NSW: Falling Glass Kills Worker

Thursday 29 August 6:04 a.m. Source: Fairfax Digital

A 35-year-old man has been killed by falling sheets of glass at a factory in Sydney's west.

He died about 5pm yesterday when the sheets, weighing 1.5 tonnes, fell on him from a timber crate at the Granville factory where he worked.

The glass sheets were being used to make shower screens.

Police and WorkCover inspectors inspected the factory yesterday, a police spokesman said.

"This case highlights the serious consequences that can occur where there is inadequate systems of work in place around stacking materials," WorkCover CEO Jon Blackwell said.

Neither police nor WorkCover would reveal the man's identity.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union's occupational health and safety spokesman Dave Henry said the "tragic loss of a life" reflected the greater dangers faced by workers.

"Workers as a result of the Federal Howard Government's Work Choices legislation are no longer comfortable or confident in removing themselves from dangerous situations," he said.

OHS NEWS - Glass Handling Safety Procedure

WA: Bunbury Asbestos Scare On Prison Construction

Saturday August 25 1:07 a.m. Source: ABC

Project manager for the Bunbury Regional Prison expansion Tony Budrovich says there will not be a separate investigation into an asbestos scare at the construction site.

About 50 workers were evacuated from the site last Friday, when material resembling asbestos was found buried on the site.

The Construction, Forestr,y Mining and Energy Union says it wants WorkSafe to investigate the matter.

Mr Budrovich says the construction company did not know about the latest hazard, although some asbestos material was found on site six months ago.

"That situation was asbestos cement in a ceiling in another part of the prison that our contractor was working on and as soon as they were aware of the situation they had it tested," he said.

"It proved to be asbestos cement and they actually removed it and replaced it in accord with all the guidelines."

The department says it expects workers to be back on site in about a week.

OHS NEWS - TIP Asbestos Removal Safe Work Procedure

QLD: Mining Safety Procedures Need Improvement

Friday 24 August 2007 Source: ABC

A new report released by Queensland Health shows the fatality rate in the state's mining industry has not improved in more than a decade.

Research by the Injury Surveillance Unit also reveals that almost 6,000 miners received minor injuries between 1998 and 2005.

Report author and Mackay Base Hospital physician Dr Dale Hanson says the most common injuries involved the eyes or hands, with many eye injuries occurring due to welding flashes.

He believes safety procedures need to be reinforced.

"Miners are still dying in the workplace and in Queensland," he said.

"Every year we'd lose between one and three people who die at work.

"That comes down to a rate of about eight per 100,000 workers and that hasn't changed much over the last 15-year period so that's a bit disappointing."

OHS NEWS - Safety Procedures

NSW: Sydney Tunnel Builders To Be Prosecuted

Friday August 24 2007 6:02 p.m. Source: ABC

The New South Wales coroner has found that the builders of the Cross City Tunnel should have done more to protect a worker who was killed in a rock fall.

Ronald Shores died on July 29, 2004, when a section of roof collapsed on him while he was working on a ventilation tunnel as part of the tunnel project.

At the time, Mr Shores was drilling a hole from under unsupported roofing.

The Deputy state coroner, Carl Milovanovich, has found that the death was preventable.

He found Mr Shore's employer, Baulderstone Hornibrook/Bilfinger Berger, knew that Mr Shores was working in unsafe conditions.

Mr Milovanovich says the company had not identified safety issues in the construction and should have implemented measures to reduce risk.

Mr Shores's widow, Marlene, says she is still angry her husband was not provided with a safe working environment.

"It happens all the time," she said. "It's not a real accident - it's preventable."

Her lawyer, Stuart Barnett, says she is still seeking closure.

"She still has to finalise her compensation claim and there is still the Occupational Health and Safety prosecution to sit through, so it goes on for the family and those around her," he said.

WorkCover NSW is prosecuting five companies in the tunnel consortium for breaches of Occupational Health and Safety regulations.

OHS NEWS TIP - Working In Tunnels Safe Work Procedure

VIC: Blow To Head Kills Factor Worker

Friday August 24 2007 1:04 p.m. Source: Fairfax

A man died after hitting his head on a truck at a factory in Melbourne's south-east last night, police say.

The homicide squad attended the scene when the death of the 26-year-old Glen Waverley man was treated as suspicious, but detectives last night deemed the death non-suspicious.

Police believe the man died about 6pm after either striking his head on a truck or as the result of a fall at the Noble Park furniture factory. He was with a co-worker a short time earlier.

Greater Dandenong Criminal Investigation Unit will prepare a brief on the man's death for the coroner.

A spokesman for Worksafe Victoria said they would wait to hear from police before considering further action.

NSW: Bus Drivers Hit By Flu Epidemic

Friday August 24 2007 8:00 a.m. Source: Daily Telegraph

EVERY winter we're told to consider getting a flu vaccination. Good advice, with this year's flu season being one of the worst in recent years. Hardest hit are Sydney's commuters.

They are currently subjected to ongoing bus service disruption due to a virulent mutation of influenza commonly known in Sydney as bus flu. This flu was thought to have originated in the Ryde STA bus depot, although some claim it is a powerful derivative of the same influenza virus that infected train drivers in 2004. Once infected, patients become incapable of driving a bus and must remain at home for at least one day, whereupon the patient may experience rapid recovery, allowing normal work duties to begin again.

The main side effect is commuters being stranded on Sydney streets waiting for bus services that are cancelled as a result. Bus flu has been hopping from bus depot to bus depot, possibly spread by visiting union officials. Having made contact with delegates in one depot, it can easily pass on to other union members in another location. This has happened so often that up to 67 members from a single bus depot have reported they have been infected by bus flu and could not perform their normal duties at work, instead having to stay at home. This resulted in Sydney commuters being stranded at bus stops as more than 200 services were cancelled over a period of two days.

This is the version of events the union and the Iemma Labor Government would have you believe. WorkCover investigators were on their way when State Transit, after initially agreeing that all drivers who failed to arrive at work on Wednesday were in fact genuinely sick, backflipped yesterday and took the union to the Industrial Relations Commission, indicating they were in dispute.

Apparently bus flu was a misdiagnosis. The real villain was that old public menace, "strike-itis''. Talk to any bus driver and they'll quickly tell you that split rostering, allowances and wage negotiations were all in dispute for many months before bus flu began wreaking its havoc.

The public are not fools but they have been played for exactly that by the Iemma Labor Government and the union who expected commuters to swallow their implausible excuses. It's time for Dr John Watkins to end this nonsense for the sake of long-suffering commuters who, under his care, have endured needless suffering. John Watkins needs to take responsibility for his portfolio and the delivery of bus services and sit down with all parties and get this issue sorted.

VIC: Improvement Notices Not Implemented

Thursday August 23 2007 Source: Star News

A DANDENONG magistrate has ordered a food flavouring company to pay $10,000 to the Dandenong Benevolent Society after finding it in breach of forklift safety standards.

Worksafe Victoria last week said it prosecuted International Flavours and Fragrances Australia for failing to implement improvements to forklift safety at the company’s Dandenong-Frankston Road factory.

Dandenong Magistrate Steven Raleigh did not convict the company, but ordered it to donate $10,000 to the Dandenong Benevolent Society and placed it on a 12-month good behaviour bond.

Court costs of $2700 were also awarded against the company.

International Flavours and Fragrances Australia pleaded guilty to failing to implement the requirements of two improvement notices issued in relation to forklift safety in 2005.

WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said improvement notices were a formal direction to improve an identified hazard within an agreed period.

He said both matters had involved risks to pedestrians being hit by forklifts or their loads.

International Flavours and Fragrances Australia employs about 130 people.

The court heard that a WorkSafe inspector went to the company’s plant in July 2005 and observed there were no adequate measures, such as bollards, to prevent pedestrians being hit by forklifts.

WorkSafe executive director John Merritt said forklifts were among the most dangerous pieces of equipment in Victorian work places accounting for deaths and many serious injuries each year.

“Fifty five deaths involving forklifts have been reported to WorkSafe since 1985,” he said.

“Of these, nearly 30 involved pedestrians who were hit by the machines or the loads which fell.

“Physically separating work areas and pedestrian walkways from where forklifts operate is essential.

“Many places still only have lines on the ground to show where forklifts and pedestrians should be, but they’re only part of the solution, as are reflective vests.

“To places with rudimentary arrangements in place for forklifts, we’d say that relying on good luck or the skill of a forklift driver to stop in time to avoid a collision is not the basis of good safety practice.

“Equally, you can’t hope that pedestrians will not walk somewhere they should go,” Mr Merritt said.

“Although safety responsibilities are shared, the employer has the primary duty as they control the workplace.”

OHS NEWS TIP - Forklift Safe Work Procedure

NSW: Construction Industry Gets WorkCover Boost

Wednesday August 22 2007 6:00p.m. Source:AAP

WorkCover NSW and the Housing Industry Association have announced what they say is a breakthrough safety agreement to cut the death toll of Australian construction workers.

The industry loses close to an average of one worker a week to fatal workplace injuries.

NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca says the WorkCover-HIA partnership will lead to safer residential construction practices.

"As part of the agreement, WorkCover will provide a dedicated technical specialist from its construction team to provide comprehensive guidance and advice to assist HIA members and residential building contractors meet their workplace safety requirements," Mr Della Bosca said.

"The agreement will recognise the unique safety needs of the residential building sector, and is designed to deliver safety outcomes that are comparable with other sectors of the construction industry."

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has offered tentative support.

"The union welcomes any initiatives to improve safety in the industry," a CFMEU spokesperson said.

"We still have 50 killed on work sites every year.

"The death toll has been pretty much steady while other industries are going down.

"When you've got 50 families being destroyed every year, it's a pretty sad state of affairs."

OHS NEWS - Construction Industry Safety Procedures

VIC: Tractor Driver Crushes Himself

Wednesday 22 August 2007 4:00 p.m. Source: The Courier

A 54-YEAR-OLD Leonards Hill man was killed yesterday when he was crushed by a tractor in a farming accident.

The man had reversed the tractor into a water tank on his property about midday, Senior Constable Simon Barker of Daylesford police said.

He said the man had hit the water tank and jumped off to investigate the damage.

The tractor was still in gear while the man was investigating the other wheel, Sen Const Barker said.

"At some point he was pulled under."

Sen Const Barker said the man was a farmer whose wife found him after the accident.

Worksafe Victoria spokesman Michael Birt said it was believed the tractor had become bogged.

"At some point he's fallen under the wheel and suffered injuries to his upper body," he said.

Mr Birt said there had been eight deaths involving tractors since October last year.

"It's going to have an enormous impact on his family and the community and that is why we really need to get the message out to people."

"We use machines because they are powerful and strong, but with that comes extreme danger if something does go wrong."

Worksafe recently launched a tractor safety campaign. Mr Birt urged people using tractors to think very carefully about what they were doing.

Worksafe Victoria investigators and police are preparing a report for the coroner.

The name of the man has not yet been released.

OHS NEWS TIP - Tractor Safe Work Procedure

TAS: Workplace Standards Release Explosives Theft Report

August 20 2007 4:00 p.m. Source: Workplace Standards Tasmania

Between Friday 27 to Monday 30 April 2007, several men broke into an explosive magazine storage facility. Access into the permanent and fixed magazine was achieved by cutting the lock (shrouded) on a vehicle entrance boom-gate, and forcing entry into the small magazine building by removing a heavy metal vent cover and masonry bricks.

Approximately 500kgs of commercial explosives (Class 1.1D) was taken, including:

�� ANFO – 10 kilogram bags packaged and marked to AE Code (pink dye)
�� 25mm Powergel and 55mm Powergel Buster cartridges/sticks
�� Detonating cord (Redcord).

The theft was reported to Tasmania Police and Workplace Standards Tasmania on Monday 30 April 2007. Five people were subsequently charged on Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 May 2007 with several offences including burglary, stealing, and committing a nuisance. The criminal investigation is continuing.

VIC: Chemical Fumes Kill Worker

August 18 2007 6:00 a.m. Source: AAP

HEALTH and safety officials are investigating the death of a Melbourne man believed to have been overcome by fumes while working inside a steel chemical storage tank.

Colleagues of the 42-year-old Werribee man found him slumped inside the tank, which was undergoing maintenance at a worksite in McArthurs Road, Altona North, around 3pm (AEST) yesterday, Worksafe Victoria said.

The watchdog's executive director John Merritt said the man's death highlighted the dangers of working in confined spaces.

"Limited means of entry and exit, poor ventilation and the presence of toxic gases and vapours all pose serious risks to workers in confined spaces,'' Mr Merritt said.

"These are issues for people in agriculture, construction and manufacturing, warehousing, the water industry, even retail.

"It's not uncommon for incidents to result in multiple fatalities because other workers who are unaware of the risks, or who are attempting a rescue, can also be overcome by toxic vapours or gases or submit to low oxygen levels.''

An investigation into the Werribee worker's death was still in its early stages, he added.

It's the 18th work-related death reported to Worksafe Victoria so far this year, equal to the number reported in the same period last year, a Worksafe spokesman said.

OHS NEWS TIP - Confined Spaces Safety Procedure

NSW: 'Fireworks' Over Injured Worker

August 16 2007, 5:40 p.m. Souce: AAP

A MAN suing WorkCover and Foti Fireworks has received the green light to go ahead with his case in the NSW Supreme Court.

Dusan Lovric and his wife Todora are suing the workplace safety watchdog and the pyrotechnics giant for negligence over an accident at Foti's Leppington factory in June 2003.

Mr Lovric, 58, lost nine fingers and suffered burns to 77 per cent of his body when a machine he was working on exploded, leaving him in a coma for six weeks.

His wife claims she suffered psychological trauma as a result of his injuries.

The 2003 blast was the second major incident at the factory in three years, with an employee dying in a blast and fire in August 2000.

WorkCover prosecuted Foti following the accident for breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, issuing the company a series of improvement notices and ordering that work cease at the factory until the measures were implemented.

Mr Lovric alleges Foti continued to manufacture fireworks at the premises whilst "simultaneously and flagrantly disregarding" the improvement orders.

He is suing the company, and also attempting to bring a landmark negligence suit against WorkCover for failing to enforce the recommended improvements to work safety.

WorkCover attempted to have the case against it dismissed and argued there was no reasonable cause of action.

But Justice Ian Harrison today dismissed the application with costs.

"My own view is that the plaintiff will face a significant task in establishing the existence of the duty for which he contends," Justice Harrison said.

"As far as I can determine, this is a novel case.

"It is difficult to see how the plaintiff could expect to receive favourable answers at all.

"(However) it seems to me that the plaintiff's contentions support the existence of a reasonably arguable, even if only a very weak, case."

Were the watershed case to succeed, it would establish a duty of care in the exercise of WorkCover's statutory functions.

This would extend to an expectation it would take affirmative action to ensure, in circumstances where a serious breach was detected, that improvement notices were complied with.

OHS NEWS TIP: Safety Procedures

NSW: Cabinet Maker Fined $12,000

August 16, 2007 11:00 a.m. Source: The Border Mail

A SAW accident, in which a worker severed two fingers while cutting timber for snowboards, has resulted in a $12,000 fine for a struggling North East cabinet-making business.

Wilko Cabinets Pty Ltd, which operates from a shed on a property near Porepunkah, pleaded guilty in Wangaratta Magistrates Court yesterday to failing to provide a safe working environment.

Magistrate Tom Barrett convicted and fined the company $12,000 and ordered it to pay costs of $2596.07 to the prosecuting authority, WorkSafe.

The incident happened on June 20 last year when a machinist, 26, was in the process of cutting about 40 lengths of high moisture resistant board to be used in making snowboards.

WorkSafe prosecutor Roseanne Nettleton said the male employee had been shown and instructed how to do the job which was worth $800 to the company which generally makes kitchen cabinets.

She said the ends of the timber were being lifted by air currents from the panel saw and the worker was using his left hand to keep the pieces flat when two fingers were severed and part of a third was cut.

The fingers were able to be reattached following plastic surgery and the injured worker returned to work on a part-time basis four months later and full-time eight months afterwards.

Ms Nettleton said a WorkSafe investigation revealed the machine was not fitted with a riving knife which would have prevented the man’s hand being dragged into the rotating saw blade.

She said since the accident the riving knife had been attached and a Perspex guard and weight had also been added to the machine for increased safety.

The barrister for Wilko Cabinets, Tony Burns, said the company had not removed the riving knife for cost-cutting or efficiency reasons, but wrongly believed the machine was safer without the attachment.

Wilko Cabinets was run by a sole director, Adam Williams, who had suffered a downturn in trade in recent years with the business now on the edge of closure, Mr Burns said.

Employee numbers since the accident have dropped from 11 to five.

The turnover problems, which resulted in the injured worker being laid off, had been compounded by Mr Williams going through a marriage break-up, the court heard.

Mr Burns said, excluding the accident, the company had completed 129,054 man-hours since opening in 2000 without any worktime being lost and the worst injury being a splinter.

He also described Wilko Cabinets as a good corporate citizen, pointing to Mr Williams installing for free $3500 in cabinets at the Bright hospital last November amid his financial struggle.

OHS NEWS TIP: Saw Safety Procedures

NSW: Massive Fine Over Waterfall Disaster

August 16 2007 7:00 a.m. Source: Fairfax

THE State Rail Authority has been fined $385,000 for workplace safety failings that led to the 2003 Waterfall train disaster.

Seven people were killed and 16 injured when a dead man's pedal failed to stop the train after its driver collapsed of a heart attack.

In imposing the record fine on a government department, the NSW Industrial Relations Commission found that State Rail Authority management, now known as RailCorp, knew of problems with the foot pedal in their Tangara trains as far back as 1988.

The pedal was supposed to cut power to the wheels and activate the brakes if a driver became incapacitated and removed his or her foot, Justice Patricia Staunton said in her finding.

The commission heard evidence arising from an inquest and inquiry into the disaster on Sydney's southern outskirts on January 31, 2003.

The driver of the Port Kembla-bound train, Herman Zeides, 53, who died after being flung from his cabin when the accelerating train hit a stanchion, was overweight. Justice Staunton said State Rail had been advised from 1988 that the pedal would remain set if a driver weighed more than 115 kilograms.

The prosecution was launched by the WorkCover Authority of NSW, which charged State Rail with failing to ensure safe work premises and failing to provide adequate information, instruction, training and supervision for its employees. The authority faced a potential maximum fine of $825,000, but Justice Staunton allowed a 25 per cent discount because of its guilty plea. She also took into account the its "genuine effort to rehabilitate itself in relation to overall safety performance".

But Justice Staunton could not conclude beyond reasonable doubt that if a vigilance control system had been in place, the train would not have derailed.

She said she did not find the defendant had wilfully disregarded its responsibilities, saying it was "mindful of safety but hampered by management inertia" and "protracted decision making on known and significant safety issues that instead required a ready response and decisive action".

Safety planning "may have been hampered by protracted budgetary considerations".

"The result was a totally inadequate response to what should have been at the forefront of the defendant's considerations, which was the running of a rail system underpinned by a rigorous adherence to safety as its paramount consideration."

The disaster had "galvanised State Rail into action" and it appeared to have "left no stone unturned in addressing its safety responsibilities arising directly from the Waterfall incident". The foot levers had been removed and a new safety system installed.

The fine is believed to be the largest penalty imposed by the commission in a workplace safety case. In 2005 the commission fined AGL $325,000 after a gas explosion at Kogarah railway station and shopping centre in 1995 which killed two people and injured 16.

A survivor of the derailment, Christiana Gruenbaum, 59, was the last of the injured taken from the wreckage. Her husband, James Ritchie, was killed. She said yesterday the fine was "a drop in the ocean" compared with the heartache and pain caused to many families.

"For a big organisation like the State Rail Authority of NSW, that fine is nothing," she said.

She added: "State Rail had years and years of knowing about these faults on their trains and they never did anything to fix them."

VIC: $40,000 Fine For Fingers Cut Off

August 15 2007 4:16 p.m. Source: Fairfax

WARRNAMBOOL'S Midfield Meat Processing has been fined $40,000 after a trainee worker chopped off a thumb and three fingers in January last year.

Midfield Meat Processing, a division of the Midfield group of companies, has pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to two charges of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

In imposing the fine, Magistrate Michael Stone said it was a serious accident and the company had failed to protect the welfare and safety of its staff.

Mr Stone said trainee Nelson Kuol had lost function in his hand and in discussing the impact of the injury remarked it was highly unlikely the injured worker would be a successful pianist.

Mr Stone said Midfield had been a good corporate citizen and had an exceptional safety record with no prior convictions.

The company was fined $40,000 without conviction  and ordered to pay $2313.07 costs. The court heard that on January 13 last year Mr Kuol was working with a single-hand hock cutter on sheep carcasses when he chopped off three fingers and a thumb from his left hand.

He was later transported to St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne where the fingers and thumb were reattached.

The court heard that Mr Kuol was a trainee who had not been assessed as competent and was working unassisted.

He was removing two hocks simultaneously when the accident occurred.

The court heard the general risk of hock cutters shearing off workers' body parts was identified during an assessment in 2000.

The hock cutters were estimated to have been used 14 million times at Warrnambool without incident and the risk was estimated as
small.

Midfield is looking at an automatic hock cutting process which would cost $130,000 to install.

``Changes have been made in the workplace in an endeavour to prevent an occurrence such as this from happening again.''Andrew Westlake

The company spent up to $18,000 improving the system after the accident and now uses double-handed hock cutters.

The court heard Midfield had an annual occupational health and safety budget of $145,000.

Midfield Group operations manager Andrew Westlake said the company deeply regretted the accident .

He said the company was grateful that surgeons were able to successfully reattach all of the employee's fingers.

``Everyone is entitled to come to work each day and go home uninjured,'' Mr Westlake said.

``It must always be an employer's greatest priority.

``Changes have been made in the workplace in an endeavour to prevent an occurrence such as this from happening again.'' 

Mr Kuol's injury was assessed at nine per cent and Midfield had assisted with tutorial support, a laptop and internet access. The injured worker is undertaking VCE studies and declined to rejoin the company.

Midfield  has an annual turnover of $200 million and employs more than 500 people.

The company, which took over Bayside Meats in the early 1990s, had no prior convictions for occupational health and safety offences.

OHS NEWS Tip - Hock Cutter Safe Work Procedure

QLD: Night Clubs Noise And Lighting Issues

Wednesday August 15 2007 8:00a.m. Source: GoldCoast

GOLD Coast nightclubs are likely to be told to turn their music down and their lights up because of serious concerns about health and safety.

A Liquor Licensing source told The Gold Coast Bulletin the organisation had received a report on excessive noise levels at Gold Coast nightclubs highlighting 'real concerns' staff and patrons could end up with permanent hearing damage.

Tests have shown many of our nightclubs frequently exceed 110 decibels which overseas studies have shown can damage hearing after 15 minutes exposure a day.

Police licensing officers have also tested a number of Surfers Paradise nightclubs with light meters and found they are well below the minimum Australian standard of 17 lux, the brightness scale used to measure light.

"Some of nightclubs on the Gold Coast have been so far below the standard that their highest reading is 11 lux and even if people don't really understand this light scale, it is clear how big a difference there is between 11 and 17," said the source.

Senior Gold Coast police confirmed a noise report had been compiled and sent to Liquor Licensing and they also confirmed light meters had been used in tests at Gold Coast nightclubs recently.

 "This is another blow to a Gold Coast industry already beset with a raft of major problems including illegal drug use and sales, bikies' influence, violence and spiked drinks to name a few," said a Queensland Government source.

"This time these are health issues, workplace issues that show up the nightclubs for not being anywhere near accepted practice.

"It highlights that in at least some of their work practices, these Gold Coast nightclubs are still in the 1980s and these are real issues that will have to be addressed."

The police report has recommended nightclubs operate at a maximum level of 96dB.

"The report explained there are accepted medical studies that have been available for some time from the UK showing that three out of four nightclubbers are at risk of permanent hearing damage." said the source.

"Many of these nightclubbers are reporting symptoms that could lead to incurable tinnitus (continual ringing in the ear) or premature deafness.

"(The report) also touched on some problems encountered by staff and police at some Gold Coast nightclubs with not being able to communicate instructions to patrons because of the extremely loud noise."

Licensed Venues Association secretary Tom Tate said he would be surprised if there were excessive noise issues at mainstream Gold Coast clubs.

"I can imagine there might be some problems with venues that have high-energy bands, but that would be all," he said.

"If there are safety issues with poor light, then I won't argue there, but there surely can be a lighting difference from the dance floor to walkways, so that the right ambience can be maintained."

QLD: Cherry Picker Accident Under Bridge

Tuesday August 14 2007 6:00 a.m. Source: AAP

A MIDDLE-AGED Department of Main Roads repairman was crushed to death late last night in a freak accident on the Western Freeway.

Police at the scene said a group of Main Roads workers had been doing routine maintenance on the underside of an overpass on the Western Freeway about 11pm last night when one of two workers in a cherry picker was caught between the device and the overpass.

It is believed the dead man, 56, received fatal crush injuries from being pressed against the overpass when the cherry picker rose unexpectedly, but his colleague was able to escape injury by crouching down into the cherry picker's bucket.

Acting Inspector Corey Allen said the Main Roads work group was closeknit and had been very shaken by the experience.

Members of the police forensic crash unit and Workplace Health & Safety inspectors are investigating the incident. Safety Procedures

WA: Lead Contamination Leads To Charges

Friday August 10 2007 4:03p.m. Source: AAP

A PORT authority accused of causing lead contamination in a West Australian town could face fines of up to $1 million after being charged with causing pollution with criminal negligence.

The community at Esperance became concerned in January after thousands of mystery bird deaths, believed to have been caused by lead poisoning.

Subsequent testing found 13 residents had high levels of lead from dust escaping during loading of Magellan Metals lead carbonate at the Esperance Port Authority (EPA).

The state's Department of Environment and Conservation says it has now charged the port "in relation to lead contamination and nickel odour" in Esperance, 731km southwest of Perth.

Charges include one of causing pollution with criminal negligence - which carries a maximum penalty of $1 million.

The port was also charged with failing to notify a chief executive of a discharge that was likely to cause pollution; emitting an unreasonable emission; and causing an emission not in accordance with a licence.

A state parliamentary inquiry examining the lead contamination was told Magellan Metals was not informed lead dust from its product was escaping during the loading process.

OHS NEWS TIP - Environmental Policy

VIC: 30 Evacuate Due To Target Fire

Friday August 10 2007 7:00a.m. Souce: AAP

THIRTY people were evacuated from Target's Waurn Ponds store after a fusebox fire yesterday morning.

CFA operations officer Bob Barry said  fire broke out as an electrician was working on a switchboard near the  store about 8.20am.

Mr Barry said a food court and the Target store were clogged with smoke and 30 people, who were mainly Target employees, were evacuated.

Firefighters used fans to remove smoke from the store.

Mr Barry said fire investigators were probing the cause of the blaze and WorkSafe was also involved.

Rural Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said paramedics were called, as there were initial reports that the worker had been electrocuted and  suffered facial burns.

But the man  suffered just minor burns to his hands and  opted to receive treatment from a GP.

OHS NEWS TIP - Fire & Emergency OHS Policy

VIC: $8000 Fine For Lunch Room

Thursday August 9 2007 8:00p.m. Source: AAP

THE Victorian Department of Education today was slapped with an $8000 fine for failing to make an overcrowded teachers' lunchroom safe.

The small lunchroom at Altona Primary School, in Melbourne's southwest, was proven to be a risk to teachers and breached occupational health and safety rules, Worksafe Victoria said.

Risks to teachers included scalding from hot drinks, trips and slips, stress and low morale, resulting from a noisy and crowded environment, WorkSafe officials found.

Worksafe Victoria said the education department failed to comply with two improvement notices issued in 2004 and 2005 by health and safety representatives at the school. The department pleaded guilty to the offences.

It is the first time an employer has been found guilty of ignoring a provisional improvement notice placed by an employee, Worksafe Victoria general manager Eric Windholz said.

"Health and safety representatives are a crucial element in making Victorian workplaces safer and when they raise issues of safety, employers must listen and act," Mr Windholz said.

Mr Windholz said failing to obey the inspectors' directions was an extremely serious offence.

"It doesn't matter if it is a manufacturing company, a construction site or a school, safety must be taken seriously," he said.

"Any company that ignores the directions of an inspector can face fines of more than $250,000."

QLD: Safety Notices For Brisbane Show

Wednesday August 8 2007 Source: AAP

Three amusement ride operators have been issued with safety notices ahead of Thursday's opening of the Ekka, but all showbags have been given the green light.

The 131st Royal Queensland Show, known locally as the Ekka, runs for 10 days at Brisbane's Royal National Association (RNA) Showgrounds.

A spokeswoman for Employment and Industrial Relations Minister John Mickel said three amusement rides were on Wednesday issued with prohibition notices from workplace health and safety inspectors.

The ride operators will need to prove they have complied with the safety notices before they can begin operation when the show opens at 9am (AEST) on Thursday.

It was not uncommon for notices to be issued to ride operators ahead of the Ekka, the spokeswoman said.

Inspectors will patrol the showgrounds throughout the show to ensure the safe operation of amusement rides.

There was better news in the showbag pavilion, with the near 300 showbags on sale this year given the all-clear.

Queensland Fair Trading Minister Margaret Keech said inspectors found nothing that may cause harm or injury to small children.

"I'm pleased to say that for the first time ever, Office of Fair Trading inspectors found no safety issues with toys or novelties contained in any showbags for sale this year," Mrs Keech said.

Three toys were removed from showbags at least year's show after they were deemed unsafe.

OHS NEWS TIP - Machinery Inspection Checklist

NSW: Waterfall Recommendations Implemented

Wednesday August 8 2007 4:00 p.m. Source: AAP

Almost all of the safety recommendations from an inquiry into the fatal Waterfall train crash have been implemented although compliance had slipped in some.

Seven people were killed when a commuter train crashed at Waterfall, south of Sydney, in 2003.

NSW Transport Minister John Watkins said a quarterly progress report from the Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR) showed that 170 of the 177 recommendations had been verified and closed.

But he said the report to the end of June also had identified some slippage.

"ITSRR felt it necessary to review the state of two recommendations previously claimed for closure relating to RailCorp's response to incidents," he said.

"The other slippage relates to inspection of stabled trains.

"The government is keen to get every last recommendation implemented on time but where there is new information that can lead to safer outcomes we should use it.

"That is why we are also conducting a three-month independent safety health check of RailCorp."

Mr Watkins said progress also had been made in resolving the claims of crash victims.

"All claims involving victims and their families have been either resolved, agreed in principle or are waiting for final settlement to be reached," he said.

"Two claims by emergency services workers attending the accident remain unresolved and those are both due to appear before the courts."

The report also showed:

- Two recommendations previously claimed for closure have revised target dates, including one related to automatic train protection, which is being trialled by RailCorp.

- A timetable for the implementation of national communications technical standards has been set for 2010.

- Four recommendations have been referred to the National Transport Commission.

NSW: Teenage Body On Construction Site

VIC: Pay Out For Q-Fever

Tuesday August 7 2007 7:00 a.m. Source:AAP

A WINCHELSEA abattoir employee has won a six-figure payout after he was infected with a debilitating virus while working with dead sheep.

Daniel Castro, 30, was struck down with Q Fever in May 2002 while working at Colac Otway abattoir CRF Foods Pty Ltd, and has not been able to work since.

Slater and Gordon lawyer Danny Connor said his client's employer  employment agency Cartwright Enterprises Pty Ltd and the abattoir  had been negligent in not giving him the preventative $66 Q Fever vaccination.

``My client and other abattoir workers were exposed to the debilitating Q Fever virus in appalling, negligent circumstances,'' Mr Connor said.

``The meat workers sent to the abattoir knew the batch of Queensland sheep to which the workers were exposed were notorious for carrying the Q Fever virus.

``Q Fever is a very unusual but significant condition. You get a fever and, once that subsides, you are left with what is known as Q Fever syndrome, in which you suffer from lethargy, loss of memory, mood swings and tiredness.''

Mr Connor said his client had been used by the Victorian WorkCover Authority as a test case to prove the negligence of his employers and win reimbursement of the costs it paid to workers infected with Q Fever.

But he said his client then endured a torrid battle to receive justice when WorkCover denied him the right to personally sue his employers for damages for his continued suffering.

Mr Connor said negotiations with WorkCover then resulted in an out-of-court settlement that netted Mr Castro a six-figure sum.

``Mr Castro was very pleased. He was very happy to have received support, because he was very upset about the way he had been treated,'' he said.

``He went to work and got injured through no fault of his own and was then told he could not get compensation.''

CRF Pty Ltd yesterday said Q Fever vaccinations, although not a legal requirement, had been given to employees within their first week of starting at the company since 2002.

OHS News TIP - Q Fever Policy

WA: Power Authority Cleared Of Wrong Doing

Monday August 6 2007 4:19 p.m. Source: AAP

A bushfire that claimed the life of a young West Australian school teacher was started by power line conductors clashing on a hot and windy day.

Energy supplier Western Power has been cleared of breaching any regulations which caused the bushfire with fatal consequences on February 3.

School teacher Michelle Mack, 26, died after she rolled her car trying to escape the flames near Toodyay, north-east of Perth.

Safety regulator EnergySafety does not believe electricity supplier Western Power had breached its regulations in managing the power lines but conductor clashing would need to be investigated, EnergySafety director Albert Koenig said.

“EnergySafety considers that Western Power now needs to review its present conductor clashing mitigation program carefully in light of the findings of this investigation,” Mr Koenig said.

“The conductor clashing remediation program will need to be modified as a result.”

Overhead powerlines, owned and operated by Western Power and built to WA standards of the 1960s, started the fire, Mr Koenig said.

“An outer ‘phase conducter’ and the underslung earth conductor, sometimes referred to as an ‘earth-wire’, had clashed on a day of high temperatures and strong winds,” Mr Koenig said.

“The clashing took place even though the line was built to State Electricity Commission of WA standards of the day which were based on the then applicable national engineering code.

“The hot metal globules resulting from the conductor clashing fell to the ground and ignited stubble which resulted in the wild fire.”

EnergySafety wants Western Power to use the information to better identify and deal with other long spans in its rural networks that present a risk of conductor clashing and wildfires.

Mr Koenig said Western Power would also consider modifying its automatic restoration switching practices for rural high voltage feeders at certain times to reduce fire risk.

WA: Environmental Complaints Gain Support

Monday August 6 2007 4:00 p.m. Source: AAP

US environmental campaigner Erin Brockovich is looking into the case of West Australian residents who say they are being made sick by a refinery owned by mining giant Alcoa.

About 160 Yarloop residents have complained of respiratory problems, skin irritations, sore throats and eyes, extreme fatigue, mental dysfunction, stomach upset, blood noses, cancers and organ failure for 11 years.

They say emissions from Alcoa's Wagerup refinery are causing the ill effects.

Ms Brockovich, whose environmental campaign against a Californian mining company was made famous by Julia Roberts in the Hollywood movie Erin Brockovich, agreed to review the case after receiving an email from a Yarloop resident.

"We think we live in a big world but it's really smaller than you think," Ms Brockovich said.

"Somebody from the area that was sick, from what they believe to be Alcoa, emailed me. I was intrigued with her illnesses and concerned at what she was suffering through and recommended one of our toxicologists see her and he did.

"After he did some testing and researching he said `this is something you should look into.'"

Alcoa has bought some properties around the refinery but real estate values for the remaining homes in Yarloop have dived in value.

Yarloop resident and Community Alliance for Positive Solutions action group chairman Vince Puccio said residents wanted a fair go.

"What we are about is not about shutting Alcoa down, it's about accountability and for them to take full responsibility for what they've done," Mr Puccio said.

"It's got nothing to do with shutting it down.

"What we want is a fair go for everybody ... not just for Alcoa."

Lawyer Simon Morrison, who is acting as Ms Brockovich's Australian lawyer, said it was too early to start talking about dollars or compensation but he was confident the residents had a good case.

 Alcoa said its Wagerup refinery was the most studied industrial facility in WA and had been deemed safe for employees and neighbouring communities.

"Wagerup refinery meets the most stringent health and environmental standards in the world and will continue to do so when expanded," the company said.

"Alcoa has nothing to hide and will continue to take a transparent and responsible approach to the public release of scientific information about the refinery.

"As it has done with the community and other stakeholders, Alcoa is happy to brief Ms Brockovich on any matters that may be of interest to her."

OHS News TIP - Environmental Policy

NSW: Excavator Roll Over Drowns Operator

Monday August 6 2007 1:12p.m. AAP

A man has died after he was trapped in the cabin of an excavator which toppled into deep creek water on the NSW south coast.

The 46-year-old Crookwell man was working in a creek bed at Kangaroo Valley at about midday (AEST) yesterday when part of the gravel creek bed gave way, police said.

The excavator tipped onto its side, plunging the cabin into deep water.

Attempts by the man’s workmates and NSW Ambulance personnel to free him were unsuccessful.

Another excavator was used to lift the crippled machinery to the surface.

Police from Shoalhaven Local Area Command, Forensic Services Group and the Rescue Squad attended the scene.

Police will prepare a report about the man’s death for the coroner.

OHS News TIP - Excavator Safe Work Procedure

QLD: Mining Safety Conference Begins

Sunday August 5 2007 3:48p.m. AAP

The survivors of Tasmania's Beaconsfield mine collapse Todd Russell and Brant Webb will be among the speakers at a workplace health and safety conference starting today in Townsville.

The Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche says experts from overseas and outside the mining industry will also address the 600 delegates at the conference.

Mr Roche says a specially commissioned documentary w