Family of Sydney man crushed to death at work demand compensation

Widowed wife Rachel Tanner has been fighting to gain compensation for her husband's workplace death for almost five years.

The accident occurred at a western Sydney ink factory in 2017 when Engadine father Craig Tanner, 42, was crushed to death.

"It's five years and we haven't moved on," his wife told 9News.

Tanner believes insurance companies and lawyers are paralysing the process for her family to receive compensation.

"It's hanging over my head all the time."

"Having to deal with all the legal things have been really, really difficult," she said.

Her husband ran his own cleaning businesses and in December 2017 he was called out to DIC ink factory in Auburn to clean an ink vat.

A catastrophic mistake was made.

"The ink tank itself wasn't turned off," Tanner said.

"There were big blades, he was trapped and crushed."

"He was impaled through his leg, pelvis crushed, he was in there for two hours stuck, alive and bleeding."

Widowed wife Rachel Tanner has been fighting to gain compensation for her husband's workplace death for almost five years.

DIC ink paid industrial contract company Buddco to do the cleaning works, who then employed Tanner as a sole trader to clean the tank.

Upon investigation, Safe Work NSW issued multiple breaches of the work, health and safety act and DIC were ordered to pay a $450,000 fine.

Former NSW Minister for Better Regulation, and current Treasurer Matt Kean said the death was "totally unacceptable".

"We will do whatever is necessary to get to the bottom of what has gone on and hold those who are responsible to account," Kean said in 2017.

Tanner believes the Minister never "really cared", as the family are yet to receive a single dollar in workers compensation.

Opposition Leader Chris Minns is today speaking out to help the family find the financial support they deserve.

The accident occurred at a western Sydney ink factory in 2017 when Engadine father Craig Tanner, 42, was crushed to death.

"How do we have a situation where the company has admitted liability, plead guilty, paid a huge fine – yet the family has not received a red cent?"

Tanner believes insurance companies and lawyers are paralysing the process.

"I need it over and done with," she said.

"It's very hard mentally, somedays you don't have the strength to fight them."

"I think that's what they bank on."

DIC is the country's biggest ink manufacturer for the printing industry and its Auburn plant is its main manufacturing site.

Source: 9News