Latest news with #WorkplaceHealthAndSafety
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- RNZ News
Woman who lost arm in lion attack at Darling Downs Zoo undergoing surgery
By Dan McCray , ABC News Investigations into the incident are ongoing. Photo: ABC News A woman who was bitten by a lion at a zoo west of Brisbane is set to undergo another surgery. The woman in her 50s suffered a severe injury while watching keepers working in the carnivore enclosure at the Darling Downs Zoo, south of Toowoomba, on Sunday. Emergency services were called to the zoo about 8:30am and the woman was transported to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition. It is understood the woman has lost an arm. Zoo owner Steve Robinson said he had not yet spoken to the woman, but would provide an update once she had undergone surgery. In a statement, Darling Downs Zoo said the woman was well versed in safety protocols around potentially dangerous animals. "This is something that she has done many, many times over the past 20 years," it said. "Inexplicably, at this stage, one animal grabbed her by one arm and caused severe damage to it." The statement said the animal involved would "definitely not be put down or punished in any way". A spokesperson for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland said its inspectors were investigating. Darling Downs Zoo said it was working with authorities to establish how the incident occurred. "We are extremely grateful to the QAS, QPS and LifeFlight for their prompt attendance and to all of the people and organisations who have rallied round us with messages of support," the statement said. Darling Downs Zoo was closed on Sunday and is expected to reopen on Tuesday. The zoo, which is a two-hour drive from Brisbane, is home to several species of big cats including lions, tigers and leopards. Maranoa MP David Littleproud said the attack would have been an enormous shock to staff at the "much-loved animal park". "This is a horrific incident. It is a tragedy and a shock," Littleproud said. The business, which is spread across a 48-hectare property on the Darling Downs, was listed for sale for around $6 million in 2023 but was taken off the market last year. - ABC
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Man rescued from silo filled with fertiliser in rural Queensland
An elderly man is recovering in hospital after being rescued from a fertiliser silo on a rural Queensland property. The man, believed to be in his 80s, fell into the silo of urea at Eurombah, north of Roma, about 500 kilometres north-west of Brisbane on Sunday. A Queensland Fire Department spokeswoman said six crews, including the vertical rescue team and confined space crew, arrived at the site just before 3pm, about 90 minutes after the alarm was raised. "They found a person inside a silo, the vertical rescue team went down on their harness to extricate the person," she said. It took more than two hours for the crews to free the man, as the teams worked to remove the highly concentrated nitrogen fertiliser with buckets. Once free, the man was flown by helicopter to Roma Hospital in a stable condition after being treated by paramedics at the scene. Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and Roma Hospital have been contacted for comment. Days earlier, Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie spoke about farm safety while visiting FarmFest in Toowoomba. Mr Bleijie said it was essential for farmers to be aware of their safety at work. "We know that in Queensland, unfortunately, agriculture is one of the highest risks for workplace health and safety incidents," he said. Mr Bleijie said the goal was always for people to go to work in the morning and return home safely to their families at the end of the day. "But ultimately it comes down to individual responsibility as well and the more people hear about being conscious about farm safety and safety at the workplace, the safer everyone will be." Condamine MP Pat Weir said farming accidents happened too often, and urged farmers to keep safety front of mind. "I have attended the funerals of people that I grew up with and went to school with, that have been killed in farm accidents," he said. The state government has launched a farm safety calendar competition to raise awareness around potential safety hazards on farms and throughout rural communities. "I have been taken to hospital in an ambulance myself from an accident on a farm, so I know at first hand this [farm safety] calendar goes through the various issues that farmers deal with — whether it's dealing with livestock, whether it's electricity, whether it's floods, there's a machinery, machinery is a very unforgiving," Mr Weir said. "There are a lot of issues when you are farming, so to put the focus on farm safety is something that I support whole."
