Chevron charged after car wash fatality in Australia

The service station operator has been charged following the death of a customer using an automatic car wash.

Chevron's Australian arm has been accused of failing to take steps to ensure safety at work after a man was killed at Springvale using one of their car washes in Melbourne.

In November 2019, a 73-year-old Mulgrave man had driven into the car wash before walking out to re-enter an access code. As the man attempted to get back into his vehicle he was crushed when the wash cycle started and his car door was struck by a gantry.

He died from his injuries in hospital three days later.

WorkSafe has charged Chevron Australia Downstream Fuels with four breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to ensure a workplace was safe and without risks to health.

The watchdog alleges that Chevron did not erect signs to instruct drivers not to leave their vehicles while the car wash was operating.

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