Posts tagged #blast ohs

Nearly a million dollars in safety fines after bricklayer almost killed

A Granville bricklaying company and its director have been fined nearly three quarters of a million dollars after a worker almost died from electric shock on a Hammondville construction site in 2012.
The worker had been installing vertical metal bars into brickwork at a residential and commercial construction when he made contact with overhead power lines, suffering electrical burns to his hands, arms and torso. After being pronounced dead at the scene, he was revived by the Director.
SafeWork NSW charged the bricklaying company and its director for failing to comply with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW). The judge found that the Director of the company failed to exercise due diligence by not checking that the scaffold was a safe distance from power lines and verifying that a risk assessment had been conducted.
Two other companies, at the same site, were fined $500,000 in 2014 and $75,000 in 2015 respectively, over the incident.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said the incident could have been prevented if the business had a few simple safe work systems in place.
“There was a clear risk that the bricklayer could receive a potentially deadly electric shock if they came into contract with the power lines while working from the scaffolding,” Mr Dunphy said.
“The Director should have verified that a safety assessment had been conducted, ensured the scaffolding was a safe distance from power lines and advised the bricklayer of the risk.
“Unfortunately, this did not occur and the bricklayer almost died in an incident that was completely preventable.
“Fines from this incident now total almost three quarters of a million dollars, serving as a strong deterrent to those in the construction industry thinking about ignoring safety laws.”
Failure to manage health and safety can result in serious incidents. So, as well as putting staff wellbeing at risk, businesses can be left exposed to substantial financial penalties, criminal and civil prosecution and loss of reputation.
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare safe systems of work, safety instructions and all other documentation you require. Call us now 1300 789 132 or email us at enquiries@isosafe.com.au, to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners.

Posted on June 12, 2016 by ISOsafe Team and tagged ohs OHSAS18001 occupational hazard safety sparkie safety health labour brickie safety bricky bricklayer safety quality management system qa QMS qc quality control quality assurance electrical safety electrician safety whs tradie Workplace health and safety (WHS) Workers Compensation workplace training WHS whsas WHSMS WH&S WHS Management System Heavy equipment operator ASNZS4804 ASNZS4801 blast ohs sparks electrical safety construction contractor safety construct COR chain of responsibility rms roads and maritime services SafeWork safework safe swms workplace induction work at height work platform Workcover working at heights Work Workplace training workcover SWMS JSA Risk Assessment safe work method Safe Work Australia worksafe worksafe VIC safework NSW management system nhvr NOHSC build builder evacuation diagram construction safety construction Contractor Management excavate extinguisher explosion at work nzs4801 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points hazard Hazards hazop asbestos safety Culture safety induction demolition safety fire awareness fire safety google governance ergonomic assessments ERM health risks Health & Safety heavy vehicle operator safety hvnl H&S jsa job safety analysis Injury Management project manager skip bin risk assessment Risk Management Risks risk Work Workplace training workcover workers compensation injury labour hire workers ladder safety Landscaper labour hire safety Laborer labor hire safe platform ladder ladder ladder training ladder safety training public safety Plasterer plumber safety employee enagagement employee safe employee safety young employee safety young worker pneumatic tools hand tools blasting smaller heavy equipmentx office safety OH&S OHS ohsas OHSMS ISO 14001:2015 Integrated Management System incident iso4804 iso ISO45001 ISO iso4801 iso 9001:28015 ISO14001 ISO9001 ISO 14001 IMS customer feedback yellow card truck safety tradie safety electrical clearance overhead powerline safety bricklayer safety checklist brickie OHS policy bricklayer WHS policy.

Sydney construction company fined $240,000 by SafeWork following explosion

The blast took place on a residential construction site in Eastwood, NSW, when a worker attempted to remove three underground petrol storage tanks using an excavator. The explosion heavily damaged nearby structures and even broke the windows of several buildings across the road.
SafeWork NSW charged the construction company, with a breach of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers and others.
SafeWork’s investigation found that the company hired an unqualified contractor to remove the tanks.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said although no one was injured in the explosion, the incident could have been catastrophic.
“Storage tanks that previously contained flammable liquids or gases must be handled with extreme care as there can be vapors which, even after many years, may ignite when exposed to heat,” Mr Dunphy said.
“Businesses and workers should take extreme care working near or on items that contain chemical residue, especially solvents.
“It is extremely fortunate that the contractor and people in nearby buildings were not killed or injured in the explosion.”
Mr Dunphy added that the company also failed to provide notice of their planned demolition work.
“The company failed to notify SafeWork NSW about demolition work as well as the schedule 11 hazardous chemicals in the abandoned petrol storage tanks at the site,” he said.
“The company took no steps to address the risks and chose to rely on the contractor’s claimed experience, with near-disastrous consequences.”
Failure to manage contractors can result in costly incidents. So, as well as putting worker and public safety at risk, businesses can be left exposed to substantial financial penalties, criminal and civil prosecution and loss of reputation.
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare safe systems of work, safety instructions and all other documentation you require. Call us now 1300 789 132 to learn more about our services for businesses.

Posted on June 5, 2016 by ISOsafe Team and tagged o&hs occupational hazard ohsas google OHS hazop health risks H&S Health & Safety excavate excavator emergency preparedness quality control quality assurance quality management system QMS ASNZS4804 ASNZS4801 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points apprentices nzs4801 safework SafeWork safety site manager safe safety induction safe work method Safe Work Australia safety health labour demolition fire safety fire equipment environmental impact evacuation plan Disability worker forklift safety Risk Management risk assessment Risks risk Disability safe tradie tradie safe truck safety trainees RSI best practices builder build business continuity bricklayer safety brickie safety Absenteeism NHVR NHVL heavy vehicle national law national heavy vehicle regulator management system managing environmental impacts WHS Management System muster point mental health dust platform ladder public health public safety Corporate reputation OHSMS OH&S ohs on the job training safety Workers Compensation workplace training workplace induction induction safety Injury Management Integrated Management System customer management young worker yellow card Tenders tradie safety tender build work at height working at heights whs tradie WHS whsas work platform Workcover WHSMS WH&S Work Workplace training workcover SWMS JSA Risk Assessment contractor safety Glazier job safety analysis jsa swp swms project manager construction manager demo demolition safety wellbeing explosion blast ohs Safety blast explosion at work fire at work.