Three children have fell into septic tanks across the Northern Territory over the past two years, including one death, but more unsecured lids have been discovered in recent weeks despite previous warnings, NT WorkSafe says.

The safety watchdog has issued another public warning to all workplaces and residential property managers across the NT to thoroughly inspect septic tank lids on their properties to ensure they are both secure and safe, after finding three more instances of non-compliance.

The first incident was reported in the Katherine Region in mid-October where WorkSafe inspectors doing routine compliance checks along the Stuart Highway discovered an uncovered septic tank at a commercial facility. An improvement notice was issued to the owner to take immediate action.

During the same compliance check, another commercial establishment in the Katherine Region was found to have used road signs to cover a septic tank. The owner received an improvement notice, and following the inspection, the situation has since been rectified, WorkSafe said.

A third incident occurred in late October, when a pedestrian spotted a broken septic tank lid held down by a brick and an overturned plastic bin at a commercial establishment in the Top End Region.

After notifying the owner, the concerned individual escalated the issue to NT WorkSafe. Inspectors arrived two days later, but the owner had already taken corrective measures by then, WorkSafe said.

NT WorkSafe said these incidents underscore the importance of proper septic tank maintenance and safety. The agency also emphasised that all property owners must immediately ensure their septic tanks are secure to prevent potential tragedies.

The workplace safety watchdog reminded businesses and property managers that unsecured or fragile septic tank lids pose a significant safety hazard, particularly for young children, as falls can lead to fatal incidents.

Two-year-old Kumanjayi Fly fell into a septic tank in his grandmother’s backyard in the remote community of Mr Liebig west of Alice Springs on March 29 last year.

He was flown to Adelaide for medical care but later died.

A coroner’s inquest into the little boy’s death last month heard of a string of government failures to address the safety issue of the unsecured septic tank lid. Senior bureaucrats in the Department of Infrastructure attempted to shuffle blame around with project manager Stuart Munnich telling the coroner he failed to act on a 2019 report that identified the tank as in poor condition because he did not know “what it means when it says it’s non-compliant”.

Another bureaucrat, George Timson, who is now senior director in the department, told the coroner he had not seen the report despite it being commissioned, paid for and delivered, due to “high demand” putting pressure on staff, before claiming he would escalated the repairs if he had known about it.

A third senior bureaucrat Dwayne McInnes claimed he too was not aware of the outstanding maintenance issues with the septic tank.

Coroner Elisabeth Armitage said the inquest was investigating why the safety warnings were ignored and the department’s overall failings. It remains ongoing.