Further Delays Over Beaconsfield Mine Disaster
May 22, 2007 12:14pm AAP
THE findings of the investigation into last year's Beaconsfield gold mine rock fall could be delayed another two months.
The lawyer heading the investigation, Greg Melick, has asked the State Government for an extra two months to study more geotechnical and mining methods evidence.
He was due to release his findings late last year, but was given an extension until next Monday because of the complexity of geotechnical information.
The coroner will not be able to examine the death of miner Larry Knight, who died in the Anzac Day rock fall, until the report is submitted by Mr Melick.
Mr Knight's colleagues Brant Webb and Todd Russell survived after being trapped for 14 nights almost a kilometre underground in the northern Tasmanian mine.
Premier Paul Lennon has yet to respond to the request for a further delay, which if granted would push back the submission until the end of July.
Mr Melick, a former member of the National Crime Authority, and special investigator for Cricket Australia, would not comment other than to confirm his extension request, and the reasons.
Tasmania's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions last month said it would not lay charges over the accident.
Labourer Attacked By His Boss
May 21, 2007 4:48 p.m. Source: AAP
A SYDNEY labourer suffered a string of injuries - including being blinded in one eye and having his jaw fractured - when his boss continually assaulted him, a court was told today.
Sam Kautai, 20, told Downing Centre Local Court today that his boss, Manuel Purauto, used a hammer, his feet and his hands during the attacks.
Mr Purauto, 43, of Hoxton Park in Sydney's southwest, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Kautai.
Mr Kautai said he left the Cook Islands in June 2004 and worked for Mr Purauto on Sydney building sites.
While he did not have to pay for food or rent when living at the Hoxton Park address - where other employees also stayed - Mr Kautai said he was never paid for any work.
Once when Mr Purauto was standing on a scaffold he "slammed his feet in my face" when Mr Kautai did not answer his calls to join him, the court was told.
"He said I was too slow - he just started kicking me on the face," Mr Kautai said.
The labourer said he was hit by Mr Purauto many other times, including once when a hammer was used to "crack" his jaw. He could not eat solid food for two months.
Once he was taken to hospital with cuts on his head and bleeding, he said.
"Before we got there, he (Mr Purauto) told me to lie to the doctor, that I fell off the bike," he said.
A wound on his eyebrow required 11 stitches.
"Doctors also found out I had lost my vision in my right eye," he said.
He also had problems with his hearing.
"I was scared of Manuel - if I tell the truth I would get another big hiding at home," he said.
The hearing continues.
Hospital Holds Up Workers Comp Payment
May 21, 2007 7:43 a.m. Source: Sunshine Coast Daily
A SUNSHINE Coast hospital is investigating what went wrong after a teenager was sent home with an undiagnosed broken elbow and her X-rays were lost in the system.
Little Mountain teenager Kylie Moon, 19, injured her elbow in a workplace accident last Monday.
Her boss took her to Caloundra hospital for x-rays, only for Kylie to be told to call back on Thursday, when a radiographer had examined the prints.
She was given painkillers and sent on her way.
In a phone call on Thursday, Kylie was told it would take a further two weeks for the x-ray report.
Sending the x-rays to Nambour hospital also proved unsuccessful – worse, the hospital lost the prints.
Kylie has since had her elbow x-rayed at a private practice, and the break diagnosed.
She said she was lucky her injury was relatively minor.
“If something major happened and someone in a critical condition needed x-rays, they could end up dead before the report comes back,” she said.
“It doesn’t help that I have to claim for worker’s compensation – I had to wait to be diagnosed before I could claim so instead of getting paid next week, it will probably be the week after.
“It has an impact financially. Even though I live at home, I need to be independent.”
Kylie’s mother Christine was frustrated by the treatment her daughter had received.
“It’s just ridiculous. The government’s going on about doing this and that but in reality it’s getting worse and worse,” she said.
“Fair enough it can’t be put in a cast, but it could have needed surgery. Until the results were in, no one knew exactly what was wrong.
“To wait three weeks is ridiculous.”
Christine said having the second x-ray done at a private clinic meant the government had two Medicare rebates to pay, for the one case.
“They can’t afford right services in our hospitals but then are forcing Medicare to reimburse people twice,” Christine said.
Kylie has been told the injury will take about a month to heal – if she had waited for her report, the break would have been all but healed before she knew the nature of her injury.
Until then, she has been instructed not to use her left arm at all, and is still taking painkillers.
Sunshine Coast health district manager Kevin Hegarty yesterday said an initial review of the situation revealed “communication could have been improved”.
“When the issue was brought to district management attention on Friday, an initial review indicated the communication process could have been undertaken better,” he said.
“We are keen to pursue a meeting with the patient, her mother and senior clinicians to review the specifics.”
Mr Hegarty said he hoped to begin making arrangements for the meeting today.
Caloundra MP Mark McArdle said the case highlighted the state government’s inability to fund client services.
“Yet again the Sunshine Coast is suffering and basic medical necessities are not being provided,” Mr McArdle said
May 20, 2007 7:29 a.m. Source: ABC Online
Worksafe has launched an investigation into the partial collapse of a building in Fremantle, south of Perth, yesterday which crushed a worker.
The damaged section of the new building on Adelaide street was demolished last night after the first floor collapsed, crushing a bobcat operator on the ground floor.
He was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Worksafe commissioner Nina Lyhne says the collapse of the building raises questions about the 'tilt-up' construction method which was being used, where large panels are lifted into place as whole units.
She says 'tilt-up' structures are relatively unstable until they are completed and Worksafe will investigate whether safety guidelines and the industry's code of practice were followed.
"Tilt-up construction is high risk work and we're very concerned that this has happened, in fact it's very lucky that nobody was killed," she said.
"There are regulations in place so our inspectors will be looking to see what the cause was and whether we need to do anything to prevent this sort of thing happening again."
Secretary of the Construction Union Kevin Reynolds says the 'tilt-up' method of construction is a major problem and needs to be looked at.
He has criticised Worksafe, saying the agency needs to focus on preventing accidents rather than just investigating them after they occur.
"We've always been taught that the best form of cure is prevention, [Worksafe needs to] get out and try and prevent these sort of things," hew said.
"Now you can only keep calling on the Government to do something about Worksafe and make them more active."
May 20, 2007 12:00 a.m. Source: AAP
FATIGUE has been blamed for a crash involving two Queensland ambulances.
The vehicles were involved in a minor nose-to-tail accident attending the same job at Kilcoy, northwest of Brisbane, about 2am on Wednesday – with no injuries to paramedics or patients.
But sources said the accident investigation report revealed both ambulance crews were exhausted from over-working and this had contributed to the crash.
"The paramedics had been without sleep for some 20 hours," a Queensland Ambulance Service insider told The Sunday Mail.
An exclusive Sunday Mail report this month revealed how the service was in crisis, with paramedics pleading for more staff and vehicles before it was too late.
Ambulance officers expressed their anger at the new roster system, which had resulted in them working more shifts every week. Many said they were physically and mentally spent.
The accident happened only hours after the ambulance employees union threatened the State Government with industrial action if it did not address rostering and recruitment.
"Fatigue was a huge part of the incident . . . the crews were extremely tired . . . although I am sure the QAS will say it is something else," the insider said.
The Emergency Medical Service Protection Association, a group representing paramedics unhappy with their union, said there must be further investigation into the crash.
"This raises serious concerns. It is a workplace health and safety issue which needs to be looked into," association president Prebs Sathiaseelan said.
Mr Sathiaseelan said management used "emotional blackmail" on employees about to go off duty, asking them to respond to an emergency case.
State Opposition emergency services spokesman Ted Malone said the incident highlighted how the Government was prepared to risk the lives of ambulance officers and the public.
"Peter Beattie has had his hands in our pockets grabbing his ambulance tax, which he promised would give us the world's best service," Mr Malone said.
"All he's done is waste our money and run the service down to the point where ambos are forced to work 20 hours without sleep. How dangerous is that?
"Bullying, harassing, running staff into the ground to the point where they're exhausted."
• A GOLD Coast paramedic is under investigation by the Ethical Standards Unit after allegedly taking an ambulance out on unauthorised business last Sunday. It was extensively damaged in a crash.
May 19, 2007 16:49 p.m. Source: AAP
A CONSTRUCTION worker is lucky to be alive after the first floor of a building collapsed, burying him under tonnes of concrete rubble in Fremantle.
Trapped inside the safety cage of a forklift, Trent Hardy used his mobile phone to call his mates for help at 10.15am.
The 30-year-old leading-hand labourer was rescued and treated by paramedics before being taken to Fremantle Hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.
Eight workers were at the Stockland Fremantle Shopping Centre site when the first floor of the Adelaide St building gave way.
Four men had been on the ground floor and four working on the roof. Remarkably, no one else was injured.
WorkSafe has launched an investigation into the collapse, which is believed to have been caused by a structural fault.
Witnesses yesterday spoke of hearing a "huge rumble'' which sounded like an aeroplane landing, before a mass of smoke and dust clouded the site.
Georgi Putland was upstairs in a building across the road when the incident happened.
"We were just sitting there and we heard this huge big rumble and we thought: `Oh my God','' Ms Putland told The Sunday Times.
"It sounded like a plane coming down. It was really, really shocking.
"Then we saw this guy come out. He was limping and holding his leg and there was blood and everything.''
Vince Petrucci, who was working nearby, said he heard what sounded like a minor bomb explosion.
"I went to have a look and spoke to some of the workers,'' he said. ``It was very scary and the way it collapsed looked like the cement had buckled.''
FESA Fremantle station officer Rohan Lewis said the cab of the forklift had almost certainly saved the man from further injury.
"It could have been much worse,'' Mr Lewis said.
"We are talking tens and possibly hundreds of tonnes of concrete. It's easy to work out that when concrete falls on your head it's going to hurt a lot.
"The fact he was in a cage in a forklift is one of the things that has saved him.''
CFMEU WA secretary Kevin Reynolds said Mr Hardy was the ``luckiest boy in Perth''.
"This guy probably should buy himself a ticket in the $30 million lotto,'' Mr Reynolds said.
WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said two investigators and an engineer examined the site yesterday.
"It is very lucky no one died,'' Ms Lyhne said. "We will thoroughly investigate the collapse.''
Ms Lyhne said WorkSafe had concerns about ``tilt-up constructions''.
"There are government regulations about this type of building which were made a few years ago,'' she said. ``We will be making sure that these regulations were adhered to.''
City of Fremantle Mayor Peter Tagliaferri said the council had sent an independent engineer to inspect the site.
"They will assess whether the rest of the building needs to come down,'' he said. ``It was supposed to be completed by 2007 ... it is a real tragedy.''
The Stockland property is being developed by a third party, Seaport Pty, Limited and was due for completion mid-year.
False WorkCover Claim Leads To Conviction
May 17 2007 4:40pm Source: Worksafe Victoria
A Geelong woman was convicted and fined $6,000 today and faces the possibility of six months in jail, for fraudulently obtaining more than $54,400 in workplace injury compensation payments and for providing false information.
The Geelong Magistrates Court heard that Marlene Rimmrodt was working as a credit manager with a Tullamarine freight company in 2003 when she suffered an injury to her left shoulder after slipping while at work.
Ms Rimmrodt’s claim for workers compensation was accepted and she formally declared that she was not engaging in any form of employment while receiving weekly workplace injury compensation payments.
However, evidence revealed that while in receipt of compensation payments during 2004 and 2005, Ms Rimmrodt was employed in two jobs.
Ms Rimmrodt pleaded guilty to three counts of fraudulently obtaining payments and two counts of providing false information under the Accident Compensation Act 1985.
Marlene Rimmrodt was convicted and fined $6,000 and ordered to pay costs of $2,000 to WorkSafe. She was also sentenced to six month’s jail, to commence if she commits any further unlawful offences in the next two years.
WorkSafe executive director, Len Boehm, said one of the important reasons the WorkSafe scheme existed was to protect workers that suffered a workplace injury.
“This sort of fraudulent behaviour attempts to take advantage of a system that is set up to provide support for people who are unable to work due to a workplace injury,” said Mr Boehm.
“We will identify and prosecute those who deceive the system, in order to protect honest workers, employers, and service providers.
“This case is another reminder of the consequences to be suffered as a result of dishonesty.”
Man Looses Arm In Conveyor Belt
May 17, 2007 4:29PM
Source AAP
A worker lost his arm below the elbow on Thursday when it was caught in a conveyor belt at a Laverton rock and concrete crushing plant.
A 44-year-old man from Roxburgh Park in Melbourne's north was taken to the Alfred Hospital where he underwent surgery.
Worksafe Victoria said it was believed he had been adjusting a conveyor belt at the Alex Fraser plant on Thursday morning.
WorkSafe executive director John Merritt said the incident should send a warning to all companies and workers.
"Incidents like this should trigger an instant review of safety in all workplaces," Mr Merritt said.
"It's a matter for workers and employers to identify known and potential hazards and to act to ensure they don't create a safety incident."
He said even if there have not been problems in the past, ensuring safe practices and procedures are in place and being used and that equipment is properly guarded can prevent lives being shattered.
OHS In QLD Film Industry "Unsafe"
16th May 2007, 12:34 Article AAP
Forget the dangerous stunts, just being on a film set is a risky business.
A report from Queensland's Griffith University has revealed more than half of the state's film and television workers are working in unsafe conditions.
The interim report, released to the industry on Wednesday, highlights low occupational health and safety (OHS) standards and poor risk assessment.
Tight budgets, time constraints and rushed deadlines have also been blamed for the high level of injury and low workforce morale.
"Less than 40 per cent of industry workers indicated they were working in an OHS compliant area," Griffith Film School senior lecturer Nicholas Oughton said.
"The majority of film, television and video businesses employ fewer than five people and operate in highly competitive, volatile and fluctuating environments (and) this means OHS can suffer at the expense of profit or survival."
In a survey of 209 industry workers, 46 per cent of respondents said they suffered lower back pain.
The survey also showed that art department workers and make-up artists experienced an unusually high level of hay fever and allergies, which Mr Oughton said could be a result of chemical exposure.
Film editors, sound recordists, producers and directors also reported regularly suffering headaches.
The final report will be released in July, and will provide recommendations for improving OHS compliance within the industry.
Industrial Accident Crushes Leg In Harvester
May 16, 2007 12:00am Source: Courier Mail
A MAN spent more than an hour with his leg pinned in an industrial harvester after an accident at a farm in Beerwah.
The 22-year-old man was working at Oakland Farm on Mawsons Road, harvesting ginger just before 7.30am when some of the ginger became lodged in the machine.
It’s believed the man attempted to kick the ginger free with his right leg while the harvester was still in operation.
The roller which pushes the ginger along has continued to turn, pulling his limb into the machine, while metal rods which keep the ginger in place have pinned his leg, piercing the skin and making it impossible for him to pull it free.
His colleagues quickly realised he was in trouble and called for help.
Caloundra firefighters worked with Maroochydore paramedics for over an hour to free the trapped man in a process Caloundra station officer Ross Ginns described as "delicate''.
"The leg was caught between his knee and his ankle and we could tell it was not going to come out easily,'' he said.
"We had to look at different ways of releasing him to try and minimise the pain to him.
"The metal rods had dug down to the bone and his leg was crushed and the danger there is that toxins can start building up in a crush injury so you have to try and release it slowly.
"We tried lifting several different ways, but they were causing him too much pain.
"In the end we had to use the oxy-gear to cut the rods free.''
Paramedic Rod Sharpe, who quickly issued the man with pain medication, said he had not seen many injuries like it.
"With this sort of injury, there can be worries about losing the limb because the blood can’t get to it,'' he said.
"When we got there the leg was looking quite ischemic (pale) but as soon as we freed him, the colour started returning which is a good sign.''
Both firefighters and paramedics praised the farm’s staff for their quick and calm reactions, but they were too overwrought to talk about their experience.
But one anonymous farm worker said they didn’t do "anything that no one else would do in the same position''.
"If your mate was hurt, or in trouble, of course you would hook in and help him,'' he said.
The Energex community rescue helicopter airlifted the man to the Royal Brisbane Hospital where he was operated on late yesterday afternoon.
Workplace health and safety officers are investigating.
Jockey Takes On Insurance Company Over Horse Fall
May 14, 2007 03:39pm Article from: AAP
A FORMER jockey who was left a quadriplegic after a race fall began civil action against insurance giant GIO today.
Outside Canberra Magistrates Court, Ray Silburn said he just wanted enough money to modify his car and house to accommodate his wheelchair.
"There's so many (sic) stuff out there for disabilities that you can use to make your living so much easier that (I can't afford at the moment) and that's what we're here to get," Silburn said.
On February 25, 2005, Silburn fell between two horses. He broke three vertebrae and has been in a wheelchair since.
His lawyer, Carmine Santone, said the total cost of modifications would be between $100,000 and $150,000.
"A modified motor vehicle is the major expense and then we've got some modifications around the home," Mr Santone said.
GIO, Canberra Racing Club's insurer, has denied liability for home modifications and the car.
The hearing continues.
Arm Crushed At Melbourne Airport
May 14, 2007 - 12:35PM Article From The Age
A cleaner is in a stable condition after his arm was crushed during a workplace accident at Melbourne Airport this morning.
The Craigieburn man, aged in his 60s, was trapped when a waste container slipped from a compactor truck in the flight catering area of the airport.
The man's left arm was pinned below the elbow shortly after 7am and WorkSafe Victoria officers are now on site investigating the cause of the accident. It is believed the man was a sub-contractor for a company used by Qantas.
Doctors operated on the man this morning after he was taken by ambulance to the the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
QLD Worker's Comp Premiums Continue To Fall
May 13, 2007 - 9:14AM Article From AAP
Queensland employers are to have their workers' compensation premiums cut even further, saving business more than $30 million a year, the state government says.
Deputy Premier Anna Bligh said the WorkCover Queensland fund would be cut to an average premium rate of $1.15 for every $100 an employer pays in wages.
She said the new rate was down 4.2 per cent from $1.20 last year.
"This is fantastic news for Queensland employers who now have had the lowest average premium rate of any Australian state for eight years and received premium rate cuts for the past three consecutive years," Ms Bligh said.
She said while premiums had remained low, benefits to injured workers had increased.
"The Queensland scheme is one of the country's most worker friendly, including entitlements to benefits that many other states and the commonwealth schemes do not provide, including for journey and recess claims," Ms Bligh said.
Tractor Runs Over Farmer
May 11, 2007, 12:30 WST Article from: The West
A man has been injured on a farm near Kununurra after it is believed he was run over by a tractor.
It is understood the man sustained serious chest injuries and will be flown to Royal Perth Hospital this afternoon.
It is the second farming-related accident in the past 24 hours.
Yesterday, a was crushed to death by a tree branch he was cutting from a fallen tree near Harvey.
The 72-year-old Cookernup man was working with his son to cut up the fallen tree when the accident happened.
WA safety watchdog WorkSafe sent investigators to the farm, near Harvey, 140km south of Perth today.
Drugs At Work Still A Problem
May 10, 2007 05:04pm Article from: AAP
ABOUT one in four employees say fellow workers take illegal drugs at work, a survey has found.
Human resources and recruitment firm Talent2 said an internet survey of more than 1700 people in several different industry groups showed a high number of people who took illegal drugs while on the job.
Those aged between 18 and 24 were nearly five times more likely to have consumed drugs than the rest of the working population, said Talent2 director John Banks.
Between 25 and 30 per cent of sales and marketing, engineering, manufacturing, construction and government workers said they had heard of someone in their workplace taking illegal drugs at work.
"HR – human resources – was even higher on 32 per cent because in that HR function, people were reporting it to them because it would be of concern," Mr Banks said.
In contrast, a scant 1 per cent of respondents in most industries actually admitted taking illegal substances themselves.
But unlike the work culture of even a few years ago, employers were now aware that allowing employees to drink or take drugs on the job could leave them legally liable for any damage or injury they caused.
"If you saw someone who was pie-eyed or even came back drunk after lunch, there would be disciplinary action," Mr Banks said.
"Because of the legal infrastructure now, either having a peer or a boss coming back to work under the influence of either drugs or alcohol leaves you, as an organisation, open to legal issues."
In the engineering, manufacturing and construction industries, at least half believed it was an employer's responsibility to test prospective employees.
"It's a sign of the times – particularly for that younger age group, 18 to 24 year olds," Mr Banks said.
"A lot of employers now are using occupational health and safety testing prior to their employment but it's often under the guise of questions like 'Can you lift heavy weights?' and 'Are you fit and healthy' – particularly in that manufacturing environment.
"If you are driving a forklift through a factory, you can do a lot of damage."
Mr Banks said employers had a responsibility to educate their staff and ensure that all incidents of drug consumption at work were reported to management.
Voyager Accident Payouts Continues 43 Years On
May 10, 2007 04:31pm Article from: AAP
A FORMER sailor who claimed he suffered a mental injury after witnessing the Voyager disaster has won $20,000 compensation after he took his case to a Victorian appeals court.
John Robert Cavenett was 21 years old and a medic aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne when it collided with the destroyer HMAS Voyager in February 1964, slicing it in half.
It was Australia's worst peacetime naval disaster, claiming 82 lives during what was a routine exercise in Jervis Bay, off the New South Wales south coast.
Mr Cavenett, now 64, initiated proceedings for damages in 1996 for post traumatic stress disorder which he said was caused by the naval disaster.
He said he did not recognise the condition until he was treated by a psychiatrist in 1996. Under Victorian law these cases must be brought before the courts within six years.
A Victorian Supreme Court judge initially dismissed the proceedings saying Mr Cavenett had not satisfied him that he was not aware that he suffered the condition at the time of the incident.
Today at the Court of Appeal, a majority of two to one judges accepted Mr Cavenett's evidence that he did not discover his mental illness until he saw a psychiatrist in 1996.
Justice Chris Maxwell said that in a case of mental injury time does not begin to run until the plaintiff knows that their mental condition is a mental illness which would be recognised by a medical professional.
The court allowed the appeal and granted him $20,000 with interest dating back to 1996 plus costs.
Mr Cavenett's solicitor Garry Mann said his client was happy his legal battle was finally over.
"He's happy that it's over after 43 years," Mr Mann said.
"It's not as good result as he would have liked but it's over."
He said that since the litigation started several cases have been dealt with and about 50 were outstanding in Victoria and New South Wales.
WorkCover Fraud Doesn't Pay
10th May 2007 02:00:29 AM Source: Star News
A NOBLE PARK man has been sentenced to a month in jail for a fraudulent $7200 WorkCover claim.
The Dandenong Magistrates’ Court heard that in 2004 Richard Gilling injured his lower back while working as a labourer with a scaffolding company.
Mr Gilling submitted a WorkCover claim which was accepted.
He was certified as being unfit for any duties and he formally declared that he was not engaging in any form of employment while receiving weekly workplace injury compensation payments.
Some months later, Gilling was seen working as a crowd controller at the Prince of Wales Hotel in St Kilda.
A WorkCover investigation found Gilling had worked 59 shifts over a four-month period in 2005, while at the same time receiving compensation payments.
Gilling pleaded guilty to one count of fraudulently obtaining payments and six counts of providing false information under the Accident Compensation Act 1985.
He was convicted and sentenced to one month’s jail.
These offences breached a suspended sentence previously imposed by the Court for driving while disqualified.
As a result, Gilling’s suspended sentence was restored and he was ordered to serve both concurrently.
Victorian WorkCover Authority executive director Len Boehm said identifying and prosecuting fraud cases helped protect honest workers, employers and service providers, and maintained the integrity of Victoria’s WorkCover scheme.
“This case is an eye-opening reminder of the consequences to be suffered as a result of dishonesty,” he said.
“Most workers are honest, but a case like this undermines community confidence and support in the WorkCover system.”
Worksafe To Investigate Armed Robbery Heroics
May 09, 2007 08:24pm Article from: AAP
PIZZA store staff who overpowered an armed robber and held him until police arrived are having their actions investigated by the West Australian work safety watchdog.
Police allege two armed bandits tried to hold up a pizza store in southeastern Kenwick last night, but staff tackled one of the would-be robbers causing him to drop his pistol.
The man's accomplice bolted after unsuccessfully trying to get the gun back while staff held the first man until police arrived.
Officers investigating the attempted robbery say they arrested the accomplice today.
They have charged a 27-year-old from Halls Head with attempted armed robbery.
A 27-year-old man from Gosnells was charged with four counts of armed robbery of retail premises in the southeastern suburbs of Maddington, Kelmscott, Gosnells and Belmont between May 4 and 7 this year.
Police are considering further charges over the attempted robbery in Kenwick.
Meanwhile, WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said today she was investigating the actions of the pizza store staff who overpowered the armed robber.
"We're very concerned that people may get the impression that attempting to overpower an armed robber is a good idea," she said.
"If a person is desperate enough to commit an armed robbery, you can never be sure how violent that person may become."
Workplaces such as late-night food outlets, chemists and service stations needed to have an established armed hold-up procedure, with all staff trained in its use, Ms Lyhne said.
"The best course of action is to co-operate with the robber – it is never worth putting yourself and others at risk in these situations by trying to be a hero," she said.
Wednesday, 9 May 2007. 09:40 Source:ABC New England
Police and WorkCover representatives are expected to meet representatives of the Central Ranges Gas Pipeline in Tamworth today to discuss an accident in which a man was badly burnt yesterday.
The 34-year-old is being treated for severe burns in Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital.
The fire brigade's regional commander, Michael Brown, says while the situation was serious, an LPG gas fire would have been more difficult to deal with.
"Natural gas is lighter than air, so any leak would dissipate into the atmosphere. LPG tends to be heavier than air and sink into pits and creeklines," he said.
"If you have a leak without a source of ignition, it can build up until it finds its ignition source and that can lead to a gas explosion."
Two Workers Taken To Hospital At Timber Mill
8 May 2007 8:32
a.m. Source: ABC Central West
The safety standards of a timber mill at Blayney have again come into question after two workers at the plant were injured.
The state's workplace safety authority, WorkCover New South Wales, issued Blayney Treated Pine with six safety improvement notices in March, after the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union contacted it with concerns over the welfare of staff.
WorkCover handed down two more improvement notices last week when two workers had to be taken to hospital because of injuries sustained in separate accidents.
One worker is now back at work and the other is expected to return soon.
Production manager Norman Kim says the company is working to educate staff on safe work practices.
"We're trying to get the senior WorkCover people to come out and just go through everything with us and trying to get the union out here as well," he said.
Mr Kim says it has complied with the previous recommendations.
"We fulfilled it within a week and they came out a few days later and they cleared everything," he said.
A WorkCover spokesman says it is monitoring the situation and the company is cooperating.
A union representative says he is hoping to visit the plant this week.
He says the recent industrial accidents confirm his fears that it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed.
Tyre Blow Out Fatally Injuries Worker
8 May 2007. 7:30 a.m. Source: ABC Central West
Police and WorkCover are investigating a fatal industrial accident at a tyre fitting workshop in Lithgow.
Officers say the a 19-year-old Portland man received severe head injuries in a forklift accident at the Hartley Valley Road business yesterday afternoon.
Police say initial enquiries suggest a mechanical failure with the forklift caused its tyre to blow and hit the man.
He was flown to Sydney's Nepean Hospital, but died overnight.
His name has not been released.
Farmer Run Over By His Own Vehicle
May 7, 2007 10:27 a.m. Source: The Border Mail
POLICE are investigating the death of a Howlong farmer, 69, who was apparently run over by his own vehicle on Saturday.
The man, whose name has not been released is understood to have been feeding stock when the vehicle ran his down.
Following a call for help Albury and Howlong police and Albury paramedic crews rushed to the farm on Courtney Lane which runs off Brocklesby Road, near Howlong, at about 2pm.
Initial reports said it appeared the man may have left his converted F-250 ambulance truck in drive while he was in his paddock and when he opened a gate the vehicle rolled onto him.
The man suffered severe chest, abdominal and spinal injuries, but was conscious at the scene when ambulance crews arrived.
Paramedics urgently transported him to Albury Base Hospital, but he went into cardiac arrest before arriving in Albury.
An ambulance spokesman said the man died despite advanced resuscitation procedures being applied.
Howlong police yesterday called the incident a tragic accident.
A police spokesman said he believed the man was putting hay in the paddock at the time of the incident.
The spokesman said the man had spent time alone in the paddock for some time with his injuries before the alarm was raised.
The Border Mail understands members of his family were by his side when ambulance crews arrived to take him to Albury Base Hospital.
It is not known when the farmer’s name will be released.
Albury police are continuing their inquiries but last night could provide no more information about the incident.
The accident was also reported to WorkCover, which will continue its investigations into the death this week.
WorkCover did not respond to calls from The Border Mail yesterday.
Heat Stroke Leads to $198,000 Fine
May 04, 2007 6:24pm Source: AAP
THE Federal Court today fined the Australian Defence Force (ADF) almost $200,000 after a young soldier died while training in extreme heat in the Northern Territory.
Trooper Angus Lawrence, 25, collapsed and died from acute heat stroke during a training course at Mt Bundey, near Kakadu National Park, on November 10, 2004.
Federal workers compensation agency Comcare launched legal action in the Federal Court over Trooper Lawrence's "preventable" death, arguing that the ADF paid little attention to the risk of heat injury or safety procedures.
The ADF admitted to breaching occupational health and safety laws, agreeing it did not take reasonable steps to protect participants in the course.
Trooper Lawrence was one of 67 Darwin-based soldiers required to dig pits and conduct patrols with little relief from temperatures which soared to 40C.
The court heard that November 2004 was the fourth hottest month on record and on the day Trooper Lawrence died, 11 other soldiers had sought medical treatment for heat related illness.
No ambulance or advanced medical staff were on hand at the training ground, only two base grade medical assistants and a Land Rover with a stretcher.
An army investigation found there was a culture in which training overrode all other considerations.
"There was a culture that training took priority over other issues – meaning that the army got the balance between training and safety wrong," the ADF submitted.
Justice Rodney Madgwick said the ADF "greatly underestimated" the risks posed by the weather conditions.
"In 2004, over an appreciable period and not just a single day, the army failed its legal obligations," he said.
Justice Madgwick imposed a $198,000 fine, suggesting consideration be given to providing the Lawrence family with the money "by way of a modest, concrete gesture of consolation".
He also called Parliament's attention to the matter, saying criminal prosecution of the employer would have been likely had the case occurred in the private sector.
The present law would not generate public confidence "that proper legal standards of protection of commonwealth employees, including our service people, is rigorously required of their superiors, on pain of consequences that will really bite," Justice Madgwick said.
The ADF faced a maximum fine of $242,000 but the judge took into account "the army's frank and honest acceptance of its shortcomings and its commendable efforts to mend them".
All army personnel now undergo annual heat injury training, heat stress monitors have been issued to units in the Northern Territory and the Defence Safety Manual has been revised.
Grain Accident Leads To Fine For Lost Fingers
May 04, 2007 3:39pm
A Chapman Valley farming group has been fined $4,000 for not ensuring a grain cleaner was safe, and for failing to report a staff injury.
In Geraldton Magistrates Court, the Talmalmo Holdings group has been found guilty after an incident in 2005 when a German backpacker employed by the company caught his right hand in the machine.
His third, fourth and fifth fingers were amputated and the injury was not reported to WorkSafe for a month.
WorkSafe commissioner Nina Lyhne says failing to adequately guard the cleaning machine attracted a $3,000 fine and not reporting the incident resulted in a $1,000 fine.
Ms Lyhne says the incident is a timely reminder that dangerous machinery must be guarded and work accidents reported immediately.
Divers Death Leads to Huge Fine
May 03, 2007 12:29pm
A JUDGE has fined a diving company $200,000 after it was found guilty of failing to ensure the safety of an inexperienced scuba diver who drowned during a trip off Victoria's Mornington Peninsula.
Robert Grant, 32, of Clayton in Melbourne's south-east, died after experiencing problems with his rented diving equipment on a trip out of Portsea on January 17, 2004.
Melbourne Diving Services was found guilty by jury in April of one count of failing to ensure people other than its employees were cared for under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1985.
Today at the Victorian County Court, Judge Lance Pilgrim hit out at the company's safety procedures when he gave what is believed to be an unprecedented fine for this type of offence.
Judge Pilgrim described the company's breach of duties as "profound''.
He said the fatal incident could have easily been avoided if good procedures had been followed by the company and the employees.
He said there were many warnings and indicators that Mr Grant was an inexperienced diver who lacked the skills to dive in Victorian waters.
He said while the company was now in receivership and any fine would not be paid, it was important to send a message out to the industry about its responsibility to its customers.
Farmer faces up to $100,000 fine for inadequate safety system
May 02, 2007 03:30pm Source: The Advertiser
A SHEEP farmer faces a fine of up to $100,000 after a family friend's right hand was blown off while ''bunny bombing'' on the farmer's property.
James Ashby, 57, of Tintinara, pleaded guilty this week to breaching workplace safety laws after farm hand David Donnelly was injured while blowing up rabbit warrens on Mr Ashby's South Rose farm.
The Industrial Relations Court heard the system used in blowing up the warrens, which Mr Ashby was responsible for, contained serious defects and disregarded recommendations given during a training course attended by one of Mr Ashby's sons.
The court heard the accident happened when an explosive charge Mr Donnelly, 53, had lit and put down a warren came out when he removed a tube used direct the charge.
The charge exploded as he reached down pick it up and throw away.
Prosecutor Lydia Makiv told the court Mr Donnelly had been using 30cm fuses on the charges when the training course recommended that fuses be two metres long.
She said Mr Donnelly lost his right hand, had permanent vision impairment and suffered tinnitus.
Ms Makiv asked that a penalty be imposed that sent a message to employers.
''What's the purpose of running these courses if the participants return to their particular farms or work places and improvise their own systems to suit their own needs and budgets,'' she said.
Mr Ashby's lawyer, Peter Eriksen, said Mr Donnelly was a family friend of the Ashbys and had been trained in explosives when he was a police officer in NSW.
Mr Eriksen said Mr Ashby had an ''exemplary'' safety record with only two Workcover claims being made out of more than 200 workers he had employed in 34 years on the farm.
He said Mr Ashby had thought the bunny bombing method devised by his sons had been safe at the time and allowed them to do it.
Court Deputy President Stephen Lieschke will hand down his penalty next month.
