For the latest update on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) news and information from across Australia.

OHS News - November 2006

Company charged over electrocution

November 30, 2006 12:54pm

Article from: AAP

A MELBOURNE company has been charged over the death of a 26-year-old man who was electrocuted while changing a light bulb.

The employee of Camden Neon Pty Ltd was changing light bulbs in a display at a car yard in Coburg on April 18 when he was electrocuted.

A WorkSafe investigation found the man was working on an elevated platform and changing the globe while the power was still on.

A WorkSafe spokesman said Camden Neon had been charged under sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Act requiring a safe working environment and the provision of training or supervision to help employees work safely.

The maximum penalty is a fine of more than $900,000.

A hearing is scheduled for Melbourne Magistrates' Court on December 15.

Cross dressing robber blames pain

November 29, 2006 06:16pm

Article from: AAP

A CROSS-dressing armed robber embarked on his life of crime to pay for heroin to dull the pain of a workplace accident, a court heard today.

Former Country Road fabric cutter, Olavo Puc, 44, had a successful career and a stable marriage before a 100 kilogram roll of paper fell on him at work in 1997,

The accident injured his spine, left him in chronic pain and depressed, today's Victorian County Court pre-sentencing hearing was told.

The father-of-two, originally from East Timor, pleaded guilty today to two charges of armed robbery.
He was recently found guilty of six other armed robberies and one robbery.

The court heard Puc dressed as a woman on two occasions in November last year and robbed the Hoppers Crossing Club near his home in Melbourne's west, using a tree branch in a sock to give the impression he had a gun.

He stole several thousand dollars at a time, using notes to tell attendants he would kill them.

Puc's lawyer, Nola Karapanagiotidis, said her client had been smoking $50 worth of heroin a day, after other pain treatments failed.

"Up until 1997 he had everything, he was working, he was providing, he certainly had meaning, he'd not touched drugs or alcohol," Ms Karapanagiotidis said.

She said Puc had won an award for his work at Country Road, where he began his apprenticeship in women's apparel.

Judge Anthony Duckett said Puc's drug habit did not excuse his offending and people were often injured at work.

"It's very unusual to find such serious injuries cause someone to become a heroin addict," Judge Duckett said.

"The great majority of the community doesn't resort to heroin, they take whatever legal options are available and put up with the pain," he said.

Prosecutor Robert Barry said Puc's robberies were premeditated and at the serious end of the scale.

He also questioned the significance of Puc's injury by the time his crimes started in November 2004.

Ms Karapanagiotidis said her client, who is in custody, suffered fluctuating bouts of pain and depression.

Puc left East Timor aged 12 when war broke out in 1975, she said.

He had travelled from his village to school in Dili but his bus never returned to take him home.

Soldiers in Dili put Puc in a sack and threw him on to a small boat and he ended up in Darwin, Ms Karapanagiotidis said.

Ms Karapanagiotidis told the court she did not know whether the soldiers were Australian but the government helped Puc establish himself in Melbourne.

Judge Duckett reserved his sentence.

WorkSafe concerned at workplace deaths

Wednesday Nov 29 21:02 AEDT

Victoria's peak workplace safety body has called for greater vigilance on the job after two workplace deaths in a week.

A man hit by a 300kg steel tube which fell from a crane he was operating, later died in hospital.

WorkSafe was investigating the accident at a roller door manufacturer in Canterbury Road, Kilsyth, in Melbourne's outer east about 3.20pm (AEDT) on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old died at Maroondah Hospital a short time later.

There were no witnesses to the incident.

His death was the 24th work-related death reported to WorkSafe this year and the third this month.

Earlier this week a man died when his tractor rolled on a property at Timbarra in East Gippsland.

On November 14 a man died at Bendigo, in central Victoria, when he was run over by a truck he had just parked.

WorkSafe's executive director John Merritt said business operators and workers needed to be more vigilant.

"We've had 24 deaths this year and many serious incidents which have left people with serious, often permanent, injuries," Mr Merritt said.

"Workplace safety is a shared responsibility which must incorporate regular risk assessments, appropriate training and supervision, workplace design and constant vigilance.

"Workers and employers have to look out for each other's interests and not rely on `good luck' or experience to get you through."

Mr Merritt said 122 work-related deaths had been reported to WorkSafe since the start of 2002.

The cost of compensating and rehabilitating more than 158,000 Victorians injured at work in the past five years exceeded $5 billion, he said.

Construction industry tackles suicide

November 28, 2006 04:58pm

Article from: AAP

THE construction industry in Victoria has launched a support program to combat the high rate of suicide among young male building workers in drought-stricken rural areas.

Launched in Bendigo today by Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) Victorian secretary Martin Kingham, the Life Care support scheme will provide apprentices and young workers with mental health support services and suicide prevention advice.

Life Care counsellor Troy Matisons said the drought had contributed to everyday pressures on young workers.

"In rural Victoria, the continual shared worry that family, friend and the community are struggling creates a ripple of pain,'' Mr Matisons said.

He said the drought contributed to financial and relationship difficulties, drug and alcohol use, low self-esteem and poor diet, that could lead to stress, anxiety and depression.

Quoting 2004 figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Mr Matisons said Australian men were four times more likely than women to die from suicide, and being young and living in a rural area increased the risk factor further.

Mr Kingham said there was also a high rate of suicide among construction workers because of the precarious nature of the industry.

"People think building workers are bulletproof,'' Mr Kingham said.

"Our members are susceptible to depression and suicide because the industry is up and down.

Workers can go through periods of earning high pay to nothing at all when there is no work around.''

Life Care is the brainchild of the CFMEU and construction industry redundancy fund, Incolink, with start-up funding of $200,000 from the construction industry superannuation fund, Cbus.

Cbus national operations manager Peter Gebert claimed that out of 450,000 Cbus members across Australia, anecdotal evidence suggested up to two members committed suicide every week.

"We want to get the message across to young members that it's OK to seek help and help your mates if they need help,'' Mr Gebert said.

Workplace fines 'woefully inadequate'

November 23, 2006 02:43pm

Article from: Adelaide Now OHS

A MEAGRE $43,400 in fines has been dished out to three companies for unsafe workplaces which caused "permanent and debilitating" injuries to workers.

SafeWork SA prosecuted the firms over unsafe work systems in the Industrial Relations Court.
Independent MLC Nick Xenophon, who has introduced a bill for tougher penalties to Parliament, said the recent convictions were "woefully inadequate''.

"This is just it makes a mockery of the State Government's law and order chest-beating,'' Mr Xenophon said yesterday.

SafeWork SA executive director Michele Patterson conceded the cases "highlight a number of ongoing problems we find in advancing workplace safety''.

"All too frequently, not enough thought is given to identifying hazards and assessing risks with machine and work processes,'' Ms Patterson said.

All three firms pleaded guilty in failing to ensure employee safety:

MANUELE ENGINEERS was convicted and fined $15,000 for a accident in May 2004, where a 35-year-old suffered "permanent and debilitating'' leg injuries when a steel beam fell on him as he was moving it with a crane.

AMCOR PACKAGING was convicted and fined $14,000 for an accident in July 2004, where a 27-year-old man, just four months into the job, had three fingers on his right hand crushed in a packaging machine.

ADELAIDE BAG AND PACKAGING was convicted and fined $14,400 for an accident in September 2004, where a 42-year-old man, six months on the job, had a finger crushed and later amputated when caught in the exposed rollers of a paper-bag making machine.

Businesses fined over unsafe working conditions

Source: ABC OHS November 23 2006

SafeworkSA says three South Australian businesses have been fined a total of $43,000 after being prosecuted for unsafe working conditions.

Manuele Engineers was fined $15,000 in the Industrial Relations Court (IRC) over an incident in May 2004 when a steel beam fell on a man, causing permanent leg injuries.

Amcor Packaging was fined $14,000 after a 27-year-old employee had three fingers crushed in a machine in July 2004.

SafeWorkSA says Adelaide Bag and Packaging was fined about $14,000 for an incident in September 2004 when a employee had a finger crushed in machinery, which was later amputated.

Gate fell on Gabriel’s dad, too

THE gate that killed Greg McBurney’s son had also fallen on him one year before the accident, an inquest heard yesterday.

Trinity Catholic College manager Roz Robinson told the inquest that Mr McBurney had reported the Brunswick Street gate falling on him in October 2004.

"He (Greg McBurney) said the gate fell on him. He said he was a big fella but someone else may not be able to handle it," she told the inquest.

Mr McBurney’s five-year-old son Gabriel was killed when the same gate fell on him in October last year.

Yesterday the coroner, Magistrate Nick Reimer, visited the site of the accident, accompanied by the solicitors and police involved in the inquest.

The family did not attend but a memorial plaque inside the gate covered with jars and plastic containers of fresh flowers was enough of a reminder.

The viewing of the site came after a morning of evidence in Lismore Coroner’s Court from Mrs Robinson.

She was cross-examined in the witness box for more than three hours by solicitors acting for the boy’s family, Bennett Industries, WorkCover, and the college.

Mrs Robinson gave evidence that Greg McBurney told her in October 2004 that the gate had fallen on him. She said it was around the same time she had reported trouble closing the gate to the college’s head of maintenance, David Lynch.

Mrs Robinson said after receiving the verbal complaint from Mr McBurney about the gate falling on him, she told Mr Lynch to fix the gate urgently.

It was also revealed that the same gate had come off its tracks on Mrs Robinson in January 2004.

As a result, she called in contractors who put fresh concrete around the posts, she told the court. The court heard this action was not reported on the school’s in-house intranet system.

"I called the contractor straight away," she said. "I just wanted to have it fixed."

But when the family’s solicitor, Ben Crawford, put it to Mrs Robinson that Mr McBurney had reported a similar incident in February 2004, regarding the same gate, she denied it.

Mrs Robinson also denied receiving a complaint from drama teacher, Peter Derrett, who this week gave evidence that he had talked to Mrs Robinson about the gate in July last year.

He said two students had to help him close the gate and had later spoken to Mrs Robinson.

The inquest continues today.

Rio Tinto sacks employees over emails

November 22, 2006 06:29pm

Article from: AAP OHS News

MINING giant Rio Tinto Coal Australia has sacked almost two dozen employees as part of a massive crackdown on sexually explicit emails.

The company ordered a purge of emails and computer files after a NSW employee used his mobile phone to take a pornographic image of himself at work, which he then saved on his computer at the Bengalla mine, in the Upper Hunter Valley, north-west of Newcastle.

As a result of the purge, at least 21 workers at three Queensland sites were fired without warning last week for possessing sexually explicit images on their computers.

Up to 17 workers from Kestrel, near Emerald, four at Blair Athol, near Clermont, and others at Tarong, near Kingaroy, were sacked.

Those dismissed included mining and administrative staff.

Several NSW employees also were sacked.

Some of the workers axed at Bengalla were incredulous that they had lost their jobs over images they claimed were no worse than those displayed in newsagency windows.

A Rio Tinto spokeswoman said company policy required all employees to use work computers and email systems responsibly, and that downloading or storing explicit images breached this policy.

"Accessing, downloading or disseminating material which is offensive, sexually explicit, defamatory, discriminatory or otherwise abusive, harassing or violent is regarded as a serious breach of this policy,'' she said today.

She said all employees were made aware of these rules when they began working for the company, and that they were warned they could face disciplinary proceedings or lose their jobs if they broke the rules.

"As a result of some serious breaches of the policy, we have acted according to our disciplinary procedure,'' she said.

Rio Tinto denied any of the images involved children. The spokeswoman said no complaints had been made to police.

Asbestos halts Oval works

November 22, 2006 12:00

Article from:AAP

REDFERN Oval's $19 million redevelopment was stopped yesterday after asbestos was found on the site, sparking fears for nearby residents' safety.

Excavation work on the eastern hill was abandoned about 8am when a team of Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union officials uncovered more than 40 pieces of asbestos.

The suspension of work was a major blow for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who are preparing to return their training headquarters to Redfern.

CFMEU assistant secretary Brian Parker said the asbestos was located adjacent to Redfern Park – a popular recreation spot for local families.

With excavation having started at the weekend, it is feared particles may have been airborne for three days.

"It's a real worry for local residents as well as workers because it only takes one airborne particle to exceed dangerous levels," Mr Parker said.

"The largest piece we found was the size of two hands.

"None of the soil had been dampened, meaning it could have become airborne."

The works are part of Sydney City Council's plans to turn the dilapidated site into a cutting-edge training base for the Rabbitohs.

Featuring a new grandstand, gym, video rooms and retractable fencing, the redevelopment is scheduled to be completed by early 2008.

As work restarted on the grandstand late yesterday, Souths executive chairman Peter Holmes a Court insisted the deadline would still be met.

"The demolition of the grandstand is still going on, so it's not right to say all work has been stopped," he said.

"This is not a major delay. We expected delays and we are sure it will be completed for a return to training in March 2008."

But Mr Parker said excavation would be halted until an independent hygienist cleared the site.

"We've found over 40 pieces of asbestos in a small section of the ground so it's a fair bet there's a lot more on the site," Mr Parker said.

WorkCover inspectors visited the site yesterday and were last night preparing to issue the contractor with a warning notice of proper procedure.

School Gate Had Fatal Flaw

THE gate which killed Gabriel McBurney at Trinity Catholic College, Lismore, had an ineffective stopper plate which would have been useless in preventing it from falling, expert witness Nabil Chachaty told an inquest yesterday.

The five-year-old boy was killed in October last year when the Brunswick Street gate at Trinity Catholic College Lismore fell on him.

Mr Chachaty, a Sydney-based engineer employed by WorkCover, was called to inspect the gate about 10 days after the fatal incident.

Yesterday, he gave evidence in the Lismore Coroner’s Court during day two of the inquest.

Mr Chachaty, now retired, said you didn’t need engineer qualifications to see that the stopper plate on the gate was too short.

"Maybe I’m biased because I know the cost of this serious fatality, but it would be crucial to check this aspect," he said.

Mr Chachaty said if the posts were installed closer to the ground the existing stopper would have been more effective.

Trinity’s counsel, Mark Williams, asked Mr Chachaty if he was criticising the design of the gate’s architect or the council for approving it.

"I’m not putting the blame on anybody," he said.

"I’m criticising the fact that the gate posts could have been closer or the stopper longer.

"As for who is responsible for what, I’m not going into that."

Mr Chachaty was one of six witnesses called to give evidence at the inquest yesterday.

Much of the afternoon was taken up by three witnesses employed by Bennett Industries to complete work at Trinity after the June 2005 floods.

John Poole, manager of Poole Enterprises and Fencing in Lismore, was called back to the witness stand having already given evidence on Monday.

The gate was manufactured and installed by Northern Rivers Fencing Pty Ltd in 2003. The company has since ceased trading.

Mr Poole told the court he employed a sub-contractor, Garry Prior, to work at the college after he was contacted by Steve Garbutt, project co-ordinator for Bennett Industries.

Mr Poole said he met Mr Garbutt at the school to discuss re- pairs to the fenceline and a gate in Keen Street.

They also discussed repairing a section of the fence in Brunswick Street.

Mr Poole said he was not told to do anything to the Brunswick Street gate.

Mr Prior then took the witness stand and under questioning maintained that he did not do any work on the Brunswick Street gate.

He said that he had noticed while having lunch at a picnic table near the gate in question that the stopper was missing.

When asked what he did about it, he replied: "I had no reason to work on it."

"It wasn’t in any of my instructions," he said.

The inquest continues tomorrow.

Man severs foot on golf course

November 22, 2006 11:52am

PART of a man's foot was severed when a ride-on mower flipped and landed on him at a Melbourne golf course today.

Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokeswoman Christine Paterson said the ride-on mower flipped about 10am (AEDT) at the Heritage Golf Club in Chirnside Park, landing on the driver, a man in his 20s.

She said the injuries to his foot and leg included the partial severing of his left foot.

He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Man burnt in live ammo explosion

November 22, 2006 11:42am AAP OH&S News

A MAN in his 20s was burnt on his face and hands when a container of live ammunition exploded at a factory in Melbourne.

The explosion happened just before 9am (AEDT) at a factory that recycles old army ammunition at Wickham Road, Moorabbin, in Melbourne's south-east, Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokeswoman Christine Paterson said.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade communications controller Heather Stockton said it was believed live ammunition in one of the containers being recycled discharged.

He man was taken to The Alfred hospital with 10 per cent burns to his hands and face, Ms Paterson said.

His burns were described as "partial thickness" and not severe.

Workers evacuated from factory blaze

November 22, 2006 10:05am AAP OH&S News

SEVERAL workers were evacuated when fire broke out at a partly demolished factory in Melbourne's south-east today.

Fourteen fire trucks were sent to the blaze at the factory on the Nepean Highway, Mentone, about 8.20am (AEDT), the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) said.

An MFB spokeswoman said firefighters initially had problems getting water to the area because it had been turned off to the factory.

However, it had been brought under control by 9am, she said.

The building is believed to be a former Nylex factory and it was not known exactly how many workers were evacuated or if they were demolishing the building, she said.

A Metropolitan Ambulance Service spokeswoman said no ambulances were called to the scene.

Teen's legs cut off in WA work accident

November 21, 2006 - 3:09PM - Source AAP OHS News

A 19-year-old man has had both his legs severed in a freak accident while cutting limestone blocks for a wall in Western Australia.

The accident occurred about 6am (WST) on Tuesday, in Bunbury, south of Perth, the WA Royal Flying Doctor Service's medical director, Stephen Langford, said.

"We were called to retrieve a 19-year-old male from Bunbury this morning," Dr Langford said.

"We understand that while working on a limestone wall he has amputated both legs."

A medical team collected the injured man, and his legs, and flew them to Royal Perth Hospital where they arrived about 9am (WST), he said.

The man was in a stable condition and doctors would try to re-attach his legs if possible, Dr Langford said.

Man dies after being run over by backhoe

November 21, 2006 08:59am

Article from: AAP OHS News

A MAN has died in hospital after being run over by a backhoe in Brisbane's north-western suburbs.

Police said the 61-year-old man was loading the backhoe onto a truck in McGinn Road at Ferny Grove at 4.30pm (AEST) yesterday.

He drove it onto the truck, got out of the cabin and had gone to the back of the trailer to secure it when it rolled down and ran over him.

The backhoe continued across the road, hitting a house and damaging it, but there was no-one home at the time.

The man was taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital with serious injuries but died at 8.15pm (AEST).

Older men still a force in the workplace

The Age
November 21, 2006 OHS News

THE dream of retiring at 40 appears to be fading with a report showing the number of older men in the workforce is at its highest level since 1980.

The most dramatic increase in workforce participation is among men between the ages of 60 and 64. But there is also a significant increase in participation of men aged between 55 and 59, according to a chapter in the Treasury Department's latest quarterly economic roundup.

The desire for a more comfortable retirement, wanting to wait until a spouse stops working and more attractive superannuation arrangements are all tying workers to The Man for longer. But a major factor in the greying male workforce is the improved labour market.

The chapter, by Steven Kennedy and Alicia Da Costa, says older men were disproportionately affected by the recession and structural economic changes of the 1980s and 1990s that swept away "inefficient and protected industries".

Now, however, unemployment rates among older men are even lower than the general unemployment rate, which is itself at 30-year lows.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow said it was the downsizing and industry reform of the 1990s that had forced men to work longer. Men who had been made redundant or forced out of permanent secure work and into casual jobs now "have to work longer to make up the deficit in their retirement income".

She said older men also stayed in the workforce for longer because of the Howard Government's failure to invest in skills and training.

The Treasury report says changes that make it tougher to get the disability pension as well as tax and superannuation incentives may have encouraged men and women to work longer.

Explosive Powered Tools accreditation suspended

WorkCover is conducting a review of the accreditation proceses for Explosive Powered Tools and Formwork/Falsework. As such, WorkCover NSW will suspend the acceptance and processing of all new applications from Registered Training Organisations to participate in the assessment process for Explosive Powered Tools and Formwork/Falsework until completion of the review.

To ensure assessment services are available to industry, WorkCover will continue to accept and process new applications from approved Registered Training Organisations to conduct these services.

Enquiries in relation to these changes are to be directed to the strategic Licensing Assessment and Management Unit Hotline on 1800 855 969.

Man trapped in farm machinery

November 20, 2006
Source: AAP OHS News

A FARMER whose hand was trapped in machinery for more than two hours in central west NSW is being treated in hospital for multiple crush injuries.

The 50-year-old was feeding cattle on his property near Collie, about 70km north-west of Dubbo, when his right hand became stuck about 8am (AEDT) today.

A NRMA CareFlight spokesman said the man was airlifted to Dubbo Base Hospital with multiple crush injuries after he was freed about two hours later.

He was in a stable condition when he arrived at the hospital, the spokesman said.

Four injured in awning collapse

November 19, 2006

FOUR people have been taken to hospital after falling from a shop awning in Sydney's south, apparently while hanging Christmas decorations.

NSW Police said the four plunged from the shop in Gymea Bay Road, Gymea, when the awning collapsed about 10.20am (AEDT) today.

They were taken to St George and Sutherland hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

A police spokeswoman could not confirm the gender of the people involved or whether their injuries were serious.

One theory is that they were trying to hang Christmas decorations when the awning collapsed. NSW Police and WorkCover NSW are investigating what happened.

Trucks crush man to death

November 14, 2006 07:41pm
Article from: AAP OH&S News

A MAN has been crushed to death between two trucks in a workplace accident in Victoria's north.

Police and officials from Worksafe Victoria were at Crystal Ice and Cool Stores, in Garsed Street, Bendigo after the incident about 4.30pm (AEDT) today.

"A man has been crushed between two trucks," Worksafe's construction and utilities division director Geoff Thomas said.

He said a police investigation was under way but it appeared one truck hit the man, which wedged him against another truck that was reversing nearby.

"He was in between the front of a truck that was being backed into a loading dock, and another one that was outside waiting to come in," Mr Thomas said.

"He has been hit by the second truck."

Mr Thomas said there were no witnesses to the incident and the man, who was aged in his 50s and lived in the Bendigo area, was found by a workmate.

"The ambulance was called but it was unable to help," he said.

Mr Thomas said it took the number of traumatic work-related deaths in Victoria this year to 22, and he issued this reminder.

"Always be aware of the circumstances you are working in," he said.

"And for employers and workers to constantly keep a close eye on known and potential hazards in their industry."

Harvester safety reviewed

Friday, 17/11/2006

Several hundred harvesters in New South Wales might have to be fitted with a safety device after the settlement of a high profile court case.

WorkCover is withdrawing its prosecution of machinery manufacturer CNH Australia and a New South Wales dealer over a 2003 farm accident, where a worker lost his leg while trying to clear a blockage in a combine harvester.

CNH Australia's Stuart Redman says the company has agreed to design, test and fit a device to make the particular model of header safer.

"It's probably going to be like an interlock device on the ladder accessing the top of the combine and once the farmer pulls down the ladder then it will cut off the machine. It's still very much in design and test phase at this stage but that's what we will be looking at," Mr Redman said.

The agreement only applies to the case IH 2388 header in use in New South Wales.

The Tractor and Machinery Association has welcomed news the case is being withdrawn, saying a prosecution could have had implications for the sale of all second hand machinery.

Builders warned of high winds

November 14, 2006 07:42pm
Article from: AAP

Worksafe Victoria has issued a warning to builders, developers and construction site workers about the gale-force winds forecast for tomorrow.

Worksafe's construction and utilities division director Geoff Thomas said incomplete buildings were at risk of collapse, while flying debris also posed a risk to workers, neighbouring properties and passers-by.

"A gale warning has been forecast for coastal areas and strong winds inland," Mr Thomas said today.

"Builders and developers must ensure uncompleted buildings and structures are well supported."

Mr Thomas said incomplete walls should be braced, while roofing and other building material that could be picked up by the wind should also be secured.

He said there had been several collapses in the past year as a result of incomplete buildings not being properly secured when strong winds hit.

"The risk is not just to the workforce, but passers-by, neighbouring premises and emergency service workers who may be called if there is an incident," Mr Thomas said.

Diving industry needs regulation - coroner

November 13, 2006 01:48pm
Article from: AAP

A CORONER has recommended WorkCover regulate the recreational diving industry after a Sydney police officer drowned while diving with colleagues.

NSW police sergeant Edward Van Putten died after he ran out of air during a recreational dive with six other police officers at Colours Reef, near Watsons Bay, on December 13, 2004.

An inquest into his death found the 53-year-old was a relatively inexperienced diver.

Sgt Van Putten was a very large man and his air consumption was at least twice that of the average diver, Deputy State Coroner Dorelle Pinch said in her findings, handed down in Glebe Coroners Court today.

Sgt Van Putten's air consumption was described as "enormous" and placed him in a special needs category, Ms Pinch said.

On the day of the dive, he had borrowed an air cylinder with a capacity of 80 cubic feet from another diver, despite previously being advised he needed an air tank with 120 cubic feet capacity, she said.

"If Mr Van Putten had appreciated the safety implications of his excessive air consumption ... then he ought to have raised the issue at the earliest opportunity, ie when arranging to borrow the air cylinder," Ms Pinch said.

She recommended the NSW Government take over regulation of the diving industry, citing WorkCover as the appropriate authority.

While there was a code of practice in place to guide the industry, there was no obligation to comply with the provisions and they were not enforceable, Ms Pinch said.

Miners exposed to chemical hazard

November 12, 2006 11:48am
Article from: AAP

ELEVEN coal miners have been taken to a central Queensland hospital after being exposed to a potentially hazardous substance.

The workers from Ensham mine, 40km northeast of Emerald, were taken by ambulance to Emerald Hospital about 12.30am (AEST) this morning.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the men had been exposed to industrial chemical potassium superoxide.

"It wasn't life-threatening but they were feeling ill," the spokeswoman said.

"They reported complaints from vomiting to throat irritation."

The chemical is used in mine rescue breathing equipment.

Asbestos dumped at school

November 09, 2006 01:51pm

A parent discovered the broken asbestos fibro sheeting crushed up in soil at Panania North Public School early today.

WorkCover NSW was called and has watered the soil, fenced it off and covered it to prevent students being exposed to asbestos fibres.

Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) NSW secretary Andrew Ferguson said it appeared the soil was excavated from a nearby house to make way for a swimming pool and accepted by the school as free fill for a new garden bed.

"Parents dropping their children off at Panania North Public School arrived to find tonnes of contaminated soil had been delivered to the school playground overnight," Mr Ferguson said.

"Luckily one of the parents had extensive knowledge of asbestos, identified the risk and immediately contacted the union to have the danger addressed."

A spokesman for the NSW Department of Education and Training said schools were advised not to accept donations of fill as it may contain hazardous materials.

"The fill will be removed before 5pm (AEDT) this afternoon after students have left the school," he said.

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Probe into power station blast

November 8, 2006 - 2:18PM

An explosion rocked a NSW Central Coast power station today, sparking a major fire and forcing the evacuation of up to 150 employees.

Six fire crews took almost three hours to extinguish the blaze at Delta Electricity's Vales Point power station, at Mannering Park, south of Newcastle.

EnergyAustralia said it was not aware of any blackouts in the region.

Workers had to be evacuated from the coal-fired power station after a transformer exploded at 10.25am (AEDT) today, said Glenn Lockhart, from the NSW Fire Brigades.

Ambulance crews and a rescue helicopter were put on standby, but no injuries were reported and all personnel on-site were accounted for.

Fears were held for an adjacent transformer but crews managed to contain the fire, Mr Lockhart said.

"I understand that they have rescued that (transformer),'' he said.

"They have also prevented (oil) spills from going into any of the nearby waterways.''

The power station, the first elements of which were built in the 
1960s, is located at the southern end of Lake Macquarie.

The area is rich in "lakes, beaches and other nearby tourist attractions as well as abundant bird and sea life,'' according to Delta's website.

Purpose-built retention ponds around the station managed to capture all of the oil from the blown transformer, Mr Lockhart said.

Operations were underway to cool the hot oil, and fire and Delta investigators would go into the area to try and determine the cause of the explosion and fire, authorities said.

The Environmental Protection Agency had been called in to do atmospheric and air testing amid fears of toxic smoke from the fire affecting nearby residents, Mr Lockhart said.

"All these levels have been (determined) safe fortunately, everything is good,'' he said.

A Delta spokeswoman said the blast had put one of two turbo-generators out of action but there was sufficient power in the grid to ensure supply would not be affected.

WorkCover confirmed an inspector was on-site and was awaiting the all-clear from firefighters to enter the affected area.

"WorkCover will be investigating as soon as the site is declared safe,'' the spokeswoman said.

AAP

Work site shut down

November 08, 2006 12:00am
Article from: AAP

A CONSTRUCTION site in western Victoria employing 13 South Korean guest workers has been shut down over allegedly unsafe work practices.

It is another blow for the Federal Government's temporary skilled visa program, which is under fire amid revelations that some bosses are exploiting foreigners.

The South Koreans were brought in to build 20m-high steel grain silos at Lake Bolac, 100km west of Ballarat.

They work for Korean firm Dooson Pty Ltd, which was contracted by silo operator Lake Bolac Grain Storage.

But the site was shut down late last week after Victorian WorkCover inspectors said they found a range of unsafe work practices.

These included allegedly unsafe electrical wiring, high-risk work being done without proper licences, a lack of first-aid measures and faulty lifting machinery. About a dozen occupational health and safety notices were issued, banning some work practices.

WorkCover spokesman Bernie Dean said another inspection took place on Monday, and the authority was working with site managers to address the problems.

"An employer's obligation to maintain a safe workplace doesn't discriminate on the basis of a worker's residency status, just as workplace injuries don't," he said.

In July, a construction site in western Sydney was closed after alleged safety and immigration breaches.

An Immigration Department spokesman said the Lake Bolac case was referred to state and federal workplace authorities and to the Tax Office over departmental concerns about work practices.

"We continue to monitor the company to ensure compliance with their immigration undertakings," he said.

Federal Labor's training spokeswoman Jenny Macklin said it appeared to be another example of employers misusing the Government's 457 program.

ACTU spokesman Ian Wilson said: "Not only are local people missing out on jobs, but workers from overseas are being exploited."

Lake Bolac Grain Storage co-owner Robert Fraser admitted there had been safety breaches on the site, but said WorkCover had over-reacted.

Power station worker airflifted to hospital

November 06, 2006

Article from: AAP

The 35-year-old man was apparently working in a tower inside Wallerawang Power Station, about 20km north of Lithgow, when a steel pipe fell and hit his head about 2.30pm (AEDT) today.

A Westpac rescue helicopter spokesman said the man plunged 10m to the ground, suffering severe head lacerations and suspected spinal injuries.

Paramedics flown in on the helicopter stabilised the man before he was airlifted to Westmead Hospital.

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