SA: Over $100,000 In Fines For Safety Breaches

Thursday January 31 2008 12:04 p.m. Source: Worksafe SA

Castalloy Manufacturing Pty Ltd (trading as Ion Automotive) has been fined a total of $105,870 today by the SA Industrial Relations Court, after pleading guilty to two counts of failing to ensure the safety of employees whilst at work.

The incidents happened in February and May of 2005 at the company’s North Plympton and Wingfield plants.

In the first, a 38 year old male labour hire employee had his right index finger crushed between a forklift tine and a degassing machine. In the second, a 22 year old man, also a labour hire employee, suffered finger injuries when they were caught in an unguarded impeller fan of a bead blaster machine.

The fines of $52,000 for each count were higher due to two prior convictions on similar matters at the time these incidents occurred.

OHS NEWS TIP - Safety Procedures for Forklifts and Bread Machine

Hotel Company Fined For Burns

Thursday January 31 2008 11:59 a.m. Source: Worksafe SA

Two incidents over 15 days at Mt. Gambier’s Western Tavern Hotel in October 2004 have resulted in both the former operating company and its Managing Director being fined for breaches of workplace safety laws.

In the incidents, two male kitchen hands aged 18 and 14 at the time each suffered serious burns as a result of contact with hot water in the kitchen area.

Hyledate Pty Ltd pleaded guilty and was fined $22,500 on two counts, while the companies OHS officer pleaded guilty and was fined $3,750 for his failure to take the necessary steps to comply with the relevant safety laws.

The company sold the hotel in November 2004.

OHS NEWS TIP - Kitchen Safety Procedures

WA: Worksite Visitor Killed By Steel

WORKSAFE is investigating the death of a 37-year-old man at a factory in Moora yesterday afternoon.

The man was believed to have been visiting the workplace seeking employment when a rack of steel beams collapsed.

He died after being hit by a piece of falling steel.

WorkSafe inspectors travelled to the site this morning to investigate.

They will interview witnesses and investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said any work-related death was a tragedy, and relayed her sincere condolences to the man’s family.

OHS NEWS TIP - Steel Storage Safety Procedures

WA: Truck Drivers May Be Offered Compensation

Wednesday January 30 2008 2:34 p.m. Source: AAP

THE State Government is poised to admit liability and pay compensation after one of its departments sent three truckies to their deaths in a bushfire.

The truck drivers were killed when swirling fire trapped them on the Great Eastern Highway, west of Kalgoorlie, at about 8.45pm on December 30.

The road had been reopened about an hour earlier by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

While a possible coronial inquest into the tragedy is months away, the state Government's RiskCover last week invited trucking company Darogi to make a claim for its commercial losses in the blaze.

Four trucks were incinerated in the inferno, which burned for weeks in the Boorabbin National Park.

RiskCover, the arm of the West Australian Insurance Commission representing government agencies, began assessing the losses of Perth trucking company Darogi last Monday with a view to making a payout.

The Insurance Commission of Western Australia's managing director Vic Evans could not be reached yesterday to discuss compensation.

But a spokesman from the Department of Environment and Conservation said payments would be in keeping with the department's response to the tragedy.

He said the department had not and would not shirk its responsibilities to those affected by the tragedy.

Darogi owner Darryl Gibaud - who lost friends and employees Robert Taylor and Lewis Bedford in the blaze - said the RiskCover assessor invited him to make a claim that would be reviewed against its own assessment of his commercial losses.

"They have told me the Government will admit liability," he said.

"First they want to see if I need any emergency relief, then they will start looking at what compensation to pay me."

Mr Gibaud said one of his trucks and two attached semi-trailers were destroyed in the fire that killed Taylor and Bedford.

He estimated that after an expected payout from his own insurer, he would sustain continuing losses of about $250,000 because of the fire.

RiskCover's assessment comes after Mr Gibaud threatened to sue the Carpenter Government.

It is unclear yet whether the families of the deceased men plan to take any legal action.

Senior officers from the Department of Environment and Conservation this month visited the families of the three men to apologise for the decision to reopen the road.

The department officers offered their deepest sympathy and financial assistance, including funeral costs.

DEC drove Mr Taylor's belongings to the south coast town of Esperance at his cousin's request.

Bedford, 60, and Taylor, 46, both from Two Rocks, died in their truck.

Trevor Murley, 53, of Hovea, was incinerated nearby in another truck, one of a convoy of 15 vehicles allowed through a section of Great Eastern Highway between Coolgardie and Southern Cross.

NSW: Quad Bike Warning After Farmer Killed In Accident

Monday January 28 2008 11:41a.m. Source: ABC News

WorkCover New South Wales has issued a warning to farmers and employers about the safe use of all-terrain vehicles.

The reminder follows the death of a 73-year-old Mudgee farmer, who was found under his quad bike last week.

The acting chief executive officer of WorkCover, John Watson, says initial investigations into the accident reveal the man was using the vehicle to spray weeds.

Mr Watson says it is vital farmers do not overload or incorrectly ride quad bikes.

"A quad bike is a very versatile piece of equipment and a useful piece of equipment around the farm, but often when we are investigating matters related to fatalities or serious injury involving quad bikes, we find the bike has been overloaded or indeed isn't begin ridden correctly, or in terrain which is too steep for the nature of the bike itself," he said.

OHS NEWS TIP - Quad Bike Safety Procedures

QLD: Cherry Picker Accident Catapults Two Men

Monday January 28 2008 8:22 a.m. Source: AAP

TWO men are in a serious condition in hospital after being catapulted from a cherrypicker at a property north west of Kilcoy.

At about 3.30pm (AEST) yesterday emergency crews were called to a property about 1 km from Kilcoy where both men were found badly injured on the ground. They were airlifted to hospital.

“It is believed a tree struck the cherrypicker which catapulted the two occupants to the ground,” an RACQ CareFlight spokesman said in a statement.

One of the men, a 54-year-old from Kilcoy, broke both his arms and suffered serious head injuries. The second man also suffered head injuries.

Workplace Health and Safety officers will investigate the incident, police said.

OHS NEWS TIP - Cherry Picker Safety Procedures

VIC: Work Fight At Winery Ends With Three Stabbed

Monday January 27 2008 8:15 a.m. Source: The Age

A BRAWL in which one man was stabbed to death at a winery in north-east Victoria on Saturday night could have been the result of a dispute between legal and illegal foreign workers.

Twelve Asian men and women were questioned by homicide squad detectives at the St Kilda Road police complex about the killing after turning themselves in yesterday morning at Whitfield police station, 50 kilometres south of Wangaratta.

A 58-year-old Malaysian man was arrested after hiding near the winery overnight. He was in Wangaratta Hospital yesterday evening with a head injury sustained in the fight.

The group had fled the winery in a van soon after the fight, in which another two men were seriously injured.

The son-in-law of the owners of Politini Wines, near the small town of Cheshunt, said yesterday that a migrant worker who rented accommodation at the vineyard, but did not work there, arrived at their house and begged the family for help.

After calling an ambulance, Luis Simian found the fatally injured man lying near one of the nearby converted tobacco cottages the workers rented, and tried to staunch the bleeding from a chest stab wound.

"He was in a lot of trouble, and I started applying pressure to the wound in his chest … He pretty much died while I was holding him," Mr Simian said.

He found the other two injured men lying just outside and in the doorway of another cottage. The men had stab wounds and were both in a stable condition in The Alfred hospital.

Mr Simian said he had been told by police the dispute might have resulted from tension between workers with visas and those working illegally.

"The police have informed me that they think it was some of the Asians that had visas against some of the illegals who were muscling in on their work."

A Department of Immigration and Citizenship spokesman said the department would not comment on the case while police inquiries were continuing.

SA: Oil Rig Worker Fatally Injuried

Sunday January 27 2008 2:38 p.m. Source: The Age

A 36-year-old man from Queensland has died from being crushed in an industrial accident in South Australia's northeast.

The contract worker was part of a drilling unit working at Santos's oil and gas fields about one hour east of Moomba near the border between South Australia and Queensland.

A spokesman for SafeWork SA, which is responsible for administering occupational health, safety and welfare and industrial relations laws in SA, said the accident happened about 10am (CDT) Sunday.

"He was crushed between two pieces of equipment," the spokesman said.

"He was a contractor with a drilling unit."

A spokesman for Santos said "with great sadness" he could confirm a fatal incident had occurred on a drilling rig on Sunday morning.

He said it was under investigation and Santos would be assisting those investigations but could not currently give any further details.

A spokeswoman for the drilling company Weatherford Drilling International also refused to give any further details of the incident.

Police earlier said it occurred about an hour east of Moomba when a piece of machinery fell on the man.

Police, SafeWork SA representatives and a spokesman for Weatherford Drilling are currently travelling to the accident site.

VIC: Man Dies In Circular Saw Accident

Saturday January 26 2008 11:16 a.m.

A MAN was killed this afternoon after an industrial accident on an oil drilling rig at Moomba, in the state's far-north.

Reports of how the accident occurred are conflicting with police advising the man was working at Precision Drilling when he was hit by a piece of machinery just before 12.30pm today.

SafeWork SA spokesman Peter Adams said inspectors were making their way to the site, believed to be about one kilometre east of Mooba.

"We understand the male has suffered fatal crush injuries while working on an oil rig," he said.

"We are still to get inspectors on site but the information we have is that the man was caught between a manual rig pole and mast".

The 69-year-old Ballarat man may have fallen from the ladder up to two days ago, police say.

He was found dead today at a house in Aurora Crescent at Torquay.

"Police believe that the man was working on the underside of a first floor balcony with a circular saw," police said in a statement.

"For a reason yet to be determined the man fell about a metre from the two stepladders that he was using as a brace, and hit the ground.

"Police believe that as he was falling he dropped the saw which has cut into his leg."

A WorkSafe team was en route to the property, a spokesman for the health and safety regulator said.

"This death comes as a warning as we enter the long weekend when lots of people will be working up and down ladders," he said.

"Some people are lucky enough to dust themselves off and walk away but it's essential that the proper safety equipment be used at all times to save people the pain and suffering that can occur such as in this incident today."

The man found dead today is yet to be formally identified, police said.

OHS NEWS TIP - Circular Saw and Ladder Safe Work Method Statements

NSW: Tractor Accident Claims Farmer's Life

Friday January 25 2008 10:52 p.m. Source: Central Western Daily

AN 83-year-old Nashdale man died yesterday morning in a tractor accident on a property in Borenore Lane.

The man had lived at Nashdale for many years and was a former orchardist.

He was carrying out work on a Nashdale property on the western side of Borenore Lane around 10am yesterday when the tractor he was driving careered down a steep slope and crashed in a gully.

The man was cutting lucerne in a paddock on top of a hill when police say for unknown reasons he lost control of the tractor.

The man was found near the tractor by a co-worker.

Police have declined to release the name of the man, following a request from his immediate family.

Ambulance, police and the CHC helicopter responded to the accident but the helicopter was later called off.

A WorkCover investigator arrived at the property just before 11.30am.

Police from the Forensic Services Unit at Bathurst spent several hours on the property yesterday trying to determine the cause of the accident.

Police said it was too early to tell if the man had a heart attack or some other medical condition which led to the accident.

According to locals he pulled out his orchard about 20 years ago but remained in the area helping out with the cutting of lucerne.

“He was a very quiet man – it is such a shock,” said orchardist Peter Darley.

OHS NEWS TIP - Tractor Safety Procedures

VIC: Labour Hire & Hay Exporter Fined For Unsafe Forklift Practices

Friday January 25 2008 11:54 a.m. Source: Wimmera News

A WIMMERA labour hire company has defended its safety record, despite being one of two Horsham-based companies to be convicted and fined after pleading guilty to unsafe work practices.

Workco Limited, employer of 500 people and 300 apprentices at more than 50 organisations, was fined $9000 and hay export company Johnson Asahi $25,000. Both companies must each pay costs of $3211.

They both failed to provide a safe work environment and failed to provide a workplace without health risks. Workco manager Dean Luciani said while he would not comment about the specific incident, the company supported any injured party."I wish to reiterate, Workco is serious about safety practices of our employees," he said. "We feel it's important people in the community recognise our sense of responsibility and commitment to all people living and working in western rural Victoria."

Worksafe Victoria prosecuted the companies following a forklift accident at Johnson Asahi's hay processing plant in Horsham on September 18, 2006.Bruce Sartori, employed by Workco to work at Johnson Asahi, was driving the forklift unlicensed and not wearing a seatbelt when he hit another industrial machine, causing him cracked ribs and bruising.

WorkSafe solicitor Nandi Segbedzi said Johnson Asahi had failed in many areas of workplace safety, including inadequate barriers for machinery, ensuring staff were qualified and wearing seatbelts and the unsafe stacking of hay bales. Ms Segbedzi said Workco failed to provide to its employees a safe environment in regard to health.

Magistrate Andrew Capell said the two companies' early guilty plea, clean record and history of being good citizens were taken into account when handing down the punishment. But he said the punishment must also send out a message of general deterrence.

Mr Capell said he also took into account Johnson Asahi's financial position after their solicitor Ross Ray told the court the company, an employer of 22 people in Horsham and 77 nationally, suffered a loss of $1.4 million last financial year because of the drought.

Mr Capell said he was pleased Johnson Asahi had taken steps to ensure this type of incident didn't happen again but its procedures at the time of the accident were inadequate. He said although Workco, a labour hire company, had not control of the day-to-day running of a business, it had a responsibility to look after its employees.

"It failed in its duty to Mr Sartori," he said. "But it's been in existence for 21 years and has an impeccable record." Mr Capell said Workco's risk assessment procedure was not good enough. WorkSafe Victoria's case against Mr Sartori was adjourned to Horsham Magistrate's Court on March 26.

OHS NEWS TIP - Forklift Safe Work Method Statements

NT: Construction Crane Poses A Risk To Residents

Wednesday 23 January 2008 6:58 a.m. Source: Territory News

MORE THAN a hundred Darwin city residents were advised to evacuate their homes after a Darwin builder, dubbed 'Diablo' by locals, refused to remove a 39m crane from his CBD construction site as Cyclone Helen approached.

The crane was working on the fifth floor of a 14-storey development on the corner of Cardona Crt and Woods St, Darwin, metres from high-rise apartments.

WorkSafe NT wanted the tower crane dismantled but instead it was tied down.

Residents of at least two Darwin apartment blocks - Synergy Square and La Casa - were visited by NT Police on Friday, January 4.

They were given leaflets advising them to seek shelter elsewhere.

"It has come to the attention of NT Police that there is a building crane in the ...  vicinity ... which has not been removed," the leaflet said.

"There may be an element of danger to your premises."

The tower crane was able to withstand winds of 170km/h, the leaflet said.

Category 1 Cyclone Helen had wind gusts of up to 120km/h.

Had the cyclone intensified to a Category 3 (gusts of more than 170km/h), the crane may not have been able to withstand the winds.

But Auleth managing director Fernando Augusto said yesterday he did not know what all the fuss was about.

"My side of the story is that it (the crane)  could tolerate wind speeds of up to 170km/h and we only got wind warnings of 100-130km/h."

WorkSafe NT executive director Laurene Hull said police had advised residents to move at her organisation's request.

"We thought it best to be safe. There are three blocks of units jam-packed in there and it wouldn't take too much to cause a problem."

Dale Cherrie, 58, is staying with her son at one of the apartment blocks and said she was worried about the safety of the site in the event of another cyclone.

"Steel can do an awful lot of damage," she said.

It is not the first time the construction site, on the corner of Cardona Court and Woods St, Darwin, has come under scrutiny.

In April last year, a substation on the corner was left dangling on the end of a crane line.

The incident caused WorkSafe NT to shut down the site until it could be stabilised.

Power and Water Corporation has not fined the company, instead charging the contractor for the repair costs.

OHS NEWS TIP - Construction Site Safe Work Method Statements

NSW: Forklift Accident At Fabrication Workshop

Tuesday 22 January 2007 10:40 a.m. Source: ABC News

A 22-year-old man is in hospital with serious chest injuries, after being pinned by a steel plate at a Lake Macquarie factory.

WorkCover says the accident happened at a steel fabrication workshop at Doyalson yesterday morning.

WorkCover's acting chief executive officer, John Watson, says the man had a lucky escape.

"It appears the man has been guiding the load and the 680 kilogram steel sheet has actually slipped and dislodged off the forklift and pinned him to the ground," he said.

"We just highlight the need for greater care and planning around the operation of pieces of equipment like forklift trucks."

OHS NEWS TIP - Forklift Safety Procedures

NSW: Work Safety Reform On The Back Burner

Tuesday 22 January 2008 8:11 a.m. Source: The Australian

THE NSW Labor Government has abandoned its long-awaited overhaul of the state's draconian workplace safety laws, provoking fury among business groups.

Senior Labor sources yesterday confirmed the Government had ditched its occupational health and safety reform agenda - more than three years in the making - to avoid a further bruising confrontation with the unions while it battles them overthe privatisation of the state's electricity generation and retail assets.

A spokesman for NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the state would leave its laws intact - breaking a direct promise to business - but would work with the commonwealth and other states towards a national workplace safety regime.

NSW Business Chamber chief Kevin MacDonald yesterday dismissed the explanation as an excuse and condemned the move as "a major breach of faith with NSW businesses".

"NSW businesses have acted in good faith throughout a three-year process and we would be extremely disappointed if the Government walked away from reform under the guise of creating a national OH&S scheme," Mr MacDonald said.

"The fact is, NSW can reform workplace safety legislation and participate in seeking sensible national standards - they are not mutually exclusive.

"If this process was to be junked, it would be junked for no other reason than to appease the trade unions in the lead-up to the ALP state conference."

Unlike the other states, NSW occupational health and safety laws impose an absolute duty of care on employers rather than requiring them to do what is "reasonably practical".

Prosecutions, which can result in jail terms, are handled in the industrial court, with no jury and no right of appeal. Uniquely, unions have the power to launch prosecutions and are allowed to pocket half of any fine imposed.

Business groups describe the laws as the single biggest disincentive to investment in NSW and claim they compromise safety by making unrealistic demands on employers.

The Government has made numerous attempts at OH&S reform since 2005, but has been stymied by the unions.

In an attempt to embarrass the Government, next month the Coalition will force a vote in parliament on the OH&S reform bill originally proposed by NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca, which was based on the Victorian system but withdrawn after unions objected.

Mr Iemma gave an ironclad guarantee last August that the Government would bring on the reforms before parliament rose for the year, but this did notoccur.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Mike Gallacher said the about-turn was "purely about the Government not wanting to inflame their relationship with the unions".

He said a national scheme, which the Coalition supports, wasno excuse to delay reform when the current laws "have traditionally deterred people from taking on employees, particularly in industries with a high risk rating".

NSW: Gas Tanks In Buses Overdue For Replacement

Tuesday 22 January 2008 6:20 a.m. Source: The Daily Telegraph

ONE hundred Sydney Buses are operating with gas fuel tanks that have passed their 15-year replacement date, amid calls for the NSW Government to immediately pull them off the road to ensure passenger safety.

Transport unions will today seek assurances that the underfloor tanks in compressed natural gas (CNG) buses - Sydney's oldest gas buses - do not pose a "lethal threat" to drivers and the travelling public.

The 102 Scania CNG buses are housed at State Transit's (STA) Kingsgrove depot in Sydney's southwest, clocking up a combined 7.5 million km per year.

Their high-pressure gas cylinders were produced in 1993 and scheduled to be replaced no later than January 2008.

The Victorian-based manufacturer contacted STA in December last year to warn of delays in the supply of the replacement tanks.

The first batch of replacement tanks are due to begin arriving next month but that has not quelled the fears of worried drivers.

Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary Nick Lewocki said the State Government should ground the CNG buses until the new tanks are fitted.

"We've got serious concerns that these could pose a lethal threat to our members and the public if they are operated past their expiry dates," he said.

"Considering recent problems, you have to wonder about the maintenance regime and schedules at STA. The Government must intervene on behalf of passengers."

Already under fire for the recent steering rod replacement fiasco, STA last night pledged to begin visual inspections on CNG tanks from today.

Acting chief executive Peter Rowley conceded that the tanks were due to be replaced but said that WorkCover had agreed to allow the buses to operate.

So far just eight new tanks have been fitted.

STA believes that the 15-year use-by date should begin from when the tanks were first filled with gas rather than when they were made.

Mr Rowley said the staggered delivery of buses from 1994 meant that, in some cases, the 15-year period would end in December 2010.

"WorkCover agreed to this extension with the condition that the tanks be visually inspected by an authorised gas cylinder test station on or before its expiry date," Mr Rowley said last night.

Advanced Fuels Technology chief executive Sean Blythe said the main danger posed to tanks was from wear and tear due to heavy usage.

"The danger is some fatigue wear isn't picked up," he said.

VIC: 6m Ladder Fall, Critically Injures Worker

Monday 21 January 2008 Source: Wimmera News

A Warracknabeal man is in a serious but stable condition in the Royal Melbourne Hospital after falling six metres from a ladder.

Rural Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said the man was in a critical condition when he was air lifted to Melbourne.

Warracknabeal Constable Clare Godfrey said the 59-year-old was working at Warracknabeal's Starts Buslines when he fell six metres from a ladder.

Const Godfrey said the man sustained brain injuries, fractures around his eyes and a damaged lung."He was climbing up the ladder to straighten up a piece of iron they were fixing to the roof," she said."For some reason the ladder slipped and he fell."WorkSafe is investigating the accident.

An ambulance took the man to Warracknabeal aerodrome where he was airlifted by helicopter to The Royal Melbourne Hospital.Const Godfrey said the first call was made to triple 0 at 4.42pm on Friday. She said Warracknabeal police, Rural Ambulance Victoria and eye-witnesses were at the scene. She said WorkSafe attended the accident site on Saturday.

WorkSafe spokesperson Michael Birt said falls from height were one of the biggest causes of death and serious injury in Victorian workplaces.

"On top of the deaths there are many serious injuries that could well have been fatal in slightly different circumstances," Mr Birt said. He said WorkSafe would begin a national campaign on falls in the construction industry in a couple of weeks."People ought to have a close look at what they need to do the job safely," Mr Birt said."Sometimes the ladder is a suitable solution but when you're doing that you need to figure out the way to do it as safe as you can."

In other circumstances you might have to go to the trouble of getting some scaffolding up or an elevated work platform."Climbing on top of businesses and doing essential work is a hazard that's around all times of the year."Mr Burke said people had died from falling from a 1.5-metre ladder.

He said workers aged over 50 and regional areas were over represented in workplace fatalities.

OHS NEWS TIP - Using Ladders Safety Procedures

QLD: Miner Crushed By Vehicle

Friday 18 January 2008 7:00 p.m. Source: The Age

An investigation is underway into a fatal accident at a BHP Billiton Ltd mine in north-west Queensland.

Work has halted at the Cannington silver, lead and zinc mine near Mount Isa following the accident that killed Michael Auld, 51, about midday (AEST) yesterday.

Mr Auld, of Tin Can Bay, near Gympie, north of Brisbane, was a father-of-three, the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) said.

Department of Mines and Energy officers are now on site, and will investigate for several days.

The department's safety and health executive director Stewart Bell said it was believed Mr Auld, a contractor from the company Eroc, had been caught between a light vehicle and a tool carrier.

"Mines inspectorate will produce a report at the conclusion of the investigation, detailing the nature and cause of the accident and will forward this report to the coroner," Mr Bell said.

It may be months before the final report is complete.

It will determine whether there are any safety issues that need to be addressed.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche raised concerns for the man's colleagues.

"Despite there being close to 40,000 people employed at mining operations around the state, every single one of them will share the pain caused by this accident," Mr Roche said.

"We're going to have to pick ourselves up again and redouble our efforts to reach our goal of zero harm.

"There's no such thing as an acceptable level of workplace harm."

AWU national secretary Ben Swan said a representative had been sent to the mine, but claimed staff were being intimidated against meeting him.

"BHP is forcing him to sit in a room they have nominated, and (are) virtually daring any employee to walk past a manager and talk to the union about this awful incident," Mr Swan said.

Mr Swan said BHP had denied access to another representative following the death of a 19-year-old miner at the same site in December 2006.

"He was only allowed to speak to two mine managers and was barred from speaking to any employees, let alone AWU members," he said.

BHP last night released a statement offering its condolences to the victim's family, and counselling to its employees.

QLD: WorkCover Warn Dangers Of Cutting 44 Gallon Drums

Friday January 18 2008 9:32 a.m. Source: The NQ Register

In the wake of a massive explosion at a Hunter Valley wine company yesterday, it seems timely that WorkCover has issued a safety warning on cutting empty metal drums.

While it is still uncertain what caused the wine company explosion, WorkCover NSW acting chief executive officer, John Watson, said a recent explosion which seriously injured a 17 year old apprentice boilermaker was caused by the cutting of a metal drum with an angle grinder.

“WorkCover is investigating this unfortunate incident, in which it appears that sparks from the angle grinder ignited residue vapours from thinners which had been previously storied in the drum,” Mr Watson said.

“The risks associated with cutting empty drums have been known and widely publicised for some years with a number of workers having been killed or seriously injured carrying out this activity.

“This is an extremely dangerous procedure unless the proper safeguards are followed.”

The safeguards include:

• Ascertaining what was previously stored in the drum to identify hazardous materials

• Removing the bungs from the drum to allow vapours to escape

• Filling the drum with water and detergent to ensure all traces of previously stored liquid or solid chemicals are washed out and

• Not attempting to cut or weld the drum inside a workshop or other confined space.

Mr Watson gave two examples of the destructive force that can be unleashed if proper safety procedures are not followed.

"In 2006, a 21 year old apprentice suffered burns and temporary hearing loss when an empty 205 litre oil drum he was cutting with an oxy-acetylene torch exploded.

“The force of the explosion blasted the lid off the drum into the corrugated iron workshop ceiling 12 metres above, smashing a hole and scattering burning droplets of oil from the blazing drum into the paddock outside, which caught fire.

“In another incident, a 63 year old farmer lost both his legs as a result of an oil drum explosion."

Mr Watson concluded, “A number of safety alerts on cutting empty drums have been issued by WorkCover NSW and other state workplace authorities following similar incidents.

“The WorkCover NSW 2003 Safety Alert warns that drums which once contained flammable liquids should be handled with extreme care as they may contain vapours, even after many years."

OHS NEWS TIP - Oxy Cutting Safe Work Method Statements

ACT: Wall Collapse Goes Unnoticed For 30 Minutes

Friday January 18 2007 9:03 a.m. Source: The Canberra Times

A car parked on a street used by pedestrians was crushed under 15 tonnes of concrete and steel in a demolition accident in Belconnen yesterday.

The Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union said it had warned ACT WorkCover about the potential dangers of the wall a fortnight ago and it had been ignored.

"I feel very angry and very concerned about the safety of the public and workers," ACT CFMEU secretary Sarah Schoonwater said yesterday.
So far there had been no response, even after yesterday's accident.

"We've tried to contact WorkCover today and it appears nearly everybody's on leave," she said.

No one was hurt in the incident but witnesses said site workers did not appear to notice the accident for about 30 minutes. A section of external wall of the Cameron Offices in Belconnen collapsed on to Chandler Street at 2.05pm, destroying the Ford Falcon.

Shocked public servants from the nearby Australian Tax Office and ComSuper buildings stopped work to survey the damage from the accident. Witnesses described hearing a giant crack as two heavy demolition machines worked their way towards the boundary of the site, before a section of wall fell on to Chandler Street.

Ossie Terron, who saw the collapse, said, "The talk around the ATO was that the work was coming closer to the edge of the site."Then big pieces started to come down and suddenly this section just fell into the street."

Mr Terron said the incident could have been much more serious."People walk along there fairly regularly and obviously park their cars there too," he said. Mr Terron said that work continued on the site for up to 30 minutes before demolition workers moved to close the street. "I don't think they realised what had happened for a long time."

Emergency Services Authority spokesman Darren Cutrupi said two fire brigade units, including urban search and rescue specialists, were sent to the offices. Emergency services paramedics were also called before it became clear that no one was trapped in the car.

"The fire brigade has been advised that work on the site has ceased ..." Mr Cutrupi said. The demolition contractors, the Delta Group, were not returning calls yesterday.

The ACT Planning and Land Authority, which authorised the demolition, referred inquiries to the Office of Regulatory Services, which incorporates ACT WorkCover. Representatives of both authorities were making on-site investigations. The office would not comment until the investigators had completed their report.

OHS NEWS TIP - Deomolition Safety Procedures & Work Method Statements

VIC: Timber Yard Roller Fatally Injuries Woman

Thursday January 17 2008 8:15 p.m. Source: Herald Sun

A 35-year-old woman has been killed in an industrial accident at a timber yard east of Melbourne, police say.

Investigators have been told a metal roller collapsed and hit the woman on the head at about 4.20pm today.

The woman, from nearby Yallourn North, died at the scene.

Police and WorkSafe officers were this evening at the scene in Tramway Road, Hazelwood North, near Morwell.

OHS NEWS TIP - Metal Roller Safety Procedures

NSW: Welding Accident Causes Massive Explosion

Thursday January 17 2007 11:38 a.m. Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Hunter Valley winemaker Trevor Drayton, described as an "icon" by colleagues, was one of two men killed in a huge explosion today that blew parts of a building 50 metres away and demolished 20 metres of brick wall.

The bodies of Mr Drayton and another man were found near the cellar door area of Drayton's Family Wines in Oakey Creek Road, Pokolbin, after the explosion at 8.15am.

A 27-year-old man suffered severe burns to 80 per cent of his body and was flown to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital.

It is believed workmen were using welding equipment when ethanol, made of brandy spirit, ignited and exploded, destroying the winery.

The explosion in a front corner of the complex's wine processing plant blew away part of the building's roof, scattering corrugated sheeting in the car park at front of the property.

Large, black burn marks could be seen in the grassed picnic area near Oakey Road, about 50 metres from the damaged building.

The processing plant building is about 40-metres long and four- to five-metres high, and about half of the front brick wall had been blown away, exposing the giant vats in the wine processing plant.

The adjoining building, believed to be the cellar door, was also badly damaged.

The roof of this structure appeared to be near collapse and the building itself had fire damage at the corner nearest the plant.

Firefighters at the scene said the blaze may be have created more damage if they had not been aided by constant rainfall throughout the morning.

Fire as high as the trees

Damien Griffiths, who works in a nearby cafe, rushed to the winery after hearing the explosion and said a badly burnt man told him that he was standing next to Mr Drayton when the fire broke out.

"The guy said he didn't think Trevor had made it," Mr Griffiths said.

He said he heard a sharp bang that caused his house to rattle.

"I went straight down - there was a fire as high as the trees," he said. "It looked like a gas pipe had erupted.

"We think it might have been ethanol but we don't know. There was a liquid that was running down the road and lighting up the gutters.

"The front of the winery section has collapsed ... a guy nearby had skin melting off him ... he was in intense pain  ... his face was half melted and his arm was melted.

"The guy who was burnt was saying we couldn't find Trevor - that he was standing next to him"

Rural Fire Service Superintendent Jason McKellar said two bodies were found in the winery's cellar door area.

Witnesses told Fairfax Radio Network that the roof had been blown off the plant and that the walls collapsed in the explosion.

Steven Rigney, cellar door manager for Ivanhoe Wines, which operates next door to the Drayton winery and is owned by Trevor Drayton's cousin Steven Drayton, said two of his vineyard hands had been outside and saw the explosion.

Fireball and three explosions

"They said it was quite a large explosion and a large fireball and then about three explosions after that," he said.

While Mr Rigney did not want to speculate about what might have caused the explosion, he said wineries often handled volatile chemicals.

The death of  Trevor Drayton was "devastating to the valley and it's going to be devastating to the Drayton family", he said.

Peter Cummings from the Westpac Helicopter Rescue Service said the explosion was caused by a welding spark igniting alcohol fumes.

"We understand that there was welding work being done in the vicinity of a shed where wine is being distilled."

OHS NEWS TIP - Welding Safe Work Method Statements

NT: Concrete Support Collapses

Tuesday January 15 2008 4:28 p.m. Source: Northern Territory News

WORK was stopped at Darwin's Waterfront Development after part of a new floor collapsed during a concrete pour.

The Northern Territory News has been told an acro prop - an extendable support used to hold up formwork - collapsed while a concrete floor was being poured.

No one was hurt in the incident, which happened in a new hotel being built by the Toga Group on Kitchener Drive.

But Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union NT organiser Bob Wade said there was a worker standing near the area where the concrete fell.

"He lost his watch, he lost his mobile phone," Mr Wade said.

Worksafe has visited the site and is investigating the incident.

The spill happened at about 2.30pm on Sunday.

Unions were angry they were not allowed to visit the site for a safety check until they had given 24 hours' notice.

Mr Wade, who was prohibited from entering the site yesterday, said unions were concerned about safety practices.

"It's not the first incident that's taken place on that site," he said.

"There has been a death on site, there has been a serious accident with a pile driving company - it's not the first concrete spill."

Mr Wade blamed the former Howard Government for the 24 hours' notice provisions and said new work safety laws passed by the NT Government would help unions access worksites to check on safety.

Unions will visit the site today.

Toga executive development manager Paul Addison said the spill was a "minor incident".

"A steel brace fractured and two cubic metres of concrete was spilled," he said.

"No one was injured and NT Worksafe attended and gave the all clear."

Last September, a teenager had a part of a toe sliced off by a 400-tonne steel pylon while working on the waterfront development.

And in 2006, welder Cameron Stewart Bradley, 23, was electrocuted and died while working on a waterfront project pontoon.

Two companies - McMahon Contractors Pty Ltd and Hays Personnel Service Pty Ltd - were fined nearly $50,000 over his death.

OHS NEWS TIP - Concreting Safe Work Method Statements

WA: Boom Lift Accident At Mine Site

Saturday January 12 2008 Source: ABC News

A 23-year-old man who was married a week ago has been killed in a workplace accident on a Pilbara mine site owned by billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group.

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union chief Kevin Reynolds said the man had been at the Cloud Break mine site only one day before the accident occurred, at 4.20pm yesterday.

Mr Reynolds said the man was in a boom lift with another worker about 40m in the air when his head became stuck between the building being erected and the controls in the cage.

“He got wedged there and the other worker could not get to the controls to take the boom down to release him,” Mr Reynolds said.
  
“His head hit the top of the building and pushed him over the controls so the other worker could not get to the controls.”
  
Mr Reynolds said that there was an override switch on the ground but that the three men on the ground, who he said were from Thailand and did not speak English, were not able to operate the switch.
  
Mr Reynolds said it was more than half an hour before the man was taken to the ground but by that stage he had died. He said the CFMEU had had safety concerns about the site for the past few months.
  
“How many more workers are going to be killed before they do something about it?” he said.
  
Mr Reynolds said he believed the accident occurred at the same site at which two workers were killed last March when cyclone George ripped through FMG’s Pilbara railway line.
  
A spokesman for FMG confirmed that a man had died during the construction of the processing plant at the Cloud Break mine.
  
He said the accident was not at the site hit by the cyclone. That was about 100km away, he said.
  
WorkSafe said it was aware of the incident and that an investigator was travelling from Perth to the site.
  
The worker’s death yesterday comes two days after it was revealed payments were made by Fortescue to the families of Perth mother-of-two

Debra Till, 47, and Craig Raabe, 42, from Gympie, Queensland, who died during a cyclone on site last March.
  
The tragedy left Fortescue and owner Andrew Forrest, now one of Australia’s richest man, under a cloud after workers claimed senior staff should have evacuated them.
  
Mr Forrest’s recent reign as Australia’s richest man lasted only 10 days after Fortescue was hit by share falls on Wall Street on Monday.
  
The share fall took about $530 million off Mr Forrest’s paper wealth, reducing the value of his stake in Fortescue to about $6.8 billion.

OHS NEWS TIP - Boom LIft Safe Work Method Statement

QLD: Industrial Warehouse Fire

Friday 4 January 2008 2:43 p.m. Source: ABC News

The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service says two men had a lucky escape from an industrial fire in an inner-city warehouse in Brisbane this morning.

The men were cutting metal in the mechanics workshop at Milton when slag from an oxygen drill caught fire.

It fell into the hydraulics of the lift the workers were standing on before the walls of the warehouse caught fire.

Buildings on either side were evacuated while the gas-powered lift was secured.

Police spokesman Sergeant Matt Sheridan says workplace health and safety officers are investigating.

OHS NEWS TIP - Fire & Emergency Evacuation Procedure

VIC: Farm Tractor Crushes Woman

Sunday 4 January 2008 Source: The Age

WorkSafe officials are investigating the cause of a tractor accident that crushed an elderly woman to death in rural Victoria.

Victoria Police said the 76-year-old was working with another woman who was driving the tractor on the private property near Echuca village, in the state's north, when the accident happened.

The older woman is believed to have been directing her co-worker, a 48-year-old from Harcourt, who was reversing the tractor along the edge of an irrigation channel when she lost control of the vehicle about 7.40am (AEDT), police spokesman Adam West said.

The older woman, who is thought to have been below the tractor in the irrigation channel, was pinned to the wall of the ditch by a hydraulic platform on the rear of the tractor and died at the scene.

Her name hasn't been released.

Worksafe Victoria is investigating and police are preparing a report for the coroner, Senior Constable West said.

Worksafe Victoria spokesman Michael Birt said the women had been using the tractor to move a pump on the dairy farm.

He said it was the second workplace fatality this year involving people operating heavy equipment and showed the need for extra vigilance in work environments.

"We are concerned that January, particularly, is a dangerous time in workplaces," Mr Birt said.

"Often with lots of people returning to work after a break like Christmas, their minds are not always on the job, they are still in holiday mode and that can lead to shortcuts.

"It's very important that at this time of year - the December, January, February summer period - workers pay extra attention to what they are doing and if it involves heavy machinery that they stay well clear and exercise caution."

OHS NEWS TIP - Tractor Safe Work Method Statement

VIC: Safety Harness Fault May Have Led To Silo Death

Sunday January 6 2008 Source: The West

Victoria's workplace safety watchdog will investigate whether a broken harness may have led to the death of a man in a grain silo accident in the state's west.

The 58-year-old entered the silo about 3.30pm (AEDT) on Wednesday to clear a blockage at the grain facility in South Boundary Road, Hamilton, police said.

But the man became trapped when he sank chest deep into the canola grain.

Police said the man died just before 8pm despite efforts by search and rescue unit members and Country Fire Authority crews to rescue him.

Worksafe Victoria spokesman Michael Birt said an inspector was at the site and would return to the silo.

"One of our inspectors from Warrnambool was up there overnight," Mr Birt said.

"(The man) was wearing a harness when he went in, but the rope may have broken and he's sunk into the grain up to his chest," he said.

"We don't have a lot of detail yet.

"We will be back there today."

The 12-hour ordeal ended at 3.30am today when rescue workers were able to retrieve the man's body after drilling holes near the base of the silo to drain the grain.

"There were numerous attempts by search and rescue squad members, along with the Country Fire Authority to retrieve him, but that was unsuccessful," Senior Constable Karla Dennis told Southern Cross Broadcasting.

"About 3.30 this morning they pulled his body out," Snr Const Dennis said.

"They had to drill some holes in the end to let the grain slowly drain out."

Police have not released the name of the dead man, who was from Hamilton.

A report will now be prepared for the coroner.

WorkSafe inspectors also were preparing a report.

WorkSafe said so far this year 23 people had lost their lives in workplace accidents in Victoria.

OHS NEWS TIP - Using Safety Harness Safe Work Method Statement

VIC: WorkSafe Alert Fruit Pickers Of Dangers

Friday January 4 2008 Source: WorkSafe Victoria

With hundreds of students, backpackers and professional pickers flocking to farms across the state, Worksafe Victoria today called on farmers and labour hire companies to ensure that fruit and not injuries are the only thing collected as the annual harvesting season gets underway.

The New Year has traditionally signalled the start of the Victorian fruit picking season as tomatoes, apples, peaches and pears begin to ripen on the trees and vines.

Worksafe Victoria Executive Director John Merritt said it was crucial that farmers and labour hire companies that supply pickers had strategies in place before harvesting began.

“Even for the most experienced workers farms can be dangerous places to work, but with the added risk of young and inexperienced workers, many with limited English language skills and the risk of injury or worse is extremely high” Mr Merritt said.

Labour hire agencies supplying pickers to farms have a responsibility to make sure that workers are aware of their safety rights and responsibilities.

This includes informing workers how to raise concerns relating to health and safety.

Mr Merritt said common hazards faced by fruit pickers include falls from height, manual handling, forklifts, chemicals, heat exhaustion and exposure to skin damage from the sun.

Falls from heights are a threat to many pickers using ladders and platforms to reach fruit from trees.

“Just because most pickers are working at a low height on ladders doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous. Many serous injuries occur from falls from ladders every year”.

Heavy, repetitive and awkward lifting by fruit pickers is also a major concern.

Mr Merritt said that with fruit pickers and other outdoor workers spending long periods in the sun it is crucial that protective clothing, hats and sunscreen are used to prevent skin damage which could lead to skin cancer.

Forklifts on larger farms and in warehouses also present a risk to workers in fruit picking operations.

“Forklifts are one of the biggest killers in the workplace and it is crucial that those working around them are aware of the danger and strategies are in place to ensure clearly defined walkways”

“Tractors are also a major concern and it is important that only those with experience should drive tractors”

Worksafe Victoria has extensive information on farm safety available on its website www.worksafe.vic.gov.au and urged any employer, farmer or picker needing more assistance to contact their local office.

OHS NEWS TIP- Fruit Picking Safe Work Method Statements

QLD: Farmer Hit Power Lines Using Spray Equipment

Thursday 3 January 2008 Source: The Courier Mail

A FARMER has died after being electrocuted on his property in the state's west last night.

The man, 48, died when the spray rig he was operating hit overhead powerlines on his property in Condamine, near Chinchilla.

Police, emergency services and Ergon Energy attended the scene but were unable to revive the man.

Workplace Health and Safety officers are investigating the fatality.

OHS NEWS TIP - Working Around Electricity Safe Work Method Statement

VIC: Bulldozer Driver Killed Fighting Fires

Wednesday 2 January 2008 Source: The Age

A DRIVER was killed when his bulldozer overturned as he fought a bushfire near Buchan in East Gippsland.

The 45-year-old man from Bendoc was working on a blaze covering 20 hectares at Lightning Track on the eastern side of the Snowy River National Park early yesterday. He was constructing firebreaks with a crew at 1am when the bulldozer rolled, crushing him.

Several firefighters had to be dropped by helicopter into fire fronts to fight some of the 13 fires burning in inaccessible bush areas in East Gippsland.

Three of four firefighters were lowered from a helicopter that descended close to the edge of a fire at Shepherd's Creek, north of Dargo.

About 150 firefighters are working around the clock to try to contain the fires ahead of a return to fire-fanning high temperatures tomorrow and Saturday. The temperature is expected to reach 35 degrees tomorrow and 37 on Saturday.

Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman Stuart Ord said the department was faced with 17 fires yesterday in state forests and national parks but managed to contain four of them early on.

The fires in Heyfield, Orbost, Nowa and Bendoc fire districts were sparked by a band of lightning that struck the state on New Year's Day, igniting 36 spot fires.

"That is not unusual. Last year, when we had the big fires, we had about 75 lightning strikes in the one hit," Mr Ord said.

The imperative is to get people out and get the fires "all contained as quickly as possible before we have further hot, dry weather on Friday, Saturday".

Late yesterday a new fire was reported at Nunnet Hut.

WorkSafe is investigating the bulldozer accident and police will prepare a report for the State Coroner.

OHS NEWS TIP - Bulldozer Safe Work Method Statement