Defence contractor Thales has been charged over the death of a worker at a manufacturing facility in Victoria.

The incident happened on July 2, 2020, at Thales’s Bendigo North facility where the company manufactures Hawkei protected vehicles for the Australian Defence Force.

A Thales worker suffered fatal crush injuries when an unsecured vehicle subframe and base plate, weighing almost a tonne, fell from a paint positioner during an unloading operation in the facility’s paint shop.

Following a Comcare investigation, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has filed a single charge in the Bendigo Magistrates Court alleging the company failed in its duties under the federal Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS Act).

It is alleged that Thales breached its safety duty under the WHS Act by failing to provide and maintain a safe system of work, and failing to provide information and training to workers.

The charge is a Category 2 criminal offence under the WHS Act, carrying a maximum penalty of $1.5 million.

The matter is listed for mention in the Bendigo Magistrates Court on 18 August.