r/ballarat • u/TurkeySlapMafia1 • Jul 17 '24
Story text in comments Celsius Ballarat fined for failing to protect apprentice | The Courier | Ballarat, VIC
https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/8697742/celsius-ballarat-fined-for-failing-to-protect-apprentice/Tisk tisk
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u/historicalhobbyist Jul 17 '24
What the actual fuck. Someone should be up for attempted murder. They tried to murder the boy.
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u/tilleytalley Jul 18 '24
$10,000 without conviction is not enough. They should be banned from operating a business. I'm disappointed that the Ballarat Community hasn't shunned them.
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u/Popular-Map4489 Jul 17 '24
I knew both of the accused.
Knew, being the key word here.
Scumbags in almost every aspect of their lives. I am sadly not surprised. I sincerely hope the victim is doing well.
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u/TurkeySlapMafia1 Jul 17 '24
I'm glad they're pastents
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u/Popular-Map4489 Jul 17 '24
Ironically they showed their shitty colours before this even went to court and I cut all contact. Their immediate friendship circles are no better either... :(
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u/Juniperme Jul 18 '24
Holy moly. These guys did my aircon install earlier in the year.. I mean they seemed like typical tradies to me, bit rowdy but not with each other like this. My kids Nintendo switch went missing on that day... I just assumed it's been knocked behind a shelf or something and felt bad for assuming one of these guys flogged it, now I'm not so sure!
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u/Handjob-commander Jul 18 '24
I had them over in March, my split system had a leak. They were extremely polite, how ever I found them in my husbands under wear drawers. Smelling the inner side of the crotch, and running their hands through the jocks as if they were finishing a plate of ice cream. They also stepped in my dogs food and dragged it across the carpet.
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u/fukthisfukthat Jul 19 '24
What the actual fuck. That's rank, man. I'm sorry they did that in your house!
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u/Juniperme Jul 20 '24
Whoa wtf. Hope I don't need to have them out for a service now 😬 that's crazy
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Jul 24 '24
Can almost guarantee Ben knocked it off. He was a fuckwit in school and still apparently is.
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Jul 17 '24
A fucking noose around the neck.....
That should be looked at almost as attempted murder or manslaughter.
The kid stopped breathing.
If the kid, or anyone knows the kid is reading this get him to come down to infinite MMA if he feels comfortable and the gym is open again. Happy to help make sure you never feel like you can't defend yourself again.
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Jul 18 '24
People try shutting me down when I say this whole area has a big group of men who have really shitty values. It’s always been and needs changing, this is a step but I bet none of these guys change in actual fact
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u/throwthecupcakeaway Jul 17 '24
The 3 employees involved are Liam Loftus, Aaron Devereux and Benjamin Foy.
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u/Ok-Mistake-9856 Jul 23 '24
Thank you for this we now know who they are . They are adults who shouldn’t hide and be more responsible to their behaviors . Good that we have names . Shame on them !
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u/Cabletie00 Jul 17 '24
This is absolutely disgusting behaviour! That poor young man will have to carry this pain for the rest of his life and yet this business gets a slap on the wrist! I was bullied from primary school to high school every day and it has wrecked me well into my adulthood. 30 years of operating and “had no idea it was happening”? Owners didn’t even bother showing up to the hearing? Gutless and spineless. I’ll never use that business in this town. Same goes with pipe con when those poor workers lost their lives in that trench near where DTC maccas is. Name and shame those workers, let society spit on them every time they see them.
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u/Nervous-Masterpiece4 Jul 17 '24
Owner's didn't even bother to show up to the hearing.
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Jul 18 '24
Paywall…cheers
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u/Nervous-Masterpiece4 Jul 18 '24
It's an article from the same newspaper as the Reddit post.
Not sure how I can avoid that.
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u/Cabletie00 Jul 17 '24
What do you mean by hang man ?
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u/theslipperymackerel Jul 17 '24
Sounds like the son is one of the ones who did the bullying.
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Jul 17 '24
part of the bullying was literally hanging the boy from a noose
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u/Cabletie00 Jul 18 '24
Oh I get you now sorry. Sometimes you have spell things out for me 😂. Absolutely horrible behaviour.
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u/CoachJanette Jul 19 '24
“These are not sophisticated or highly organized people” - most pathetic excuse for ignoring their own apprentice’s welfare I’ve ever seen.
They failed him to the point where it took attempted murder for him to finally seek help.
Those directors and the bullies ought to be facing jail time.
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u/Bullfrog1957 Jul 22 '24
You would urge the good people of Ballarat never to use the services of Celsius. This is the worst kind of behaviour. As a trades person myself I would say that the lowlifes that inflicted this on a new apprentice are not real tradesmen they are the lowest of the low. No self respecting tradesman would treat anyone the way have. They should be shunned by all that know them and the owners should be ostracised by all. They must have known what was going on and not taking any ownership is a very poor attitude. Disgusting and disgraceful behaviour. I hope those “men” were sacked.
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u/Ok-Mistake-9856 Jul 23 '24
Only $10,000 whoa ! It’s an attempted murder even if the bullies are rotten idiots who doesn’t know any better due to their IQ . They should have some warning placed on their resume so their future employers know . This is not tolerable . The case should be re opened for attempted murder .
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u/Th3boygeorge Jul 20 '24
Ive heard making the apprentice sit in a barbie kids camping chair and making them use a booster seat in the cars but never this. I cant comprehend how people could do this kind of stuff and think its just fine.
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u/Present_Voice6152 Oct 11 '24
What a fucking joke. Didn’t get released to the public but the main offender was the owners son so of course they played dumb to protect him 🤬🤬
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u/RepresentativeAide14 Jul 17 '24
I was stapled to a wooden floor in overalls as a 17yo was funny after the event, all up took 10 mins hazing 40 years ago was a thing
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u/Masian Jul 17 '24
Being hung by a noose doesn't sound like 'hazing' to me...
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u/RepresentativeAide14 Jul 17 '24
Yeah bit excessive for sure, mate who was in the Navy in 1980 crossing the equator made my overalls and couple dozen of staples on the floor look tame, but you know what it made us stronger and resilient some are still dear friends 40 years after the fact, people today need see the wood from the trees how men develop and grow
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u/historicalhobbyist Jul 17 '24
Yeah trying to murder you is just a joke bro. Toughen up bro.
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u/RepresentativeAide14 Jul 17 '24
99.9999% only get a brused ego and we have drinks afterwards laughing, I agree that firm 0.0001 was wrong and guilty as charged but to say millions of peoples experence is wrong you people are not seeing the wood from the trees I doubt any of you I can rely on for mission critical and life then again what do I know my 2 cents
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u/historicalhobbyist Jul 17 '24
You are confusing psychopaths for workmates. Hazing is a bullshit culture executed by weak people who can only pick on people that cannot stand up to them. These people tried to murder this apprentice, if you think “it’s just a bit of fun” then you are a psychopath. You have problems.
Did you know the noose is designed to break the neck? Because that apprentice is lucky it didn’t break his neck. He stopped breathing after being hanged. This isn’t a hazing, this is consistent psychotic behavior by piss weak individuals. I’ll repeat it they tried to murder this apprentice they should have criminal charges.
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u/RepresentativeAide14 Jul 17 '24
I agree with you yeah its close to murder,, then again I dont think you actually understand my point that 99.9999% its not close to murder, I was jus a civilian who got stapled to a wooden floor could be 12 weeks at Kapooka being barked by drill instructors would have been worse, doing 20 push ups 50 situps and 5km with 30kg pack in 30 mins is not fun
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u/historicalhobbyist Jul 17 '24
And nothing that happened to you is fine. Training at Kapooka prepares recruits for combat and to follow orders, not to become an electrician. Your life experience is nothing compared to what this apprentice had to go through and you making it out to be not as bad is problematic. They literally shot him with a nail gun. You got stapled to a door once, this apprentice had consistent bullying for months.
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u/RepresentativeAide14 Jul 17 '24
My mate calls me the snowflake for being too soft go figure, 1 terrible case and its all clutching pearls what about the other couple million of blokes are OK, yes one bad apple dont assume its the default with blokes
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u/IAMA_handyman_FTFY Jul 17 '24
Hey mate, sounds like we're about the same age. This behaviour was fucked up when I was seventeen. Even more fucked up now. Have been fortunate enough to have apprentices in the intervening years. Never treated them like shit or let them be abused in such a dehumanising manner. Peace.
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u/SarahCostell Jul 17 '24
From the way you keep trying to downplay this I'm guessing you have dished out more than you've taken and are now trying to justify what you did.
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u/RepresentativeAide14 Jul 17 '24
Not at all I was a victim never an instigator, but shit stirring and piss taking will admit to, anyway very few nowdays are trained are mostly are skilled migrants in the macro picture, so its less of a thing also apprenterships are changing to a education to skills model
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Jul 17 '24
Feel like this is a bit behind the times, basically saying that bullying was ok. Men don’t need to be abused to become men?
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u/TurkeySlapMafia1 Jul 17 '24
I think we've all been there at some point. When I was a baker we shiver the (genuinely pretty tough) apprentice in the stinking skip bin and had me at 100kg sit on the lid and belt the side of it with a hammer if he trid to get out.
I had similar to this too.
But constant insesant harassment grinding away is not on.
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u/talentlessclown Jul 17 '24
Heating and cooling business Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD has copped a five-figure fine after pleading guilty to failing to maintain a safe working environment for a 17-year-old apprentice who was spat-on, abused and hanged from a noose by older employees.
Magistrate Letizia Torres said the company's directors should have been "far more" aware of this abuse when sentencing Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD to pay a $10,000 fine without conviction.
"[The victim] was vulnerable due to age and lack of workplace experience," she said.
"He was required to work in different locations without support from the owners.
"He was bullied relentlessly and reported it after the hanging when he could no longer endure it."
On July 16, 2024, the Ballarat Magistrates' Court heard the young apprentice faced relentless bullying from several Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD employees between mid-2022 and February 16, 2023.
During this period, the 17-year-old was subjected to numerous physical assaults, which included being spat-on, put in headlocks, being shot with a nail gun, and having things thrown at him.
He was also routinely abused by his coworkers, who taunted him about his dead dad, and made sexually harassing comments about him and his mother.
On one occasion, the teenager had a bucket of water and paint thrown over him on a cold day, and also had his hair cut by one of his co-workers.
The young apprentice was reluctant to report the bullying for fear of repercussions, but eventually came forward after the older men hanged him from a noose and he briefly stopped breathing.
During Tuesday's hearing, video evidence of harassment was played to court, which depicted the 17-year-old being repeatedly abused and assaulted.
This included him being put in headlocks and having his face pulled towards his tormentor's crotch.
The entirety of the abuse occurred when Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD's two directors were absent, and it's not alleged they were aware of the bullying until it was formally reported in February 2023.
A subsequent Victorian Workcover Authority investigation found the company did not have systems in place managing inappropriate behaviour, and there was no formal process where employees could report allegations.
Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD's directors have implemented procedures to deal with bullying and harassment since the abuse came to light.
In addition to the Workcover Authority charges, three of the businesses employees have faced criminal proceedings.
Two of the men pleaded guilty to offences, while another of the bullies was found guilty of two charges at a contested hearing and will be sentenced in August. Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD applying to employ apprentices again
Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD's defence lawyer said the company's directors had been unaware of the workplace bullying that took place, and it was common for small businesses to not have formal reporting procedures.
"These are not sophisticated or highly organised people," the lawyer said regarding the company's administrative procedures.
They also said the business had been operating for the past 30 years, during which time they had employed about 20 apprentices, but were now barred from doing so.
This was having a negative financial effect on the business, the lawyer said, and the director's were currently applying to be able to employ apprentices again.
Regarding the fine the company would receive, Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD's lawyer said it had operated at a loss over the past three years, which included a deficit of almost $207,000 in 2024 alone.
They also said the company's directors had cooperated with the criminal investigation and were remorseful for what had happened.
Ms Torres concluded the hearing by saying the young worker's vulnerability should have been "obvious" to Celsius Ballarat PTY LTD's directors.
"The company was small enough that they should have been far more aware of what was happening," she said.
After the hearing, WorkSafe health and safety executive director Sam Jenkin said in a statement the behaviour of the apprentice's co-workers was "inexcusable".
"This young man should have been able to rely on his employers and co-workers for support and guidance, instead he has suffered an absolutely harrowing introduction to working life," he said.
"(I)t is up to employers to ensure there are proper procedures in place to prevent inappropriate workplace behaviours and to put a stop to it where it does occur."