01:13 pm, Thursday 12 August, 2010

A man has died after being crushed by a machine at a Perth factory yesterday.

Inspector Barry Mann said the incident took place at an engineering factory in Canning Vale at 6.20pm.

He said the 38-year-old machinist was operating a lathe when it fell on him. He died at the scene.

WorkSafe spokeswoman Caroline Devaney said its inspectors visited the site after being informed of the workplace fatality.

“The man was believed to have been operating a vertical-boring machine when part of the machine fell on him crushing him.” she said.

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02:23 pm, Saturday 17 July, 2010

A worker has suffered serious burn injuries after his clothing has been set on fire at a sheet metal fabrication business in South Windsor on Thursday.

According to police, the 25-year-old man from Sydney had been pouring out paint thinner from a drum when he slipped on the puddle of the flammable chemical just around noon.

While cleaning up the spill with a shovel, sparks from a nearby lathe set his clothes alight, engulfing him in fire.

The man’s workmates pulled him away and extinguished the flames.

The worker suffered 40 per cent burns to his body as a result. He was taken to the Royal North Shore Hospital, where he is listed in a critical but stable condition.

A large plume of black smoke could be seen blowing out from the building on Walker Street, an owner of a nearby steel fabrication business said.

A spokesman from WorkCover said two inspectors came to the business site on Thursday and are completing the investigation on the circumstances of the incident.

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12:51 pm, Friday 21 May, 2010

Williamstown has recently received a visit from WorkSafe inspectors as part of Safe Towns, Safer Work Zones campaign.

Inspectors visited 167 small businesses in the area over a span of five days. With a total of 200 notices issued, some workplaces received multiple notices while others did not receive any.

WorkSafe will do follow up visits over the next six weeks to see if the businesses have made improvements in workplace health and safety.

Inspectors issued eight improvement notices on inadequate guarding of lathes, which can be dangerous for workers if their clothes get snagged into the equipment.

Other safety breaches discovered by inspectors include unsafe first aid facilities.

4859 claims for workplace injury or illness have been reported in the Hobson’s Bay area over the past five years. Acting Executive Director for Health and Safety Stan Krpan said this represents $82.52 million in treatment and rehabilitation costs.

“What these visits tell us is that Williamstown businesses need to go back to basics with health and safety, and take a closer look at their workplaces,” Mr Krpan said.

“These visits have brought to light a number of health and safety hazards which could cause serious injury to workers, but are easily remedied – such as repositioning electrical leads, fitting seatbelts on forklifts, and changing workplace layout to reduce the risk of manual handling injuries.

“Workers need to remember that if they speak up when they see safety issues, it will help make their workplace safer. It might even prevent someone from being needlessly injured.

“Our inspectors will be returning to these small businesses over the next few months, and we’ll be expecting to see some changes.”

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07:04 am, Wednesday 21 April, 2010

A 26-year-old worker has been gravely injured after a steel rod hit his head on Monday.

The accident took place at a lathe.

WorkSafe Victoria believes the steel rod, which extended beyond the lathe, struck the back of the worker’s head after it bent.

The Craigieburn man is on life support at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

The workplace incident has prompted WorkSafe’s Acting Executive Director for Health and Safety Stan Krpan to remind Victorian businesses of the importance of lathe safety.

“Lathes are common machines – you find them in workplaces ranging from small workshops through to large industrial operations,” he said.

“Because of the speed of the rotating parts, they’re also very dangerous pieces of machinery to operate. If things go wrong with a lathe, you’re looking at a very serious consequences occurring very quickly. Even the most experienced operators need to be incredibly aware of the risks and ensure precautions are taken.

“Safety checks need to include ensuring appropriate guarding is in place, that an emergency stop button is in reach of the operator, that operators are trained and supervised, and that operators are wearing protective clothing which isn’t going to come loose.

“Simple and inexpensive measures can be the difference between safety and tragedy.”

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