A Melbourne construction company has been convicted and fined $350,000 after a man died while using a piece of earthmoving machinery left at his family home.

The 37-year-old man died using the skid-steer loader – a small excavating machine – after it was left at his father’s Carrum Downs home in June 2015.

The County Court of Victoria found Phelpsys Construction Pty Ltd, of Carrum Downs, failed in its safety obligations by leaving the machine at the home with the keys in the ignition.

The court heard the condition of the machine wasn’t even safe for an experienced operator and hadn’t been serviced since it was purchased in 2014.

“Even though the incident occurred at the client’s home, it is still considered a workplace and Phelpsys had a duty to ensure it was safe and without risk,” WorkSafe’s Paul Fowler said on Monday.

“By leaving the keys in the machine, and not securing the area in which it was located, there was nothing to stop anyone from attempting to operate the skid steer.”

The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure a safe workplace and was fined $350,000 on March 1.

By Benita Kolovos