02:17 pm, Saturday 20 October, 2007

Source: SMH

Victoria’s workplace safety watchdog will launch a new advertising campaign on Sunday to try to cut industrial accidents it says are claiming too many lives.

WorkSafe executive director John Merritt said that with 20 deaths reported so far this year and dozens of other serious incidents, “a reality check was urgently needed.”

He said too many workers are dying as a result of accidents.

“Safety must be part of workplace culture,” Mr Merritt said.

“The campaign reinforces the idea that workers’ attitudes to safety are heavily influenced by their immediate manager or supervisor,” he said.

“They need to think ahead when deciding how work is to be done.

“Where a good example and expectations are set, a strong safety culture can be established and maintained.”

He said the ‘Homecomings’ advertising campaign last year showed workers why it was important to value safety.

It used scenarios in construction, manufacturing, warehousing and farming to demonstrate how an accident affected families and communities.

WorkSafe said this year’s ‘Supervisors’ campaign used Australian humour to explain to Victorians what they should not do at work.

Since January this year 20 workers had been killed in work place accidents, compared to 18 at the same time last year.

Nearly 30,000 serious injuries were reported to WorkSafe during the 2006-2007 financial year, Mr Merritt said.

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12:50 am, Saturday 20 October, 2007

Source: AAP

AN investigation begins tomorrow into an explosion at a Queensland coalmine which burnt two men.

Police said the explosion occurred in an above ground rail bin at about 4pm (AEST) today at Boundary Hill Mine, Biloela, southwest of Gladstone.

Two men, aged 55 and 50, were airlifted to Rockhampton Hospital by the Capricorn Rescue Helicopter with serious burns to their faces, arms and legs.

There were no other injuries or entrapments.

Queensland Fire and Rescue were called to extinguish the blaze and Workplace Health and Safety officers will begin their investigation tomorrow into what caused the fire.

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05:40 pm, Friday 19 October, 2007

Source: The Age

A Deer Park man has died after his truck rolled back on him when he left the vehicle on a farm west of Melbourne this morning.

The 36-year-old is believed to have been carting landfill on a chook farm on Bulban Road, Little River just before the accident occurred about 10.30am.

Victoria Police said it appeared the man had been crushed when, after emptying a load of soil, he got out of the truck and stood behind the rear wheel of the trailer.

A workmate immediately came to the man’s aid, driving the truck off his body before paramedics arrived.

A Metropolitan Ambulance spokeswoman said it was an horrific accident and paramedics worked to save the man, whose legs had been crushed by the truck, for more than an hour before he was pronounced dead.

“He had severe injuries to his lower body, (and) unfortunately due to his injuries he died at the scene,” the spokeswoman said.

Worksafe Victoria spokesman Michael Birt said such accidents were quite common on farms and urged employers and workers to familiarise themselves with safety tips during WorkSafe week next week.

He said 21 people had died on work sites in Victoria this year.

Police will prepare a report for the Coroner following today’s death at Little River.

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08:29 pm, Thursday 18 October, 2007

Source: The Daily

Savilles Pty Ltd, the company contracted to provide centre management services to Nambour Plaza has been fined $90,000 its part in the negligence which led to the death of a Sunshine Coast mother two years ago.

Kathryn Jones was killed instantly on the 10th of December 2005 when a 900kg industrial gate fell on her, moments after she had opened the gate as part of her normal morning duties as a contract cleaner.

A Coronial Inquest into her death last year found three companies contributed to the negligence which led to Ms Jones death.

Workplace Health and Safety laid charges against all three companies – Macquarie Services Limited, which owns the Nambour Plaza building, Savilles, and the security firm contracted to the shopping centre.

Savilles Pty Ltd entered an early guilty plea and was the first to be sentenced.

In making his judgment, the Magistrate found that the gate had a long history of problems and its potential to cause harm should have been recognised.

He considered other similar cases and settled on $90,000 as a fine, with no conviction recorded.

He also ordered Savilles to pay $42.20 in costs, $4529.20 in investigation costs and $750 in professional costs.

The maximum fine he could have issued was $375,000 under the Workplace Health and Safety Act.

Ms Jones leaves behind three children and a fiancée.

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04:55 pm, Thursday 18 October, 2007

Source:The Herald Sun

A GROUP of schoolgirls narrowly escaped the partial collapse of a three-storey high scaffold in Melbourne today.

Police said high winds caused the building scaffolding to collapse on the corner of Collins and Exhibition streets in the city about 2.15pm this afternoon.

The scaffolding from the three-storey townhouse under construction was left as stack of twisted metal, as part of the structure was torn away.

Part of the scaffold collapsed on to a 4WD Toyota Jeep and brought down part of a tree.

A group of schoolgirls from Strathmore Secondary College who were walking below at the time said they were lucky to escape any injuries.

“We were just walking down the street, when a ladder fell out and nearly hit one of my friends,” Emma Brennan said.

“We had a good laugh about that. Then we saw the scaffolding coming down and heard creaking and people yelling, ‘run! run!’

“So that’s when we got out of the way, it was pretty scary.”

Another man was lucky to escape with torn trousers after the drama.

A large crowd of office workers from the Reserve Bank gathered at the site.

Police have cordoned of part of Exhibition St and closed traffic at the corners of Spring and Collins streets, Flinders and Exhibition streets, Little Lonsdale and Exhibition streets and the corner of Russell and Collins streets.

Worksafe investigators have begun an investigation into the accident.

Worksafe spokesman Michael Birt said the building was being painted and the scaffolding was apparently disconnected to “enable the painters to finish”.

“It appears that high winds caught the scaffolding and brought it down.”

“High winds can be anticipated in Victoria at any time of year, but should be especially anticipated in Spring,” he said.

“It’s amazing good luck that none of the four girls or any other pedestrians or passing motorists were injured or worse,” Mr Birt said.

The scaffolding facing Collins St is yet to be secured, leaving the corner of Exhibition and Collins St likely to be blocked until at least this evening.

Trams were also disrupted by the incident.

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03:58 pm, Wednesday 17 October, 2007

Source: Adelaide Now

AN ADELAIDE food manufacturing company has been fined almost $19,000 after a woman lost her hand while cleaning a blender.

In July 2004, the woman was cleaning an industrial blender at Inpak Foods when another worker inadvertently started the blade operation.

The injured woman’s hand became trapped in the blender and, in an attempt to free it, the other employee started the machine.

The company was fined $18,750 plus costs after pleading guilty in the Industrial Magistrate’s Court to one count of failing to ensure an employee was safe from injury and risks to health.

SafeWork SA executive director Michele Patterson said the case highlighted the importance of employers considering all possible risks.

“A proper hazard identification and risk assessment might have prevented such tragic consequences,” she said.

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11:00 am, Tuesday 16 October, 2007

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

A leading steel manufacturer has defended its safety record after a worker died instantly when more than a tonne of beams fell on him at a warehouse in Brisbane.

The 42-year-old was one of two workers unloading the steel beams from a semitrailer when the load fell from the side of the truck, crushing him at about 8am (AEST), police said.

The accident was at a OneSteel warehouse in Lavarack Avenue at Eagle Farm.

OneSteel – Australia’s largest manufacturer and distributor of structural, rail, tube and pipeline steel products – said the tragedy was the first of its type since the company started in 2000.

Spokesman Mark Gell said the accident had sent “shockwaves” through the company.

“We haven’t had an incident like this since the company’s inception,” he told AAP.

“It’s the first incident of its type in seven years.

“Obviously our condolences go out to the family. It’s an extremely unfortunate event and obviously one that we will endeavour to ensure never happens again.

“The company has a very stringent safety policy, we have very stringent safety practices, we have a very good safety record, so you can imagine to have an event like this has sent a shockwave through the organisation.”

Acting police Inspector Peter Brown said the load of beams weighed about 1.7 tonnes and the man died before help arrived.

“From what I understand the entire load has fallen on him and half his body has been crushed,” Insp Brown told ABC radio.

“I can’t comment on how the beams fell, or why they fell – that’s still subject to the investigations by the Division of Workplace Health and Safety.”

Police have not yet released the man’s name, but he is believed to be married with two young children.

Mr Gell said the company would conduct its own internal investigation and the warehouse would close temporarily while it was carried out.

He said the incident would not immediately affect how other OneSteel warehouses across the country operated.

“Obviously the point of our investigations is to look at what procedures and practices we have in place and reviewing this and making sure that an incident like this doesn’t happen again,” Mr Gell said.

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12:00 am, Tuesday 16 October, 2007

Source: The Geelong Advertiser

TWO Colac timber companies must pay a total $90,000 after they yesterday pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe workplaces.

Timber processor Associated Kiln Driers pleaded guilty to charges relating to two incidents.

In the first incident, a salesman was run over by a forklift, smashing his toe and leg.

In the second incident, a worker’s hand was caught in a conveyor as he tried to remove a branch that had become stuck.

His thumb was crushed in the incident, exposing the bone.

Shelton Timber Treatment also pleaded guilty to three charges relating to an incident in which a worker was dragged into a log peeling machine by his clothes.

The court heard the man, Keith Kent, was pulled from the machine by a workmate only centimetres from the teeth of the peeler.

Mr Kent’s shirt was torn off in the incident and he lost skin on his arms and shoulders.

His shoulder injuries required skin grafts.

The court heard Mr Kent’s son had also been involved in a similar type of accident some years earlier.

Despite this, Mr Kent, in his victim impact statement, said Shelton’s was a good employer.

Barrister Shivani Pillai,  prosecuting for the Victorian WorkCover Authority in both cases, said the employers had not done enough to make their workplaces safe.

She said AKD had systems in place about access to work areas and removal of hazards from conveyors but they were not adequately enforced.

She said Shelton Timber Treatment had many prior offences and had a lot of dangerous machinery.

WorkCover had issued 18 improvement notices on the company as a result of inspections following Mr Kent’s accident, she told the court.

Magistrate Michael Coghlan said Mr Kent was fortunate  not to have been seriously hurt.

Jim Rutherford, who defended the companies, said both firms had taken measures to improve safety following the incidents.

On the first charge, AKD was released on an undertaking to be of good behaviour for one year and ordered to pay $10,000 to the court fund.

On the second charge, relating to the conveyor belt, the company was convicted and fined $40,000.

Costs of $3766 were awarded against the company.

Shelton Timber Treatment was convicted and fined $30,000 on two counts of failing to provide a safe workplace.

On the charge of failing to provide adequate supervision the company was placed on 12-month good behaviour bond and ordered to pay $5000 to the court fund. Costs of $2464 were awarded against the company.

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01:24 pm, Saturday 13 October, 2007

Source: The Herald Sun

STAFF and students at RMIT University are having health checks after being showered with asbestos and dust from a ventilation system.

Fifteen staff members and three students were exposed to dust containing asbestos fibres, with at least one coated in the black substance on Thursday afternoon.

The original entry of the Old Melbourne Gaol, on the west wing of the university building, was branded an “immediate risk to health a safety” and remained off limits yesterday.

Several builders working in the area during the incident and also exposed to the dust have been told to bag the clothes they were wearing and present them for testing.

RMIT chief operating officer Steve Somogyi said builders working on an above floor inadvertently switched on the ventilator’s fan, releasing the dust.

“Our first concern is for the health and safety of our staff and students,” he said.

“The area will remain closed until WorkSafe has confirmed that it is clear of any potential risk factors.”

The historic bluestone jail now includes the disability liaison unit and university chaplaincy near La Trobe St, but both were empty yesterday.

Registered asbestos removalists worked behind the old prison’s locked gate, while a WorkSafe prohibition order prevented access to anyone without protective gear.

“I believe the activity involves an immediate risk to the health and safety of persons because of the collapse of an air defuser of the airconditioning containing asbestos at building 11 level B of the university,” the notice plastered on university buildings by a WorkSafe inspector reads.

“Area at building 11 level B has been exposed to asbestos dust,” it says.

National Tertiary Education Union branch organiser Gia Underwood told the Herald Sun the staff were upset at

the asbestos scare and said the university had offered to clean their homes of asbestos.

The staff, who take notes and interpret for disabled students, are earmarked for voluntary redundancy.

Yesterday they declined to speak about the incident, fearing it would jeopardise their redundancy payouts.

Ms Underwood said: “I was told by RMIT a contractor was in, he turned on an air-conditioner and a whole lot of gunk came out.”

She praised the university for quickly blocking off the area.

“We want them (the university) to make sure they keep staff in the loop every step of the way,” she said.

The top two floors of another RMIT building were closed for more than two months last year over fears of a cancer cluster.

An investigation into seven brain tumours revealed an additional 20 unreported tumours in staff and students, but found that there was no cluster and the building and a nearby phone tower were not responsible for any tumours.

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01:24 pm, Saturday 13 October, 2007

Source: The Daily

A man is in a critical condition after a school building landed on him while it was being relocated, in south-east Queensland.

Police said the 22-year-old was assisting in the relocation of the building at the Welcome Street School on Moore Park Road, Bundaberg when it fell on him about 12.15pm (AEST).

Police said he had “life-threatening injuries”.

Workplace Health and Safety have been advised and police are investigating.

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