12:57 pm, Monday 28 February, 2011

Work Safe is investigating the death of a 54-year old man in a farming accident at Forrest on Saturday.

Police said the man had been spraying bushland on his farm when the quad bike he was riding overturned.

Investigators believe the 54-year-old tried to jump clear of the vehicle as it rolled, but it landed on the man, killing him instantly.

“The bike has slipped and he has tried to jump. He has been very unlucky because it has tumbled onto him. It was such thick and rugged bushland it could have flipped anywhere but it has flipped onto him,” Sergeant Janet Gleeson said.

“We don’t know if he has hit his head when he leapt off but the fatal injuries seem to have occurred when the bike landed on him.

“There were lots of shrubs and roots in the ground so it was a freak accident that it fell towards him.

Police said the accident was made more tragic by the fact the man seemed to be doing all the right things at the time of the tragedy.

“He was doing everything right. It was in a low gear, he had safety equipment. Even his mum said he was very cautious. It is just really unfortunate,” Sgt Gleeson said.

A report on the man’s death will be prepared for the Coroner.

The death follows another incident in January when a seven-year-old boy was impaled on farming equipment in a quad bike accident west of Cape Otway.

In that incident the boy had been riding a four-wheeled motorbike on a Johanna property when the bike ran into the blade of farming equipment under a tree, leaving the boy impaled through his chest.

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10:17 am, Sunday 27 February, 2011

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority is investigating an incident where two workers at Darwin Port were almost killed when a 28- tonne shipping container on a crane almost fell onto them last weekend.

The Maritime Union of Australia said the shipping container, which fell onto East Arm Wharf, exceeded the crane’s load limit.

The Port Corporation confirmed the container fell 12 metres onto the wharf on Saturday night when the ship’s crane failed.

The Union’s Thomas Mayor said it was a “near miss” and that the container landed only 10 foot from one of the workers.

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09:53 am, Sunday 27 February, 2011

A Banora Point Upgrade Alliance worker was hit by a car on the Pacific Highway at Sleepy Hollow on Thursday.

A female P-plate driver swerved and hit the man who was directing traffic at road works.

Sergeant Brett Gibson from Kingscliff police said the man’s condition was stable but he was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital with a knee injury.

“He was still conscious when he was put in the ambulance, but he may have a broken knee cap,” Sgt Gibson said.

He said the incident was an “accidental case of wrong place, wrong time”.

The woman was driving with her brother in the passenger seat and was travelling over the Burringbar Creek bridge when the incident occurred.

Sergeant Doug Conners said investigations into the circumstances of the incident were continuing.

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09:48 am, Sunday 27 February, 2011

The employer of of a 22-year-old Perth rigger who died in a workplace accident more than three years ago is being sentenced this week.

The man suffered a fatal head injury when struck by a 37 5kg section of crane mast in October 2007.

The section of crane fell out of a pack of 16 sections being moved by another crane.

The company and its directors were found guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court in December of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace, which caused the death.

In the Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, the defence counsel argued that a non-financial, community-based order was sufficient punishment.

The prosecution argued a harsher penalty was necessary to deter others.

The magistrate is yet to hand down a sentenced.

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09:37 am, Sunday 27 February, 2011

A 32-year-old man has been flown to Brisbane after injuring his arm in an industrial accident at Yarraman, north of Toowoomba, on Friday.

A spokeswoman for RACQ Careflight said the man’s arm was crushed in logging machinery.

“He suffered a fair bit of blood loss,” the spokeswoman said.

“He was treated on the scene and then airlifted to Royal Brisbane Hospital.”

Queensland Ambulance Service clinical deployment supervisor Dan Statham said the man’s arm was caught in a crane mechanism.

He said the 32-year-old victim was conscious and in a serious but stable condition.

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01:46 pm, Friday 25 February, 2011

According to a recent survey conducted by Wormald, nearly two thirds of small business managers and employees in regional and suburban areas of Australia have never been trained in how to use the fire equipment in their workplace, .

In addition, more than half of the 210 small business respondents admitted that they were not fully confident about the correct way to handle the installed fire protection equipment.

“This is an alarmingly high percentage of people who would not know what to do in the event of a serious fire emergency,” said John Lynch, General Manager of the Business Support Services at Wormald.

“The highest priority when a fire breaks out is to get the occupants of a building out of harm’s way. Trained staff can help this happen efficiently.

“Additionally, fires can impact businesses with significant costs in damages and lengthy downtime, and in some cases this can be minimised if staff knows how to confidently handle the situation.”

“A fire can have a devastating affect on a business, particularly a small operation,” Lynch said. “We recommend that business owners not only carry out a thorough assessment to identify the fire protection equipment and systems required but invest in training for their staff so that the measures in place will help if there’s a fire.”

According to the survey results, only 19 per cent of employers rated the offer of training as a key factor when deciding their fire protection needs, with the highest consideration going to cost, and service and maintenance second.

“A confident member of staff, able to respond appropriately in the event of a fire is an invaluable investment for a business,” Lynch said.

Wormald offers a number of training courses for businesses ranging from fire extinguisher and first aid training to more comprehensive warden training.

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01:02 pm, Friday 25 February, 2011

An Industrial Magistrate has fined a roofing company over safety shortcomings that resulted in serious injuries to the company’s owner and managing director.

The company had already pleaded guilty to one count of breaching OH&S legislation in failing to ensure the safety of employees while at work.

Three employees of the company were engaged in re-roofing an 18-metre wide storage tank at Stirling in June 2007.

During a pause in the work, the managing director aged in his late-60’s, who was also the supervisor on the job, took a mobile phone call. In the course of the conversation, he wandered along the roof onto an unsupported roof sheet, which gave way beneath him.

The man fell six metres to the floor of the tank, suffering a fractured pelvis, ribs and a punctured lung.

The Magistrate said the safety procedures, which included a ban on taking mobile phone calls whilst on the roof, should have been documented and verbally reinforced to all workers before work began and during any breaks.

He recorded a conviction and fined the company $3,000 reduced from $20,000 in response to the company’s early guilty plea, cooperation with authorities, remedial action and diminished financial position.

SafeWork SA says the case serves as an important reminder to all employers of the need to not only implement safe systems of work but to ensure those systems are maintained and followed by everyone everyday.

“Make it your habit to think safety before the job starts, and as an integral part of your working day,” says Acting Executive Director, Juanita Lovatt.

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10:45 pm, Wednesday 23 February, 2011

A Glenroy rubbish removal company has been prosecuted after an 87 year-old was injured when she was hit by a skip truck.

The company was convicted and fined $20,000 in the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

The company pleaded guilty to the charge of failing to ensure that members of the public are not exposed to health or safety risks.

The March 2009 incident occurred while a skip truck was being used to remove debris from an Essendon North demolition site.

The truck, which had been reversed into the site, was being driven out when it struck a pedestrian walking across the driveway.

The woman was dragged under one of the truck’s front tyres and pulled onto the road. Her right arm was de-gloved from the upper arm to the fingers, and she suffered a heart attack on the way to hospital.

WorkSafe Victoria’s investigation found that the company failed to carry out a hazard identification and risk assessment on skip trucks entering and exiting the site.

This process should have identified that when exiting the driveway, the view of one side of the footpath was obstructed by bushes and a sign, Executive Director for Health and Safety Ian Forsyth said.

“If you’re driving a vehicle as big as a skip truck down a driveway, and you can’t see whether someone’s about to walk past, then you’re clearly putting people in danger.

“It’s an obvious risk, and there were obvious solutions which the company could have taken to protect pedestrians.

“We’re talking about straightforward steps like using another staff member as a spotter, putting a mirror on the fence line so drivers could see the footpath, or ordering drivers to drive slowly and sound their horn when exiting the property.

“The company didn’t assess the risks and they didn’t take any preventative steps – as a result, an elderly person has suffered a traumatic injury,” he said.

Mr Forsyth said that the relevant Australian Standard (AS 2601-2001) for demolition work required an investigation of the site, including a traffic management plan, to be completed before demolition work commenced.

One of the purposes of this is to protect people walking or driving past any demolition work from plant, including trucks entering and leaving the site.

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10:25 pm, Wednesday 23 February, 2011

New mine safety laws for Tasmania will come into effect next week.

The existing work health and safety laws (the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 and the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 1998) will be amended to include sections that focus specifically on mine safety.

The new laws require the mine operator to:

• appoint a site senior officer with sufficient authority to close or suspend operations at the mine where there is an unreasonable risk to health and safety;
• possess a documented health and safety management system to protect the health and safety of mine workers and other persons who may be exposed to risks arising from mining operations; and
• consult with workers when developing or amending the system.

The legislative changes take effect from 28 February.

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10:25 pm, Sunday 20 February, 2011

Enerpac, one of the world’s largest high-force tool suppliers, is offering free safety audits of hydraulic equipment following the floods in Queensland, Victoria and parts of NSW.

Enerpac National Sales Manager Phil Dorahy said tools used for jobs such as lifting, pumping, cutting and bending will be required in the aftermath of the floods and should be checked thoroughly first to see if they have suffered any damage.

“Enerpac has an Australia-wide team of sales and technical specialists, supported by a national network of authorised service agents who can assist with the rapid clean up and re-establishment of your operations,” he said.

Enerpac has distributed a letter notifying the following industries of its free service:

• Building and construction
• Road and rail heavy transport
• Manufacturing, mining and petroleum
• Electrical generation, distribution and maintenance

“Enerpac personnel in your area are available to conduct on-site audits and inspection of all of your hydraulic tools and equipment, thereby ensuring that any damage that has occurred to this equipment is identified and the appropriate remedial action is taken to ensure operator safety before it is returned to service,” Dorahy said.

Enerpac’s inspection, audit and training offers include all makes and models of:

• Hydraulic cylinders
• Pumps – manual, air and electric
• Hydraulic tools such as presses, cutters, flange spreaders, pullers, benders
• Valves, gauges, hoses and couplers.

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