01:53 pm, Thursday 8 September, 2011

Last week, a man suffrered an electric shock at work as he was erecting a pole near powerlines in Cranbourne West, a suburb of Melbourne.

Paramedics treated the 55-year old at his workplace.

Intensive care paramedic Yvette Mersits said the crew arrived to find a man suffering burns.

He had been erecting a pole on a new estate when it appears the pole came close to power cables.

‘We believe the electricity arced from the cable to the pole the man was holding”, Ms Mersits said.

‘He has burns to his hand where the electricity entered his body, and burns to his foot where it exited his body.

‘While the man has obvious burns injuries there’s also the potential he has suffered internal injuries when the electricity passed through him.

‘He was taken to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition,’ Ms Mersits said.

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02:18 pm, Thursday 1 September, 2011

A Queensland court this week fined a Gold Coast insulation company $100,000 over the death of an installer.

The employee aged 22, was electrocuted while installing insulation at Millaa Millaa in far north Queensland last year.

His employer pleaded guilty to failing conduct its business in a way that was electrically safe.

The Magistrate ordered the company pay a $100,000 fine within two years, but that no conviction be recorded.

He said while the company took steps to train its staff, there was a failure to ensure metal staples were not used.

The company’s two directors had also been charged with failing to ensure the company complied with the Electrical Safety Act, however, the parties agreed the complaint against the two directors should be dismissed.

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04:05 pm, Thursday 7 July, 2011

The Perth Magistrates Court has fined a demolition contractor $5000 for failing to disconnect the electrical supply to a demolition site.

The contractor pleaded guilty to undertaking demolition work that was not performed in accordance with the relevant Australian Standard.

In November 2010, he was engaged by a property owner to demolish a single-storey residential building in Dianella, a suburb of Perth.

According to WorkSafe, electricity services on the site had not been properly disconnected before commencing the work, and overhead power lines remained connected to the building.

The demolition site was also accessible to the public because some of the fencing had fallen down.

“Demolition work can be hazardous at the best of times – that’s why it is controlled under workplace safety laws and Australian Standards,” said Acting WorkSafe executive director Andrea Crichton-Browne.

“Failing to ensure that electricity services to the site were disconnected created the additional unnecessary risk of electrocution to workers,” she said.

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10:40 pm, Tuesday 14 June, 2011

A Melbourne-based company has been fined $25,000 after a sub-contractor suffered an electric shock and third degree burns to almost half of his body.

The amount of the fine is practically the same as that imposed on a Brisbane company after an electrical apprentice was burnt, as reported by SafetyCulture on Friday.

The sub-contractor received more than 22,000 volts after he brushed a power line while working on a roof at a Mulgrave warehouse in August 2007.

His employer had instructed him to steer an elevated work platform close to high voltage power lines so he could work on the warehouse’s roof.

The platform hit the power line as it was raised and the man suffered an electric shock and severe burns.

The man’s employer pleaded guilty at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court to failing to provide a safe workplace.

WorkSafe’s investigation found the man was put at risk as he was placed in an area classified as a “No Go Zone”.

The acting Director of WorkSafe’s Construction and Utilities Division, Allan Beacom, said No Go Zones were areas where strict procedures must be implemented.

“Not doing so greatly increases the risk of direct contact with power lines or of electricity arcing up to three metres from them,” he said.

“This case shows the consequences can be instant and last a lifetime.”

WorkSafe’s investigation found the company failed to:

• obtain permission from the electrical company or develop a safe system to perform the work in accordance with the No Go Zone guidelines; and
• provide training on how to safely work at heights or in No Go Zones.

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07:54 am, Friday 10 June, 2011

A business has been fined $24,000 in the Brisbane Industrial Magistrates Court after an electrical apprentice suffered bodily harm whilst he conducted testing on live equipment.

The company was charged for breaching Section 27 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 in failing to conduct its business in an electrically safe manner.

The court heard the company directed the electrical apprentice, who had started his apprenticeship four and a half months before the incident, to conduct testing on a 1000 volt A/C drum roller motor.

He sustained burns to both hands.

The company pleaded  guilty to the charge and the court took this into account plus the company’s previously unblemished record.

After the incident, the company also improved its safety policies and procedures.

In addition to the fine, the company was also ordered to pay investigation costs and court costs totalling $2,490.90.

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07:34 pm, Tuesday 3 May, 2011

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) is investigating the death of a painter who was killed in an electrical accident last week.

He had been painting a tall signage structure near overhead powerlines on a property that had been undergoing refurbishment for the past one and a half months.

There were only a few finishing touches left for the business to be ready to officially open when the accident occurred.

WHSQ inspectors ensure that workplace health and safety laws are upheld under the Compliance and Enforcement Policy 2009.

If breaches occurred, inspectors have the power to take a range of action, up to and including legal proceedings in the Industrial Magistrates Court.

The executive director of the Electrical Safety Office, Peter Lamont, said that “electrical arcing” could occur when someone got too close to a live conductor and exclusion zones to keep people a safe distance from electrical parts was mandatory in Queensland.

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05:38 pm, Friday 12 November, 2010

“Telling your workers to ‘be careful’ isn’t going to cut it,” WorkSafe Victoria’s Executive Director for Health and Safety Ian Forsyth said after the prosecution of an employer over the death of a worker.

The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court has fined the owner of a building company $30,000 after a man construction site under his control.

The defendant was convicted of two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.

The business owner was contracted to renovate a house in Lower Templestowe. He employed two casual workers, including the victim, to carry out the domestic construction work.

The court was told the defendant fell short of safety standards after merely warning workers to be careful.

In June 2008, a casual worker died after falling over three metres through a hole to the ground floor.

Investigations revealed that holes in the home’s first floor had been cut out by an electrical contractor, but had left some uncovered.

Instead of taking precautionary measures like barricading the area or covering the hole, the defendant merely told his workers to be careful.

“This incident is a reminder to everyone responsible for a workplace to actively identify and eliminate safety risks,” Mr Forsyth said.

“[The defendant] was the primary contractor and had the key to the workplace.

“If you’re assuming control of a workplace, responsibilities come with it. You’ve got to be vigilant about the risks.

“The take-home message here is clear – if you’re responsible for a workplace, you need to be actively looking for hazards every day and taking steps to eliminate them.”

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05:01 pm, Thursday 11 November, 2010

A Sunshine Coast company is facing charges for using metal staplers to secure insulation in a home in Pelican Waters.

The owner and operator of the company has been charged by the Queensland’s Department of Justice and Attorney-General with breaching section 27 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002.

The charges allege that ceiling insulation was held in place by conductive metal fasteners.

The Caloundra Industrial Magistrates Court will determine if the owner conducted his business in a way that was electrically safe, and if the Electrical Safety (Installation of Ceiling Insulation) Notice 2009 was complied with.

The stemmed from an investigation of a complaint by the Electrical Safety Office, and not because of injury to a person or damage to property.

The charges are scheduled for mention at 2pm on 13 January, 2011.

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05:46 pm, Thursday 28 October, 2010

SA Water has revealed in a parliamentary inquiry that 37 injuries have been recorded in connection with the construction of the Adelaide desalination plant.

The inquiry heard that in 27 of the cases medical treatment had been required. In seven cases, workers needed time off to recover.

The inquiry was also told that nine workers experienced electric jolts.

John Ringham, SA Water’s chief operating officer, said the death of a worker in July was regrettable. However, he said the company in charge of the construction site has a good safety record.

“I believe that the [construction company's] approach to safety on the site is among the best that I have seen and everybody who wishes to go on the site to work has to be inducted through the construction industry white card system. They have to be trained in safety,” Mr Ringham said.

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08:05 am, Tuesday 26 October, 2010

Mental stress has been identified as one of the primary causes of workplace injuries in Tasmania, a State official reveals.

David O’Byrne, Tasmania’s Minister for Workplace Relations, said that of the 9,273 injuries reported in 2009, 372 were caused by mental stress.

“On a national level, statistics show that more than three million people in Australia experience depression, anxiety or related alcohol and drug problems each year,” Mr O’Byrne said.

“Each year, undiagnosed depression in the workplace costs $4.3 billion in lost productivity.

“Every employee with depression will, on average, take three to four days off work per month which is equivalent to over six million days lost each year in Australia.

According to Mr O’Byrne, WorkCover Tasmania had coordinated with University of Tasmania in 2008 for a unique research project that takes a close look at mental health in small to medium enterprises.

“This Business in Mind project recently released an innovative DVD and resource kit to assist small and medium business owners and managers to recognise the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety, and manage mental health in the workplace.”

Minister O’Byrne said mental and physical health and wellbeing was also an important focus for Safe Work Tasmania Week, which runs from October 24-30.

“During the Week, Beyondblue is hosting a workshop focusing on opening our eyes to the most common mental health problems in the workplace, while the Premiers Physical Activity Council is hosting a full day workplace health and wellbeing forum,” Minister O’Byrne said.

“Safe Work Tasmania Week aims to place the spotlight firmly on workplace health and safety.

“It also presents the perfect opportunity for employers and workers to make a specific effort to talk about safety and what is and isn’t working in their workplace.

“In addition to workplace health and wellbeing, other events being held during the Week cover a range of topics, as diverse as dealing with asbestos-related injury and disease.”

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