04:57 pm, Thursday 8 October, 2009

A teenager has died this week in an industrial accident at a Meatworks Factory.

The man was working at a meat-processing plant when the Forklift he was driving flipped and crushed him to death.

He died at the scene, trapped under the forklift, suffering crush injuries to his head, neck and chest.

Workplace Health and Safety QLD is investigating the cause of the accident.

The company said the investigators would receive full co-operation from the business.

Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union secretary Brian Crawford said he expected Workplace Health and Safety investigations to continue for a few days before more details of the accident are released.

Report by OHS News Reporter Julia Alder – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

04:18 pm, Wednesday 7 October, 2009

WorkSafe is investigating an incident which has left a worker with serious injuries, after his head was crushed between a Trailer And A Truck.

The man was removing pine trees and re-positioning a Mobile Wood Chipper on a steep road on Tuesday.

The trailer, which had been parked at the top of a hill, rolled down the hill and pinned him up against a truck by his head.

The 27-year-old suffered a serious skull fracture and a possible eye injury.

He was flown to The Alfred hospital in a serious but stable condition.

WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said it is important to check any vehicles when working on slopes and to avoid having anyone in between heavy machinery.

“Don’t get in between it – it has very serious consequences,” he said.

Report by OHS News Reporter Julia Alder – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

04:18 pm, Wednesday 7 October, 2009

WorkSafe is investigating the death of a man in the Yarra Valley after cabling used toSpray Fruit Crops became wrapped around his upper body.

The man was discovered dead on Monday evening at an Apple And Cherry Orchard, where he was last seen on a Tractor spraying crops earlier in the afternoon.

Police said early investigations indicate the cabling may have wrapped around the man’s upper body and decapitated him.

Report by OHS News Reporter Julia Alder – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

04:15 pm, Wednesday 7 October, 2009

WorkSafe is investigating an incident where a factory worker was dragged into a Conveyor Machine.

The woman was cleaning the conveyor belt at a Food Processing Plant at Kensington, Melbourne, when her leg became stuck and was pulled into the machine.

The worker remained trapped for an hour while fire brigade officers and paramedics worked to free her. She was given pain relief while the firefighters cut her out.

She sustained lower leg injuries and was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Report by OHS News Reporter Julia Alder – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

02:18 pm, Sunday 4 October, 2009

Over the past year, almost 60 Victorian Builders and surveyors have been penalised for defrauding homeowners, failing to fix defects and carrying out illegal building work.

The Building Practitioners Board (BPB) fined the residential builders for a range of breaches and deregistered two building surveyors.

These included people who issued certificates for sites they had never visited, builders who wrongly demanded money in advance of work conducted and several builders whose work was defective.

Builders and surveyors who were disciplined by the board in the past year include:

A surveyor who allegedly issued 1100 building permits in 2007-08 that were not reported to the Building Commission. More than $400,000 in fees paid by customers was never passed on to authorities.

A building surveyor who was deregistered and fined $35,000 after complaints relating to countless construction sites. He was found to have failed to perform his work in a competent manner.

The BPB investigated over 600 builders, surveyors and draftsmen in the last year and levied fines and costs totalling $251,340 against those found to have committed breaches.

Report by OHS News Reporter Julia Alder – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

02:18 pm, Sunday 4 October, 2009

A major electricity supplier is being prosecuted by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHS Qld) over the Electrocution of a contractor in 2007.

The worker had been testing the roof of a home in Noosa to determine the source of an electrical shock.

Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard that the worker, who was an advanced connections officer, had repeatedly asked for the power to be turned on and off as he used specialised equipment to determine which parts of the roof were live.

He was wearing the correct Safety Attire when the Electrocution occurred.

The court heard that the cause of the shocks was due to a roofing screw through a lighting circuit conductor, which had made parts of the roof live.

The worker was taken to hospital where burn marks on his chest and back were discovered, where it is believed electricity passed through his body.

He was in a coma but died four days later.

WHS Qld is prosecuting the the company for allegedly breaching the Electrical Safety Act by failing to discharge electrical safety obligations.

A company representative said testing the roof was an appropriate action under the organisation’s processes and procedures because the source of the shock was unknown and they sometimes received reports of shocks when people had just “bumped their elbow”.

“Any work live involves an element of risk but our view is that applying the control measures … these risks are mitigated.

“In hindsight, there were other control measures that could have been taken on the day.”

Report by OHS News Reporter Julia Alder – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

02:18 pm, Sunday 4 October, 2009

This week, WorkSafe commences a campaign to examine safety standards in the tilt-upConstruction Industry.

Tilt-up construction is recognised as a high-risk industry and specialist area, where training is crucial. It is heavily regulated and is also covered by its own code of practice.

The campaign will focus on raising awareness of the safety risks and ensuring that employers have the information required to comply with the laws.

The campaign will also be looking at regulations intruduced last year, that require construction sites to develop Safe Work Method Statements – also known as Job Safety Analyses or JSAs – for all high-risk construction work.

Inspectors will be working to a checklist which also includes looking at WorkSafeÂ’s operational priority areas including manual handling, Electricity, working at heights and slips, trips and falls.

Report by OHS News Reporter Julia Alder – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know