06:58 am, Wednesday 23 January, 2008

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

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10:40 am, Tuesday 22 January, 2008

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

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08:11 am, Tuesday 22 January, 2008

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”.

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06:20 am, Tuesday 22 January, 2008

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.

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07:00 pm, Friday 18 January, 2008

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.

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09:32 am, Friday 18 January, 2008

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

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09:03 am, Friday 18 January, 2008

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

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08:15 pm, Thursday 17 January, 2008

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

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11:38 am, Thursday 17 January, 2008

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

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04:28 pm, Tuesday 15 January, 2008

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

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