02:08 am, Monday 29 December, 2008

A Sydney construction site has caused concern after a crane was found to be “leaning precariously” on the site at 11:15 a.m. today.

Five heritage listed apartment buildings were evacuated as residents were concerned the crane may destroy their apartments.

WorkCover conducted a site inspection and deemed the site to be safe and that Safety Procedures for the crane were being implemented.

It has been reported that the crane had been leaning for over a month and WorkCover had only been called today.

A police Spokesperson has told reporters that “the crane’s tilt is normal” and the Potts Point construction site could continue to operate as normal.

Residents were advised that it was safe for them to return to their buildings and no further action was pending.

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07:45 am, Sunday 28 December, 2008

A WorkSafe prosecutor yesterday said the company had noted in an OH&S committee meeting on August 13 last year that the height of the finger jointing glue head should only be moved when the cutters were not operating.

However, the directive had not been relayed to employees operating the machine.

The risk was remedied one week after the incident when guards were put in place.

Warrnambool Timber Industries started in 1987 and is the second largest producer of laminated beams in Australia with turnover increasing four-fold in the past nine years.

The court heard the company is an Australian leader in relation to work practices and Mr Goodall held a number of high-profile positions within the industry.

The company later spent $145,00 in risk assessments and $220,000 upgrading a hopper system.

Magistrate Ron Saines said it was easy to be wise after an event.

He said the physical and psychological impact of Mr Olle’s injuries would be severe and life-long. He convicted and fined the company $85,000 with $5535 costs, saying a guilty plea had earned it a substantial discount.

OHS News Tip: Safe Work Method Statement

Looking for more OHS News stories, then visit our November OHS News Page.

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05:34 am, Sunday 28 December, 2008

QUEENSLAND Premier Anna Bligh says her Government will heed any lessons learned from investigations into the death of a young boy on a farm west of Brisbane.

A four year old boy has died after falling from a tractor that was being used to slash grass on a property in Gatton.

The farm is non commerical, so it is not considered to be a workplace accident, however it highlights the need for appropiate Safety Procedures for Tractor Slashing to be used.

The accident occurred on the family farm at about 5.30pm (AEST) and the boy died at the scene.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said,

“It’s a terrible, tragic loss, and if we can learn anything from this young child’s death then certainly we’ll be doing that,” Ms Bligh said.

The Department of Employment and Industrial Relations website advises that: “Generally, passengers SHOULD NOT (sic) be allowed to ride on tractors.”

The department advises that passengers should be carried only for instruction and training, or in situations of extreme emergency.

This is the second fatality to occur on a Queensland farm in less than a week. Last Monday, Cattle Farmer Matthew Kersh, 42 was killed when attempting to remove his childrens kite from powerlines on a neighbouring property.

It is believed the whilst Mr Kersh wasn’t working around the electricity at the time, he did use a pole to reach the kite, and the electricy jumped approximatley one metre to make contact with the pole.

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09:39 am, Friday 26 December, 2008

The Industrial Relations Court has fined two companies over a worker’s fall through a skylight.

The apprentice electrician, 25, fractured his spine in several places when he fell 4.5 metres while installing airconditioning at an engineering shop at Olympic Dam, in South Australia’s far north.

The accident happened just days before his wedding.

An investigation found the worker was not wearing a safety harness and failed to use crawl boards to cover skylights.

The Employer was fined $27,000 for breaching the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act.

The workshop owner was fined $24,000 for failing to ensure the building was in a safe condition.

The man recovered from his injuries and returned to work within three months.

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09:46 am, Tuesday 23 December, 2008

A North Queensland father of four has been eletricuted on a cattle station 64km West of Richmond.

Matthew Kersh a 42 year old cattle farmer was attending a christmas party at 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening at aneighbouring property when he attempted to retrieve a kite that was entangled on a power line.

Early investigations have revealed that a metal pole was used to try and free the kite when the electricty jumped from the line onto pole, fatally injuring Mr Kersh.

The Kersh family had been involved in the region’s cattle farming for over thirty years and family members have said, “Matt was a dedicated father and a gun musterer”.

Workplace Health and Safety are investigating and farming communities are encouraged to implement Safe Work Method Statements for working around electricity.

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03:27 pm, Monday 22 December, 2008

A worker has been injured after falling six metres on a commercial construction site in Darwin.

The 24-year old rigger, was working in wet conditions he slipped on scaffolding and fell. It was not clear what Scaffolding Safety Procedures were in place, however a difficuilt rescue began in order to retrieve the worker from the fourth floor of the partially built building.

The construction worker had only been on the job site for two days, when he fell several stories whilst not wearing a safety harness. Rescue workers had to scale a make shift set of stairs to reach the worker.

The high rise developement was brought to a standstill while Fire and Ambulance crews strapped the injured worker to a spinal board and used an onsite crane to lower the worker to the ground.

WorkSafe have launched investigations into the incident. Seasonal monsoon rains have made working outdoors more dangerous than usual and any Principle Site Contractors are urged to conduct risk assessments reguarlarly to meet the changing conditions.

Work Method Statements for all site tasks, including working on Scaffolding.

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07:00 am, Monday 22 December, 2008

Queensland mining companies will be audited for compliance with health and safety standards.

State Mines Minister Geoff Wilson says a report prepared by his department reveals too many workers are being injured in quarries and safety around heavy machinery is also being comprimised.

Mr Wilson said there had been one death over the last 12 months and the number of disabling injuries in quarries had doubled.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche says mining safety has improved dramatically but mining safety procedures are constantly being reviewed.

“We accept the Minister’s challenge to do better, particularly in the area of mobile equipment and that’s why the industry has set up a working party to come up with some solutions for the accidents that keep happening involving mobile equipment,” he said.

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07:00 am, Monday 22 December, 2008

A man whose arm was crushed in a hiab crane accident in 2000, last week won a three-year legal battle for compensation.

The man will now seek more than $150,000 for pain and suffering following the workplace accident.

The Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal overturned two previous court decisions that ruled the 44-year-old’s injuries were not “serious”.

The man was working as a truck driver for a timber company when he was unfolding a crane fitted to the back of his truck. The accident happened when the crane’s arm became detached, falling straight down on his arm.

The Court of Appeal found the man’s right arm was permanently injured – he could not fully flex his forearm at the elbow, he had suffered significant loss of the power grip and there was a high chance he would develop arthritis.

Until last week, other WorkCover claims similar to the injured driver’s were being dismissed based on a County Court decision handed to him three years ago because it was used as a precedent.

Justice Nettle of the Court of Appeal suggested WorkCover disputed the worker’s claim because he did not dwell on his injuries. He said the plaintiff got on with his life, while enduring on-going pain, and managed to start his own bobcat business.

“It would be unfortunate, and in my view wrongheaded, if in future such an applicant were treated less favourably than another who, being of less strength of character, simply resigned himself to his injury,” Justice Nettle said.

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06:58 am, Friday 19 December, 2008

A man is lucky to be alive after he fell several storeys from a high-rise construction site in Darwin city yesterday.

The 24-year-old rigger severely broke his left leg in the fall.

He was working on the office development on Woods Street behind the Mantra Pandanas when it is believed he slipped on wet scaffolding about noon. He was not wearing a harness and plummeted a number of storeys before landing on a platform on the fourth-floor of the building.

Fellow workers rushed to his side fearing the worst.

“He was pretty messed up,” a worker said.

“His leg had broke pretty badly – it was sticking out the opposite way.”

The accident sparked a full-scale rescue operation with St John Ambulance and Fire and Rescue crews having to climb up a set of makeshift stairs to get to the injured scaffolder.

Fearing he had spinal injuries, they strapped him to a stretcher and had to use an on-site crane to slowly lower him down to the ground.

He was then taken by ambulance to Royal Darwin Hospital where he remained in a stable condition last night.

Concerned workers and friends of the man gathered round the injured worker as ambluance officers stablilised him before placing him in the ambulance.

NT WorkSafe officers scoured the site after the incident and ordered Gwelo Developments management to put a range of safety measures in place. The inspectors also asked that a full evaluation of fall protection be conducted and that all workers on site get debriefed.

They did not close down the site, saying “there is no immediate risk posed to workers or the public”.

Work continued on the site as normal until late yesterday afternoon.

NT WorkSafe officers said they will continue to investigate what caused the accident.

OHS News Tip: Scaffolding Safe Work Method Statement

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06:49 am, Friday 19 December, 2008

Source: The Age

A fruitpicker has died after being run over by a reversing truck, in one of several workplace accidents on Thursday.

The 65-year-old woman was hit by the truck at a vegetable-growing property in Werribee South, west of Melbourne, about 1.45pm (AEDT).

An ambulance spokeswoman said paramedics attempted to revive the woman but she died at the scene.

WorkSafe Victoria said the accident was just one of several workplace incidents in one day.

Earlier Thursday, a man had four fingers and the top joint of a fifth amputated as he was unloading steel from a truck on a construction site.

And two men were seriously injured when the cherry picker they were working in tipped them out and they fell about six metres.

WorkSafe’s executive director John Merritt said in the lead-up to Christmas, it was time to remind people to keep their minds on the job.

“One death is too many but today the chance of multiple fatalities was high,” Mr Merritt said.

“As it is, one man has been badly hurt and two others are lucky to be alive.”

OHS News Tip: Vehicle Accident Work Method Statement

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