Category: electricity

First prosecution announced over insulation-related deaths

Queensland’s Department of Justice and Attorney-General has announced that an insulation installation company will be charged with offences under its safety legislation due to the death of an employee.  This is the first safety prosecution related to the Government’s , failed,  job creation scheme.

According to a media statement issued late on 5 May 2010,

“QHI Installations Pty Ltd has been charged with breaching section 30 of the Electrical Safety Act 2002 for allegedly failing to conduct its business or undertaking in a way that was electrically safe. Continue reading “First prosecution announced over insulation-related deaths”

Unionists express anger at Australia’s approach to OHS on Workers’ Memorial Day

Some days, politics should be kept in the background.  Increasingly the International Day of Mourning is being used as a political platform, principally by the union movement.  But this is discomforting and a little like anti-war protests during ANZAC Day, as happened several decades ago.

International Day of Mourning, or Workers’ Memorial Day, as it is also known, should be a time of reflection.  There is no doubt that there is a political element to wortkplace safety and the deaths of workers but it is hard to remember the dead, look at the memorials and the floral tributes when a tannoy is shouting to a unon protest rally.

This was part of the scene outside the Trades Hall in Melbourne on 28 April 2010.  Thousands of construction workers used the memorial as the starting point for a march to the offices of the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Continue reading “Unionists express anger at Australia’s approach to OHS on Workers’ Memorial Day”

“For the government, safety has always been the number one priority” – Really?

On 27 April 2010, less than 24 hours after a highly critical television program was broadcast about his government’s mismanagement of its insulation rebate scheme, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the families of the men who died while installing roof insulation.

“Certainly, when it comes to the Fuller family, I, together with other ministers of the government, are deeply sorry for what has occurred as it affects their loved ones and nothing, no action, actually brings those loved ones back,…”

There was a political imperative for the apology as the program reported that he met with one family and at the time expressed no regret.  But in the context of this blog’s subject area, Rudd has said something that should kill corporate safety pledges.   Continue reading ““For the government, safety has always been the number one priority” – Really?”

Exploding restaurant kettle risks

WorkSafeBC is a regular provider of useful safety videos.  In mid-April 2010 the regulator released a latest video that reports on an exploding soup kettle in a restaurant that injured several workers with steel shrapnel and steam.

Safety prevention videos are costly to produce properly and WorkSafeBC has followed a process that is informative and simple but providing a slide show with an audio commentary.  This is a technique that makes use of the many incident photos that OHS investigators take without compromising the investigation and still offering a much more attractive and appealing safety alert.  It is a technique that other OHS regulators should consider.

Kevin Jones

Two farmers dead and two injured from contacting overhead electricity cables

On 16 March 2010, two farmers outside Rainbow in Victoria were killed when the windmill they were moving touched live overhead electricity cables.  According to preliminary reports from the emergency ambulance service, two work colleagues went to the rescue and were injured themselves.

A video report is available HERE.

According to media information from WorkSafe Victoria:

“A father and son died this morning while moving a 25-foot metal windmill which came into contact with a 12,500 volt power line.

The incident occurred while moving a 25 foot metal windmill was being moved using a tractor with a forklift attachment on it.” Continue reading “Two farmers dead and two injured from contacting overhead electricity cables”

Two new free OHS magazines from Australia

Two interesting and useful OHS publications have been released in Australia.  The West Australian Division of the Safety Institute of Australia has published its Australian Safety Matters magazine.  It is freely downloadable and available HERE.

The second is a publication from Workplace Standards Tasmania and relates particularly to OHS issues related to the electrical, gas, plumbing and building industries.  It’s published twice a year and is available for free download HERE.

New safety alerts for foil insulation

The Electrical Safety Office of the Queensland Government has issued two safety alerts that relate specifically to the installation of insulation in domestic dwellings.  Several recommendations seem to address concerns aired by Chris Lehmann in SafetyAtWorkBlog on 12 February 2010.

One safety alert, concerning foil insulation, states:

“To reduce these risks, householders and tradespeople should not enter the ceiling space of a house where foil ceiling insulation is installed.  If access to the ceiling space cannot be avoided, householders and tradespeople should ensure that all sources of electricity supply to the premises are isolated before entry to the ceiling space.   Continue reading “New safety alerts for foil insulation”

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