08:35 am, Monday 19 July, 2010

WorkSafe Victoria has announced that 26 fatalities had been recorded in the 2009/10 financial because of breaches in workplace safety.

Among those who died, all but one was male – a female vineyard worker in Woori Yallock died when a falling a branch struck her during heavy storms in June.

Nine deaths were reported in Melbourne, while 17 were in regional Victoria.

Regional deaths included the double fatality of a father and son at Rainbow, who were electrocuted after the windmill they were transporting hit an overhead powerline.

The 09/10 death toll was one lower than the year before, where 27 workplace deaths were tallied.

“The workplace fatality toll serves as a continual reminder to employers and workers that health and safety can be a life or death matter,” WorkSafe’s Strategic Programs Director Trevor Martin said.

“We know the overwhelming majority of deaths and workplace injuries can be predicted and therefore prevented – however, complacency and simple mistakes are still killing people needlessly.”

A third of the workplace deaths for 09/10 took place in farms, compared to seven in the previous financial year. Five of the nine farm fatalities in 09/10 involved tractors.

“Farmers are greatly over-represented in workplace fatalities – this is something we’re aware of and have discussed with the farming community.

“It’s why WorkSafe has just launched a campaign of inspector visits to farms across Victoria over the next 12 months. Inspectors will be targeting the most common causes of serious injury and death, with a particular focus on tractor safety,” Mr Martin said.

The death toll for 09/10 included three falls from heights ranging from a little over two metres to 20 metres. Five workers were electrocuted after contact with exposed wires on machinery, and striking underground and overhead power lines. Four people died after being struck by sheets of glass, a bag of salt, computer equipment that fell from a forklift, and a tree branch.

One worker died after being hit in the head by the metal rod he was shaping with a metal lathe. Another man died after being overcome by a gas leak in a hotel cellar.

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07:36 am, Monday 3 May, 2010

The Holland Park Industrial Magistrates Court has fined a manufacturing company following a forklift accident at its Mansfield facility, which injured one of its workers.

The company pleaded guilty on April 1 to failing to ensure workplace safety, in violation of section 24 of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995.

Industrial Magistrate Trevor Arnold ordered it to pay a $38,000 fine, $1,497.55 investigation costs and $71.70 court costs.

On 8 August 2008, a worker suffered serious injuries when a forklift being operated by a colleague ran over his right foot.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland investigators found the company did not have an effective safety system in place to manage moving plant around pedestrian workers.

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05:33 pm, Wednesday 17 March, 2010

The Melbourne Magistrates Court has convicted and fined a transportation company yesterday over serious injuries suffered by a driver when a truck trailer collapsed on him.

The company was fined $170,000 and was ordered to pay WorkSafe costs amounting to $41,270.

The case stemmed from a 2006 incident in Lemnos, near Shepparton. The driver asked a forklift operator to put an adjustable mezzanine floor in the truck’s trailer into place.

The driver climbed into the trailer to engage the floor’s corner supports, while the operator lifted the floor in position. However, one of the supports got severed, which caused the trailer’s rear floor to collapse onto the driver.

The driver had to be confined in hospital for 12 days to treat his broken arm and leg, fractured shoulder, broken ribs, and torn knee ligament.

According to Acting Executive Director for Health and Safety Stan Krpan, WorkSafe found the drivers and other workers who were tasked to adjust trailer floors lacked of training, instruction and equipment.

“This is a large operator that has nearly 5,000 vehicles across 11 countries – working with adjustable trailer floors will be part of the job for many of their employees,” Mr Krpan said.

“The bottom line is that people should not be in a position where they’re working, unprotected, under suspended floor panels.”

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