05:59 pm, Friday 29 June, 2007

A trapped miner has been freed by rescuers after an industrial accident at Mount Isa in Queensland’s north-west.

The man was operating a drill rig at the Blackstar lead and zinc mine when it partially slumped into a void this morning.

The worker has been recovered from the fallen rig in a vertical rescue operation and is being examined by ambulance officers, although he is believed to be unhurt.

Xstrata mining has launched an investigation into the incident.

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03:45 pm, Friday 29 June, 2007

Rescuers are trying to free a trapped miner after an industrial accident at Mount Isa in Queensland’s north-west.

A rig collapsed at the Blackstar lead and zinc mine around 11:00am AEST.

Chantelle Rule from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service says Emergency Services units are working with Xstrata mines management to try to rescue the worker.

“At the moment we have a rescue effort happening at Mount Isa Mines where a rig has fallen down a void,” she said.

“A person is trapped in the rig but they are conscious and they are talking to rescuers.

“At the moment Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and Mount Isa Mines Rescue persons are on scene.”

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03:45 pm, Friday 29 June, 2007

Fairfax

A Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) inspector has admitted the aviation watchdog’s response to concerns about the airline at the centre of one of the nation’s worst air disasters was “unsatisfactory”.

Brisbane-based CASA inspector Max McRae today gave evidence to a coronial inquest into the circumstances surrounding the Lockhart River plane crash on May 7, 2005.

All 15 people aboard died when the TransAir-operated Metroliner aircraft ploughed into a 500-metre high mountain on approach to the Lockhart River Aboriginal community on Cape York, in far north Queensland.

Following a two-year investigation into the crash, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found, among other contributors, CASA failed to detect and regulate safety problems inherent in TransAir.

The report showed CASA raised concerns with the now-defunct TransAir as early as 1998 about its director Les Wright, who was also the airline’s CEO, chief pilot and training and checking pilot.

The aviation body was concerned Mr Wright was “spread very thin” across the Australian and Papua New Guinea operations, compromising safety.

A 1999 CASA audit of TransAir uncovered a worrying degree of non-compliance, including inadequate management and issues relating to the airlines’ operations manual.

The audit results prompted CASA to draft a show-cause notice against Mr Wright demanding why he should be allowed to keep his chief pilot approval, which if stripped would have effectively grounded the airline.

But the notice was not issued because Mr Wright agreed to an urgent alternative course of action which included appointing someone to introduce and manage a safety management system within the company.

It was agreed Mr Wright would provide CASA with weekly reports and attend meetings to ensure progress was being made.

However, the ATSB found CASA files showed little evidence TransAir complied with the agreement.

TransAir only appointed a safety manager in 2001 and a deputy chief pilot a year later.

Under cross examination, Mr McRae today was asked why CASA allowed TransAir to expand its operations to include additional routes while it deemed the airline, which hadn’t kept its end of the agreement, “high risk”.

“CASA was in a position where we were trying to improve the organisation,” Mr McRae said.

When asked if these concerns weren’t “followed through”, Mr McRae replied: “Yes”.

When further asked if this was unsatisfactory, he responded: “In those terms, yes”.

He said CASA had embarked on “a lot more operational surveillance” following the crash, but the onus was on the airline operators to do the right thing.

When asked what he believed was the cause of the accident, he responded: “I believe the guy flew into the hill”.

“I don’t think one can form an absolute view,” he said.

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01:49 pm, Friday 29 June, 2007

AAP

CHEMICAL vapours have forced an “indefinite” work standstill at Geelong’s new TAC headquarters, after one worker was hospitalised amid unknown contamination fears.

Construction bosses called a halt to the $80 million project this week after soil excavation uncovered fumes from an unknown chemical believed to have come from a previous industry at the Brougham St site.

Workers downed tools and union officials reported complaints of nausea, stinging eyes and respiratory problems. One worker already suffering from gastroenteritis was taken to hospital after falling ill from the fumes but was later released with no lasting effects.

Scientists were expected to know this morning the mystery contaminant bedevilling the project.

Managers of the project, which when finished will house the TAC’s headquarters, said they were unaware of the extent of the contamination.

WorkSafe is investigating with the state’s environment watchdog, the Environment Protection Authority, which revealed it had received odour complaints from the community as early as June 15.

State civil supervisor Kyle Frazier, from construction firm Delta Group, said employees were working under instruction from geotechnical experts Coffey Partners when one of the workers went down.

“I stopped the job once the guy was sick and called for testing and until I get more information I’m not prepared to continue to put the health and safety of my workers at risk,” he said.

Mr Frazier said work was “delayed indefinitely” until his firm knew what the chemical was and how to deal with it.

State executive general manager of developer FKP Property Group Jason Smith said his firm was working with authorities to clear the  material.

“We carried out extensive testing and unfortunately this material was discovered, and we’re doing everything possible to manage and continue with removing the material,” he said.

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union safety officer Rick Todd said workers were unlikely to suffer lasting damage from the substance which was most likely a result of previously-dumped petrochemicals.

“It’s reached a point where all the soil on site is saturated with it and the soil will most likely be treated,” he said.

EPA spokeswoman Sarah Campbell said the watchdog would today issue a notice for project owners to stop the odour after visiting the site three times this month.

OHS Recommendation: Environmental Policy

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12:18 pm, Thursday 28 June, 2007

AAP

The widow of a Queanbeyan man who died after an unsafe tractor he was driving rolled and crushed him is disgusted by the $35,000 fine for negligence an ACT magistrate has imposed on her husband’s employer.

“It was very disappointing to wait 2 years and then all they get is some sort of a slap on the wrist,” Ian McLachlan’s widow, Leigh Coates, said yesterday.

“That to me is isn’t even a slap. I still cry at night when I think about how much I miss him, and the kids miss him too.”

Ian “Glocky” McLachlan, 42, died in December 2004 from injuries sustained in an accident in the Uriarra Forest.

Mr McLachlan’s truck became bogged while he was towing a float carrying a tractor. He attempted to drive the tractor off the float when it rolled and trapped him in the cabin.

The father of two was alone and not rescued for hours. He died the next morning from cardiac arrest resulting from his injuries.

In 2003, ACT WorkCover investigated safety concerns with the same company after two vehicles rolled over, injuring the drivers.

WorkCover had warned the firm’s directors husband and wife Arne and Birgitta Sjostrom of the need to fit older vehicles with protective structures.

But at the time of Mr McLachlan’s death, the firm had done nothing to fit the vehicles.

ACT Magistrate Karen Fryar fined Brindabella Logging $35,000 yesterday over several safety breaches that had led to Mr McLachlan’s death.

The Sjostroms had pleaded guilty to breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the company was convicted of not complying with its safety duty through negligence, resulting in serious harm to a person.

Ms Fryar spared the couple from a harsher punishment because of the financial hardships the company had endured since the territory’s January 2003 bushfires.

The charge carries a maximum $1 million fine for a company. Ms Fryar gave the firm two years to pay the fine.

An investigation after the accident revealed the forwarder that killed Mr McLachlan had previously sustained damage to its cabin and a welding repair had been inadequate.

Also, Mr McLachlan should not have been working alone that day ACT Forests had identified the scenario as posing a risk to workers and a clause concerning this issue had been placed in Mr McLachlan’s employment contract.

These facts led Ms Fryar to conclude that the death could have been prevented if the company had adhered to its safety requirements.

ACT WorkCover acting commissioner Steven Hart said he was pleased with the successful prosecution, but would not comment on the fine’s severity.

Mr Sjostrom said he was relieved the case was over and the fine would have a significant impact on the business. He had not spoken to Mr McLachlan’s family yesterday.

Ms Coates is now considering pursuing a civil action against Brindabella Logging.

She will not receive any of the $35,000 as it is a court fine. In the meantime, she said she would try to stay positive for her children’s sake.

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10:00 am, Thursday 28 June, 2007

ABC

A marine worker injured at Port Kembla Harbour, on the New South Wales south coast, has been awarded more than $750,000 in damages.

Gary John Corbett, 47, fell four metres while walking over coils that he was securing into position on a ship. He landed head first on the steel floor of the vessel and suffered chest, rib and back injuries.

He sued his employer, Illawarra Stevedores, and the company whose workers stacked the coils, Toll Stevedoring.

He told the Supreme Court he had previously complained to his leading hand that the work was dangerous.

The judge found Mr Corbett was exposed to an unsafe system of work and both companies were negligent.

They have been ordered to pay Mr Corbett damages totalling $756,000, including compensation for loss of earnings.

The judge described as satisfactory, a system of strapping and working from platforms that was introduced after the accident.

OHS recommendation - Safe Work Procedure Working at Heights

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08:52 pm, Wednesday 27 June, 2007

ABC

An ACT forestry company that benefited from a $2 million government assistance package after the 2003 bushfires has been fined $35,000 over the workplace death of one of its employees.

Brindabella Logging was one of several forestry companies which shared in Federal and ACT Government funding to help rebuild the industry after the fires.

A year later in 2004, one of its employees died after being crushed in a tractor roll-over.

Brindabella Logging told the court it lost business after the fires.

It was convicted and fined $35,000 over 42 year old Ian Clive McLachlan’s death.

ACT Workcover says it visited the site before the accident, and was disappointed the company never followed through on a promise to improve its system.

It’s the first conviction for such an offence after penalties increased in 2004.

The maximum fine is $1 million.

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03:46 pm, Wednesday 27 June, 2007

Fairfax

The safety manager of the airline at the centre of one of Australia’s worst aviation disasters has told an inquest it was not his responsibility to audit, test or inspect anybody.

Edward Doyle, who worked as both TransAir’s aviation safety manager and maintenance controller, today appeared at the Queensland coronial inquest in Brisbane into the Lockhart River plane crash.

All 15 people aboard died instantly when a Fairchild Metroliner III aircraft ploughed into a rugged 500-metre tall mountain on approach to the Lockhart River Aboriginal community on Cape York, in far north Queensland, on May 7, 2005.

Following a two-year investigation into the crash, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) recently handed down a damning report, blaming, among other factors, a poor safety culture within TransAir.

Mr Doyle said he worked as a maintenance controller for TransAir before being appointed to his additional position in 2003, despite a lack of flying experience.

He told the inquest he was responsible for “overseeing safety”.

But when asked under cross-examination what responsibilities he held when he was appointed safety manager, he replied: “To audit, test, or inspect anybody was not part of my brief”.

He also said he had nothing to do with pilot training and endorsements, nor regular checks of pilots’ abilities.

He agreed those responsibilities rested with the chief pilot Les Wright, who was also the former director, chief executive officer and a shareholder.

When asked if Mr Wright “stretched himself too thin” in relation to his crucial responsibilities, Mr Doyle said: “It’s very difficult to argue against it”.

Mr Doyle admitted he felt hampered in his safety role by his lack of flying credentials but believed his knowledge of maintenance was an advantage.

“I never looked at either role (maintenance and safety) as a separate issue,” Mr Doyle said.

He also told the inquest he was aware pilots were undertaking approaches they were not endorsed to perform, before later saying he had not been aware of such dangerous practices.

Mr Doyle also said he did not know why he did not tell police he was the safety manager when he provided a statement after the crash.

He said he was responsible for ensuring incidents raised on maintenance releases were entered into a database so that risks could be assessed and full reports provided.

“If it wasn’t written down in the maintenance release, I wouldn’t have known about it,” Mr Doyle said.

He said he also held safety meetings quarterly.

The inquest, before Queensland coroner Michael Barnes, continues.

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06:30 am, Wednesday 27 June, 2007

AAP

A MAN was killed and two colleagues seriously injured while delivering machinery to a worksite at Lake Macquarie yesterday.

Police believe wet conditions may have contributed to the fatal accident on a stretch of road which claimed the life of a truck driver 12 months ago.

A 23-year-old passenger suffered head and chest injuries and was airlifted to hospital, but died a short time later.

The driver, a 27-year-old man, and a second passenger, a 24-year-old man, were in a stable condition in Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital last night after emergency surgery.

Inspector Lindsay McDonald from Lake Macquarie police said the men were travelling in the front cabin of a 20 tonne truck when the accident happened just before 11.30am on Cessnock Rd at Ryhope.

The Mitsubishi truck was towing a trailer carrying a bobcat to a nearby worksite.

“The truck appears to have overtaken a vehicle turning right into a driveway. It has gone off the edge of the road and hit a tree,” Insp McDonald said.

He added it was unknown if wet weather was a factor.

“I don’t know if it was raining at the time, but I would say the road could have been wet after all the rain,” he said.

Two passengers were trapped for more than an hour as rescue personnel worked to free them from the wreckage.

Police said it was the second fatal accident on the stretch of road in the last year.

Last night staff at Tropic Ashphalts at Toronto, where the tree men worked, were comforting each other after learning of the accident.

Manager Rory O’Hagan said the three men were close friends and good workers.

“They were three young valued employees who had worked here between them for six years,” Mr O’Hagan said.

“We are very upset and wish to express our deepest sympathy from management and staff.”

A witness who was travelling close behind the truck said it slammed into a tree - uprooting it - and dragged it along before stopping several hundred metres down the road.

“You’ve never seen anything like it, it was a horrific sight,” the witness said.

Crash investigators and crime scene police remained at the scene of the accident late yesterday.

A report will be prepared for the coroner.

OHS Recommendation: Heavy Vehicle Drivers Manual

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07:40 pm, Tuesday 26 June, 2007

Source: Fairfax

A man who fell 12 metres while cleaning an inner-city building has died in hospital.

The 35-year-old-man, whose name has not been released, was apparently cleaning windows early Sunday morning from on top of an air vent on a State Government building at the corner of Exhibition and Bourke Streets.

The vent apparently gave way, causing him to plummet 12 metres to Bourke Street below.

The accident comes just a week after a 22-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious head injuries after slipping of a glass roof at Watergardens Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s north.

The man is still in Alfred hospital with serious injuries.

Four other men have died this year as a result of falls at work.

WorkSafe Executive Director John Merritt has emphasised the need for workers and their employees to take care when working from heights, pointing out that falls are among the biggest cause of death and serious injury at work.

“What workers and their employers must understand is that the safe means of working at height are well established and that they have very clear interests in ensuring they are used.”

“Apart from fatalities, the chance of becoming a paraplegic or quadriplegic or suffering brain damage is high,” Mr Merritt said.

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