04:38 pm, Thursday 11 November, 2010

A worker has received an electric shock in Northern Melbourne when he came into contact with an overhead powerline on Tuesday.

22,000 volts coursed through his body before a colleague was able to save him by kicking him free.

The two were working at height while taking down an advertising across the entrance road of a shopping centre when the incident took place.

Ambulance Victoria said the injured worker, who is believed to be 28-years-old, sustained burns to his arm, chest, abdomen and pelvis.

“The man was moving a metal rod at the top of the sign when it came into contact with a high-voltage power line,” said paramedic Andrew Best.

“He was unable to remove himself from the power cable and his colleague kicked the metal rod, effectively breaking the circuit to the man.”

Paramedics said the workmate’s act likely saved the injured man’s life and praised him for his quick thinking.

Emergency crews arrived at the scene within two minutes and saw the worker dangling on the 10-metre-high sign. They climbed up, applied soothing gel on the man’s burns, gave him medication for the pain.

They put on a neck brace on the worker and slid him down on a spine board with the help of a fire truck’s hydraulic platform.

He was taken to Alfred hospital, where he was reported to be in a serious but stable condition.

A WorkSafe investigation is underway.

According to a WorkSafe spokesman, the man was lucky to survive such a high-voltage shock since they are often fatal.

“The difference between a fatality and serious injury in these cases is really negligible,” he said.

“He is exceptionally lucky so far.”

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08:01 am, Tuesday 21 September, 2010

The Federal Government’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) program has been under fire from a trade union following the death of a glazier in a Melbourne primary school.

A 48-year-old man was working at a gym construction site when fell from an elevated work platform on Thursday.

He suffered head injuries from the 18-metre fall, which proved to be fatal.

Early reports indicate the work platform tipped over when the ground under the equipment subsided.

Leo Skourdoumbis of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union had alleged some construction companies had gone into the BER program “to make a quick buck”.

He said they’ve had several issues with the construction firm running the project in Melbourne.

According to Mr Skourdoumbis, they wanted a safety representative on every building site. However, the company had not entertained their request.

He noted that a safety representative might have noticed any safety irregularities on the site that would have prevented the fatal accident.

A spokeswoman for the company said they were “deeply saddened” by the man’s death. However, she declined to comment on the allegations of the union.

“As this is an open investigation we cannot provide any additional information at this time.”

She said the company is cooperating with WorkSafe to find out the cause of the incident.

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07:31 am, Monday 20 September, 2010

A 48-year-old-man has fallen to his death at a primary school construction site in Melbourne’s east on Thursday.

The man, who was working as a glazier, fell 18-metres from an elevated work platform.

His work was part of the Federal Government’s Build the Education Revolution project, a school building program.

WorkSafe Victoria said it will look into the incident.

“Falls from height are one of the biggest workplace killers in Victoria,” said Allan Beacom, WorkSafe’s acting construction director.

“We know that the risk of injury from a fall increases significantly for falls above a height of two metres.”

Three Victorian workers had died due to falls from height this year. Since 2009, there had been seven recorded deaths in Victoria involving working at heights.

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08:44 am, Wednesday 5 May, 2010

The Melbourne County Court has convicted a transport company over the death of a worker who succumbed to fatal head injuries.

The Court imposed a fine of $130,000, following the company’s guilty plea to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.

In February 2007, a 44-year-old driver was loading an elevated work platform (EWP) onto a tilt tray truck.

He was in the EWP’s basket, driving the machinery onto the truck, when the basket came into contact with the raised tilt tray. The EWP rolled backwards, crushing the driver between the basket and the ground.

The Court heard the man did not receive any safety training on how to load an EWP.

WorkSafe investigation reveals the company did not provide enough information or training to its drivers about safety procedures around loading and unloading of equipment on to its trucks.

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07:00 am, Wednesday 21 April, 2010

SafeWork SA has launched a series of information sessions in the Greater Adelaide Area on the new licensing requirements that will take effect in Southern Australia later this year.

The first information session was held on April 12 and will continue to run until May 3.

The licensing changes will affect high risk workers, including those who operate a forklift, crane, hoist, elevated work platform or pressure equipment and perform scaffolding, dogging or rigging work.

The new requirements are in line with the National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work 2006.

Its purpose is to improve safety in workplaces where high risk work is performed. The changes will also make the training, assessment and licensing of high risk work consistent across the country.

Most states have either partially or fully carried out the new national standard. Subject to Government approval, South Australia will start issuing new High Risk Work Licences later this year.

According to SafeWork SA Executive Director Michele Patterson, there is already a strong interest in the sessions currently scheduled.

She says it is an encouraging sign, since it shows that industries and workers are eager to understand the new system and benefit from its introduction.

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08:10 am, Friday 12 March, 2010

The Gympie Industrial Magistrates Court has fined the owner of an elevated platform, after his platform caused the injuries of a fruit picker at an Amamoor farm.

Stanley Stephen Haman was found guilty of breaching section 28 (1) of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 for failing to ensure workplace safety. He incurred $10,000 in fines.

Industrial Magistrate Dennis Beutel heard that a 61-year-old fruit picker sustained injuries when an elevated platform rolled over on uneven terrain, outside Gympie.

The 25 August 2008 workplace incident left the man with a ruptured aorta and fractured pelvis and shoulder.

Investigation of the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland found the owner of the platform did not meet his health and safety obligations.

It was revealed the fruit picker did not undergo a proper training on the platform’s operation. It was also found the machinery’s self-levelling device had not been activated when the accident occurred.

Prior to the incident, no adequate risk assessment and appropriate control measures were carried out.

Mr Haman has since improved his safework system after the incident.

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