One of Australia's biggest farms has been fined more than AU$100,000 after pleading guilty to workplace safety violations in which two workers were injured.

The Latrobe Valley Magistrates court in Victoria last week fined Covino Farms of Longsford $85,000 for two breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act dating back to 2015, and ordered the company to pay costs of $22,933. 

In one case, a worker was instructed to put a tractor in low gear and get out while it was moving to check the seeder apparatus.  The seeder ran over Inderjeet Singh, who spent two weeks in hospital with a fractured cheekbone, four fractured ribs and a dislocated neck.  The magistrate said Mr. Singh could have been killed.

In the other case a few weeks later, forklift driver Peter Hulland cut his leg on an uncovered drain while attempting to fix a conveyor belt on a carrot processing machine.  Covino Farms has since upgraded the grates it uses on drains in its carrot washing shed so that workers cannot enter.

Located in the Gippsland region of southeastern VIC, the family-owned Covino Farms grows and supplies the veggies used at several fast food outlets, including KFC, Red Rooster, and Subway, as well as major supermarket.  The farm employs up to 300 people.