08:05 pm, Monday 25 February, 2013

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The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) issues a warning today reminding everyone that electrical apprentices should never undertake live electrical work nor work without suitable supervision.

The warning was issued following two incidents in the ACT where apprentices suffered electrical shocks while working unsupervised on metal ladders.

NECA is involved in training of more than 2000 electrical and communications apprentices across Australia.

“Regardless of whether they are supervised or not under no circumstance should apprentices carry out live work,” said NECA’s Chief Executive Officer James Tinslay.

“The only people who can carry out electrical work unsupervised are fully licensed electricians. Undertaking live electrical work is a serious decision taken when there are no other options and usually in the interests of personal safety or other high level risks to disconnection supply.”

Mr Tinslay also said it is legal requirement for apprentices to properly supervise apprentices.

“All electrical apprentices are under a contract of training which usually has four-year duration. During this time they need, by law, supervision which will vary depending on the experience and skills of the apprentice,” said Mr Tinslay.

“Employers owe all employees a duty of care and those in training such as apprentices must be supervised as part of their training.”

The ACT’s Work Safety Commissioner is conducting an investigation into the two incidents and is considering referring the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions which could mean severe penalties for the companies involved.

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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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07:53 am, Tuesday 26 October, 2010

Two companies and a director have been fined after a worker touched an overhead powerline on a construction site.

The Melbourne Magistrate’s Court has convicted the construction company responsible for the site and its director on Thursday. They were fined $30,000 and $20,000 respectively.

The roofing company that employed the 21-year-old victim was also convicted and fined $8,000 earlier this year. It failed to adequately train and supervise workers installing the roofing, and to perform a job safety analysis for hazards including powerlines.

In 2008, the worker made contact with an overhead powerline while helping install a roof on a residential construction site. He sustained severe burn injuries to his right and left hands and left foot.

The court heard how the network electricity supplier warned the construction company over electrical hazards prior to the incident.

“What has happened here is a number of failures in a chain of responsibility,” WorkSafe’s Executive Director for Health and Safety Ian Forsyth said.

“[The construction company]and its director were warned about the no-go zone by the electricity supplier and ordered to stop construction work, yet they failed to do so.

“[The roofing company] had a responsibility to make sure their contractors could do their job safely – which they failed to uphold.

“And the worker’s direct employer… had an obligation to make sure the construction site was safe by performing a job safety analysis which considered risks including powerlines.

“None of these parties managed to fulfill their responsibilities. The upshot of all of this is that a young worker suffered debilitating injuries with long recovery times.”

Mr Forsyth said that ignoring no-go zones could not be excused.

“The risks around working near overhead powerlines are well known – the new no-go zone rules were introduced over a decade ago.

“In this case, despite warnings from the network electricity supplier, the company and its director showed blatant disregard for the risks.”

Mr Forsyth noted that there is an added level of responsibility when supervising young workers.

“Young workers are more likely to suffer a workplace injury than any other age-group, and more likely to be hospitalised as a result. Managers and supervisors need to be sure young workers are trained and supervised so that they can carry out their job safely.”

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09:25 am, Thursday 21 October, 2010

Politicians and their staff reckon they can handle changing a lightbulb.

However, existing occupational health and safety rules require a qualified electrician to do the job.

The situatation was brought up during a Senate hearing when Liberal Eric Abetz told his colleagues about his experience.

He said he was prevented from replacing a lightbulb in his office because it could require climbing a ladder, which was a safety risk.

“It is just impractical, it’s stupid,” he said.

“Most Australians would say if a person is not capable of changing a light globe, chances are they are not capable of running an electorate office,”

“It’s bureaucracy gone mad, it’s a waste of money and the minister should intervene to stop it,” he said.

Nationals senator Fiona Nash agreed with Senator Abetz, saying she was capable of doing the job.

“I would certainly be able to get up a ladder as a farm girl and change a light globe,” she said.

However, Labor senator Doug Cameron was more cautious about the matter.

“I have never even thought about changing a lightbulb in my office,” he said.

“If someone ended up being electrocuted with a faulty wire, then you wouldn’t be asking these questions.”

Liberal senator Simon Birmingham said he may have changed lightbulbs in his office, in violation of the requirements.

“I didn’t realise were an enormous breach of any type of laws,” he said, noting that some common sense should prevail in such a situation.

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06:36 pm, Saturday 10 July, 2010

A major electrical distributor is pushing for awareness about electricity supply lines for operators of excavating equipment.

Seven serious accidents have been reported in the past month, including an incident at Warracknabeal and another at Horsham.

Ryan Auger, Powercor’s corporate affairs adviser, said small excavators had made contact with overhead and underground supply lines in each of the accidents.

“It seems like the message isn’t getting through, it’s quite unfortunate because the consequences really are so dire,” Mr Auger said.

“The Dial before you dig service is a very easy number to remember, it’s 1100.

“You can also ring Powercor as well on 13 24 12 if you have any questions about the safety precautions, steps you need to take when working around overhead powerlines.”

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07:55 pm, Tuesday 29 June, 2010

A Rockhampton firm has been charged by the Queensland’s Justice Department for safety breaches following an investigation into an insulation worker fatality last year.

A 16-year-old worker was working in the ceiling of a Stanwell home in central Queensland in November 2009. He was installing fibreglass insulation when he was electrocuted.

The company is being prosecuted for violating the Electrical Safety Act and for its alleged failure to run its business safely.

It is also being charged under the Workplace Health and Safety Act for allegedly failing to have fall protection in place for workers working at height.

The matter is scheduled for mention in the Rockhampton Industrial Magistrates in August.

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08:37 am, Monday 7 June, 2010

The coroner has stated in an inquiry that an electrician who was killed in 2008 was most likely electrocuted while working near powerlines in southern NSW.

The inquiry heard the 53-year-old man was found near live powerlines at a Mulwala factory in December 2008 just before collapsing.

He was taken to a hospital, but he died days after the incident.

The court was told the man was treated for symptoms consistent with electric shock. However, a pathologist did not find any “objective evidence” that the man was electrocuted.

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10:33 am, Wednesday 2 June, 2010

Over 3,000 farmers from across Queensland have received a notice from an electric provider, advising them be mindful of overhead powerlines.

John Fowler, an Ergon Energy spokesman, said there were 24 incidents involving overhead powerlines in the Burdekin, in north Queensland, last year.

Mr Fowler said with the start of cane harvesting in the region this week, workers should pay attention when working near overhead powerlines.

“We’re still very concerned about the number of electricity-related accidents that occur during the harvesting season. Now the numbers have actually dropped down by around 60 per cent in the last three years but, for us, they’re still too high,” he said.

“What the harvesters are telling us is that yes, they know the power poles are there, but they’re so concentrated on their work that they actually forget, so we’re trying to reinforce that message to them, ‘look up and live’ because it really could save a life.”

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05:32 pm, Tuesday 16 March, 2010

A windmill installation gone wrong has left two people dead and two others injured at around 11.45am today in western Victoria.

Early reports indicate the workers were installing a windmill on a farm near Rainbow north-west of Horsham, when it struck overhead power lines.

Two of the workers were electrocuted while two suffered serious burns.

A team of WorkSafe inspectors is on its way to the site investigate the incident.

WorkSafe Acting Director for Health and Safety Stan Krpan said the incident is a tragic reminder that workers need to be aware of their task at hand.

“Today’s incident takes the number of work-related deaths this month to four – with three in the past week, and 11 for the year. The latest fatality was last Thursday when a man died from a carbon dioxide leak in a Birregurra hotel’s cellar,” Mr Krpan said.

Today marks the first time since 2002 to claim the lives of two workers in the same incident.

On November 2002, a woman and her grandson died in an accident involving a quad-bike.

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