$240k fine for steel rack collapse death

A contracting company has been fined $240,000 over an incident in which a corroded steel storage rack collapsed at a Sydney worksite causing a worker to fall to his death.

Broadspectrum Australia had pleaded guilty and was fined in the NSW District Court on Friday over the 2015 incident in Botany that killed John Yoon.

There were no witnesses to the incident but it's understood Mr Yoon was retrieving a steel pipe from the storage rack when it collapsed. He was later found on the ground with a head injury.

Judge William Kearns said it was clear the storage rack could collapse because it was rusty and in a highly corrosive atmosphere.

"Prior to the collapse no steps had been taken to address the corroded condition of the rack," he said.

"The foreseeable consequences of the rack collapsing included serious, even fatal, injury."

Broadspectrum was also ordered to pay SafeWork NSW's prosecution costs of $51,000.