February 2020, Qantas Ground Services (QGS) stood down Theo Seremetidis, a health and safety representative, after he instructed employees to halt cleaning operations on aircraft arriving from China due to potential COVID-19 exposure risks. The NSW District Court subsequently found Qantas guilty of breaching workplace health and safety laws and imposed a $250,000 fine.
This case marks the first time a major Australian airline has been criminally prosecuted for workplace safety violations in this context, establishing a significant legal precedent for the protection of workers’ rights during health emergencies.
This case underscores the importance of upholding workers’ rights to a safe workplace and the legal protections afforded to health and safety representatives who raise legitimate concerns. Workers or former employees of Qantas with information about workplace health and safety practices are encouraged to contact SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 or visit safework.nsw.gov.au to report concerns.