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

OHS News - October 2006

Port evacuated after chemical leak

October 24, 2006

PART of the port of Brisbane was evacuated this morning after a chemical leak aboard a ship.

Dock workers smelt fumes while unloading the ship Xutra Bhun, which had docked from Singapore, at 7.40am (AEST), A Queensland Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said.

Authorities were called in and the 20 crew from the ship evacuated.

A 100m exclusion zone was enforced after a chemical was discovered leaking from a shipping container in the ship's hull.

The substance was durasol, a flammable resin used for concrete and masonry coating.

The leak was confined to the ship and it was decontaminated.

Source: Safety News AAP

Solar energy farm enjoys year of success

Monday, October 23, 2006. 10:35am

Western Australia's first commercial solar energy farm based in Carnarvon has celebrated its first year of operation.

The Carnarvon Solar Energy Farm was opened by the Premier in October last year.

Carnarvon was selected as the location for the plant as it is one of three areas in the world which records the greatest level of solar radiation.

Lex Fullarton says in its first year the small solar energy farm exceeded expectations and produced 32 megawatts of power, enough to supply Carnarvon for about four days.

He says the farm's success demonstrates the potential of solar energy.

"One of the interesting side benefits is not so much what it does, but what it doesn't do," he said.

"It does not produce greenhouse gases ... and as it was put to me one of the people who came to have a look at it was, think of 10,000 litres of fuel that did not leave Geraldton."

Energex fined over accident

October 21, 2006 12:00am

ENERGEX has been fined $41,000 after a workplace accident left an employee blind in one eye.

The company pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrate's Court yesterday to one count of failing to discharge its obligations under the Workplace Health and Safety Act to ensure workers were not exposed to risk arising out of the conduct of its business.

The workplace accident took place on July 29 last year at Energex's Banyo depot when the worker was carrying out repairs.

He was hit by a piece of timber in the chest and face, and sustained serious facial injuries.

The worker lost the sight in his left eye but is still an employee of Energex.

He is currently on medical leave but is expected to return to full-time work with the company.

Magistrate Wally Ehrich fined Energex $41,000 and ordered it pay $2525.34 for court and investigation costs. A conviction was not recorded.

The court was told yesterday that Energex had co-operated with WHS investigators and had entered an early plea of guilty.

The court was also told Energex was extraordinarily conscious about safety and that this task was outside the organisation's core business.

The accident was described as a one-off that would not occur again and that the repair of this equipment was now being outsourced.

Energex said it was continuing to support the injured staff member during his rehabilitation.

"Our number one organisational value is Put Safety First," Energex general manager energy delivery Bill Lyon said.

"We don't want anyone to work if it is not safe to do so."

Mr Lyon said Energex continuously reviewed its "health and safety policies, standards and procedures to improve the health and safety on the job for our workers and contractors".

"Energex remains committed to continually implementing improvements to deliver on our objective of zero workplace injuries."

AAP

Company fined over lost fingers

October 18, 2006

AN Adelaide company has been fined $20,000 over a workplace accident in which a worker lost three fingers.

Broons Hire (SA) Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to charges of failing to ensure an employee was safe from injury at work in the SA Industrial Relations Commission.

The charges were brought by Safework SA after a 27-year-old male casual worker last year suffered a crush injury which resulted in partial amputation of three fingers.

The worker was trying to move an axle shaft from an impact roller drum at Broons' premises at Woodville in Adelaide's west when the accident occurred.

Industrial Magistrate Stephen Lieschke found the company had no hazard identification or risk assessment in place, had no prepared safe operation procedure, had inadequate training and supervision and left its employees to devise their own system of work, Safework SA said.

The company was fined $20,000.

"The total lack of safety systems, instruction and supervision could have resulted in far more serious injuries or death," Safework SA executive director Michele Patterson said in a statement.

AAP

October 13, 2006

Tomato Farmer fined over contractors daughter injured on site

A CHILDERS youngster has triumphed over an horrific factory accident which peeled the skin from her tiny torso and almost claimed her right arm.

Sixteen months after becoming caught in a conveyor belt mechanism at SP Exports Pty Ltd's tomato packing shed at Childers, west of Bundaberg, little Natasha Campbell, now 7, continues to astound medical staff, family and friends with her courage.

Mother Bev Campbell described her daughter as "absolutely amazing".

Mrs Campbell and her husband Rick's delight in Natasha's recovery and gratitude for the huge community support she had received came as SP Exports was fined $60,000 over the accident.

The company pleaded guilty in the Bundaberg Industrial Court last week to breaches of the Workplace Health and Safety Act.

The accident happened last May when Natasha had accompanied her parents on their cleaning job at the factory.

Entangled in a rotating bolt connected to a conveyor belt, the youngster was "de-gloved" from her hip to just beneath her right arm, cutting the main artery and nerve endings, while her arm was mangled.

At Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital, she underwent extensive plastic surgery, with doctors able to patch her skin back and restore circulation.

Mrs Campbell said Natasha spent only 2½ weeks in hospital and was able to return to her class at St Luke's Anglican School in Bundaberg after the June school holidays.

She said it was astounding that Natasha had not even needed skin grafts, although she still had limited use of her right hand and needed a lot of physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

"The ongoing support from the staff at Bundaberg Hospital has been absolutely fantastic," Mrs Campbell said.

The Childers community had also got behind the family.

Isis Shire Council and a local contractor pitched in to make Natasha's dream of her own "fairy garden" come true at their Cordalba home.

Mrs Campbell said her daughter's bubbly personality and bravery had been an inspiration to everyone around her.

"She's very, very positive in everything she does and says she's just very, very special."

Workplace investigators told the court hearing that the company knew Natasha went to work with her parents while they cleaned but did not take adequate steps to protect her from injury.

An engineer's report found the incident could have been prevented if a guard had been correctly fitted.

The company was fined $60,000 and ordered to pay costs totaling $13,000.

AAP

October 12, 2006

Shipping Container Company pleads guilty over workers death

Owens Container Services Australia Pty Ltd ("Owens") occupied premises located in Auburn and at that site conducted a business involving the repair, cleaning and storage of shipping containers and tanks. Among the equipment used in this undertaking was a tank wash facility.

On 15 January 2003, in operating this business a particular tank was located in the wash bay facility having previously contained resin solution. The task of cleaning that tank had commenced the day before when it was discovered that there was residual resin in the tank requiring further cleaning.

On 15 January 2003, an employee of the company, John Howie, used a spray gun to spray an amount of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) into the tank. MEK was regarded as a highly volatile and highly flammable substance and had been used as a cleaning agent at the site. After spraying the tank for about five minutes with MEK, the tank was left for between 20 to 30 minutes, when Mr Howie returned and decided to use a high pressure water spray gun to attempt to remove the residual resin. Shortly after other employees left the immediate vicinity, an explosion occurred that resulted in Mr Howie being propelled a distance of seven metres from the opening of the tank. Mr Howie sustained severe injuries and died shortly thereafter.

2 Investigation of this explosion was undertaken by the WorkCover Authority and in January 2005, proceedings were commenced against Owens (Container Services Australia Pty Ltd) alleging a breach of s 8(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000. Separate proceedings were commenced against David Aylmer Ritchie and John Julian Rose as directors of the company for a breach of s 8(1) of the Act by operation of s 26(1) of the Act. In due course, the company entered a plea of guilty but the two directors, Mr Ritchie and Mr Rose, entered not guilty pleas. Arrangements were then made for the Court to hear the contested proceedings and at the conclusion of those proceedings, then deal with the plea of guilty entered by the company. During the course of the hearing, Mr Rose entered a plea of guilty.

180 The defendant, having failed to establish a defence under either s 26(1)(a) or under s 26(1)(b), is found guilty of the breach alleged and as particularised. The matter will be listed again, after discussion with the parties, for the purposes of receiving any additional evidence and submissions on sentence.

Read full court decision at LawLink

Worker crushed by heavy machinery

October 10, 2006 09:53pm
Article from: AAP

A CONSTRUCTION worker has been seriously injured while working on the Albury Wodonga Hume Freeway project, WorkCover says.

The 40-year-old worker was crushed between a paving machine and a truck on the construction site on the New South Wales-Victorian border late this afternoon.

A WorkCover spokesman said the man suffered serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Labor, union dodged charges on colliery

Imre Salusinszky, NSW political reporter

October 09, 2006

TEN years after one of Australia's worst modern mining accidents - at Gretley Colliery near Newcastle - a report claims the NSW Labor Government tailored its prosecutions to punish business, protect a powerful union and conceal its own culpability.

The report, which will be released today by the Institute of Public Affairs, a pro-business think tank, makes explosive allegations about the Government's failure to prosecute UMSS, a labour-hire company owned by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union.

UMSS employed three of the four miners killed at Gretley on November 14, 1996. The men drowned when they cut into the flooded shaft of an adjacent mine that had been closed since 1912.

Prosecutions of labour-hire firms for workplace safety breaches are common under NSW's occupational health and safety laws, which are the most punitive in the country.

The IPA report, by Ken Phillips, also asks why the Government failed to prosecute its own Department of Mineral Resources when an independent inquiry in 1998 found the department negligently provided faulty and incomplete maps to the Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company. Xstrata Coal, which bought Newcastle Wallsend in 1999, was last year found guilty over Gretley by the NSW industrial court and fined $1.47 million, with three mine managers fined a further total of $102,000.

The four miners who died at Gretley were Edward Batterham, 48, John Hunter, 36, Mark Kaiser, 30, and Damon Murray, 19.

Mr Murray's father, Ian, a CFMEU official, yesterday backed Mr Phillips's call for the department to be held to account for providing maps that showed the old mine in the wrong position. "I don't take umbrage with Ken or anybody else that says that's what should have happened," Mr Murray said. "It was the Crown that put forward a position that it wasn't possible to charge the department. All that needed to be done was for someone - be it from the department's side or the employer's side - to view the original map."

But Mr Murray rejected the report's concerns about UMSS, which employed his son, along with Hunter and Kaiser.

The IPA report says OHS laws in NSW would normally have required WorkCover to undertake a detailed investigation of UMSS and apply the same "presumption of guilt" it applied to Xstrata.

The CFMEU sold its majority stake in UMSS to Tasmanian labour-hire firm TESA, which last month was sold to Melbourne-based labour-hire giant Skilled.

Tony Maher, NSW president of the CFMEU, told The Australian last night UMSS had not been in control of the business at Gretley. "Labor-hire firms have been prosecuted in the past," he said. "Whether they were on that occasion would have been determined by the regulator, based on the facts."

The IPA report suggests UMSS escaped serious scrutiny because the CFMEU has "deep institutional links" with the Government and "significant influence over the political preselection processes of many (Labor) MPs".

It claims: "The processes of prosecution or non-prosecution have suffered from serious irregularities, to the point that there exist questions about the integrity and impartiality of the OHS prosecution processes in NSW."

A spokesman for WorkCover said yesterday the agency had followed "expert advice that there was little prospect of success against the Department of Mineral Resources or UMSS and therefore did not proceed".

But Mr Phillips replied that, if that was the case, WorkCover should make the advice public.

The IPA report comes at a tricky time for NSW Premier Morris Iemma, who is seeking to reform OHS laws to bring them into line with the other states and demonstrate that NSW is "open for business". His reforms have been stalled by opposition from unions, with the CFMEU among the most hardline.

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20547230-2702,00.html

Safety Show in Sydney

Safety show expecting record breaking attendance
by marian macdonald

AUSTRALIA'S largest workplace safety event in 2005, The Safety Show Sydney, is on track for record breaking attendances again, held at the Sydney Showground from October 17 – 19 this year.

Following the successful 2005 event which drew 10,371 visits, WorkCover NSW has signed on as principal sponsor and will use the event to celebrate best practice Occupational Health and Safety at the WorkCover NSW Safe Work Awards.

WorkCover will be on hand on the exhibition floor to provide visitors to exhibition advice and information about the entire spectrum of workplace safety challenges. They will be joined by more than 350 safety suppliers offering a seemingly limitless array of products and services including height safety, materials handling and automation safety products, plus training, management, first aid and workplace wellness services.

Marie Kinsella, organiser of Australian Exhibitions and Conferences (AEC), believes that the Safety Show Sydney is the largest collection of safety solutions under one roof in the Southern Hemisphere.

“No matter what industry you're from, the safety essentials for your workplace will be there. Because it's so important to be aware of the latest and most effective protection and safeguards, anyone serious about safety really can't afford to miss it.”

The Safety Conference

Just as the latest products and services will be available at the trade show, the Safety Conference will provide delegates with the most recent developments, ideas, trends and real life case studies in the safety profession.

Hosted by the Safety Institute of Australia, The Safety Conference opens this year with an international breakfast addressed by Eddie Greer, President Elect of the American Society of Safety Engineers.

Special interest streams will also be available. One is dedicated to the WorkCover NSW Research Centre of Excellence (WRCE). Staff and the recipients of WorkCover research grants will detail how their research will prevent or minimise workplace injury and disease, or add to the availability of high quality education and training in injury prevention, management and rehabilitation.

Speakers at the conference will include Mark Sullivan and Joseph Ryan of Lander and Rogers Lawyers, who will highlight the fact small business owners are particularly at risk of personal prosecution, which could result in fines of up to $82,500 and prison terms of up to two years.

Another speaker at the event will be Ken Scannell of Noise and Sound Services who says many OH&S professionals are unwittingly missing workplace noise hazards due to the inappropriate application of the personal sound exposure meters (PSEM) or ‘noise dose meter’.

The Safety Show and Conference will run from Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 October at The Dome, Hall 2 and Southee Complex respectively at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.

For more information, phone Australian Exhibitions & Conferences on 03 9654 7773 or email safety@aec.net.au.

Workplace Health and Safety Workshops

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland will conduct free risk management workshops for the transport and storage industry during Work Safe Week 2006 (22-28 October).

The free workshops will provide employers, workplace health and safety representatives and officers, and safety professionals with practical risk assessment skills.

They will cover how to control electrical hazards; how to control the risk of impact injuries from moving plant and machinery; industry specific workshop scenarios; practical advice and guidance from WHSQ inspectors; and best practice control measures.

WHSQ will also conduct risk management workshops for the construction, manufacturing, electrical, health and community services and rural industries, and small business information sessions at various regional centres during Work Safe Week.

For more details or to register for a workshop in Queensland visit www.dir.qld.gov.au or call 1300 369 915.

Niddrie blast leaves man fighting for his life.

October 6, 2006

A man remains in a critical condition in the burns unit at the Alfred Hospital four days after an explosion at a commercial construction site at Niddrie.

He was carrying out welding work when a drum of a release agent, used to prevent concrete sticking to formwork, exploded.

The welding was being done on top of the drum at the time of the blast.

The incident happened at the site in Keilor Road around 2.15pm on Monday.

WorkSafe, police and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade are all involved in the investigation.

The Director of WorkSafe’s Construction and Utilities Division, Geoff Thomas, said the case was a tragic reminder that carrying out welding or cutting work near flammable materials carried enormous risks.

“Keeping the source of heat or sparks away from flammable substances is essential. In some cases the way the work is done, or its timing might have to be changed.”

“Explosions happen in an instant. Apart from those nearest the blast, passers-by and workers can be at risk not just from the blast itself, but flying debris and the risk of structural collapse.

This week’s incident at Niddrie was Victoria’s second explosion involving flammable products this year.

In May, a man suffered severe burns at Moolap on the Bellarine Peninsula when a drum he was cutting exploded.

Welding accident causes death

October 6, 2006

Welding Accident - Tyre blue from welder heat

A-46-year-old man was killed in a welding accident near Bamaga yesterday afternoon. About 3.40pm the man had been welding a tyre when it exploded. It is believed the heat from the welder caused the tyre to explode. The man sustained massive head injuries and died instantly. Police and Workplace Health and Safety Officers will continue their investigation into the accident today.

Source: Queensland Police

Tuesday, 3 October 2006. 10:28 (AEST)

Crane driver dies in work accident

A 43-year-old crane driver was killed yesterday when a 10 metre pole he was unloading fell on him.

Peter Williams was hit in the head by the pole while he was moving it off a truck at a Slade Point industrial site about 8:15am yesterday.

Meanwhile, a Mackay man is in hospital with neck injuries suffered when the cane train he was driving rolled off the tracks and down an embankment near Racecourse Mill.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/qld/mackay/200610/s1754269.htm

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