Sydney car auction company fined more than $250,000 after death of forklift operator

A Sydney car auction company has been fined more than a quarter of a million dollars after a forklift operator was killed while unloading a truck at Milperra, NSW in 2013.
A 36 year old forklift operator and a 19 year old labourer were moving a cabinet from a truck onto a forklift at the company’s motor vehicle storage and auction site, when they both lost control of the load. The incident resulted in the death of the forklift operator and the labourer was left with fractured ribs and an injured knee.
SafeWork NSW charged the company with a breach of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers.
The company were found guilty by the District Court in June this year and fined $255,000.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said the incident highlighted the risks of working with forklifts and need to provide effective supervision and support to young workers.
“Forklifts continue to be a major factor in workplace deaths and injuries,” Mr Dunphy said.
“Between July 2012 and July 2014, 1,360 workers were injured in forklift incidents, including five fatalities.
“The social and economic impact is also significant, including a cost of $15.8 million to the NSW workers compensation scheme.
“Young workers make up approximately 12 per cent of all employment injuries and occupational diseases across the State, and are more vulnerable to workplace safety risks because of their inexperience or reluctance to speak up about safety concerns.
“Our investigation found that a lack of safety systems, instruction and supervision were major contributors to this incident.
“The company failed to train and instruct the workers how to safely remove the cabinet from the truck and did not tell them which forklift could safely carry the cabinet."
“This resulted in the workers selecting the wrong sized forklift with tragic results.”
“This incident highlights the need for employers to have appropriate systems in place to ensure that all workers, particularly young workers, receive sufficient training and support to work safely.”
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.

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.

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 vapours 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.

Principal contractor convicted and fined after concrete pumping truck tips over

Earlier this month a construction company was convicted and fined $50,000 on one charge of breaching the OH&S Act (2004). Further, the company was ordered to pay $20,000 in court costs.
The company had failed to ensure a safe workplace resulting in a concrete truck tipping over and crashing into nearby scaffolding carrying a worker, on April 5, 2012. The worker suffered a fractured spine, crushed right hand, broken right ankle and foot. He also required skin grafting.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, Marnie Williams, said the company had failed to visually identify or barricade the location of the ventilation shaft at the construction site.
“Covering a shaft with a thin layer of concrete, presumably to prevent people from falling into it, created a new hazard because it actually looked like part of a capping beam,” Ms Williams said.
“There was an obvious risk of serious injury or death. The company failed to ensure that the workplace was safe by not clearly identifying this to workers at the site.”
Ms Williams said construction site safety was a priority for WorkSafe.
“Construction is a high-risk industry and employers must do everything they can to ensure construction sites are managed with the health and safety of all employees in mind,” she said.
“We are planning to conduct more than 13,000 site inspections across the state this year and we will continue to drive home to employers that the safety of every worker must be their number one priority.”
With regulatory bodies on the lookout, can you afford to get caught? 
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business from costly reputational damage. We will conduct workplace safety assessments, prepare site safety management plans and provide training to your workers ensuring compliance and peace of mind. Call us now 1300 789 132 to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners

Demolition and public safety

Demolition isn’t exactly on the low risk end of the spectrum – so, it goes without saying that health and safety measures need to be stepped up when you’re engaging in this type of work.

One story that springs to mind, is that of the rubbish removal company prosecuted after an 87 year-old suffered debilitating injuries when she was hit by a skip truck.

Melbourne Bin Hire Pty Ltd, which trades as Melbourne’s Cheapest Bin Hire, was convicted and fined $20,000 in the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on Monday 21 February 2011. The company pleaded guilty to one charge under section 23(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 – for failing to ensure that members of the public are not exposed to health or safety risks.

The 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.

Could it have been avoided? Of course! The company in concern had identified risk factors, but had failed to implement control measures.

So if you’re demolishing or dismantling, what risk factors should you be on the look out for? And what should you do to avoid costly penalties?
•   Identify the risks
The risks that you could be facing really depend on the kind of work taking place, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. That means you need to stay alert and pay attention!
Are there likely to be building openings, or partially demolished floors? There could be a risk of falling from height.
Demolishing produces a lot of debris and material falling – which can pose another serious risk to both workers and passers-by. Keep exclusion zones and hard hat areas where there’s the greatest risk of debris, and try to keep walkways covered up.
•   Make sure you carry out a structural survey
You’ll need to be aware of the building or structure’s own possible risk factors, so a survey is essential.
This will help you answer some important questions and identify possible risks – how old is the building and how was it constructed? Are there other buildings nearby? What’s the weight of the material or machinery on any floors above the ground floor?
Based on this information, you can decide on the safest way to carry out the demolition process.
•   Be wary of hazardous materials
As well as larger pieces of debris, there’s likely to be some hazardous material that could be airborne. This can cause serious health damage. Some of the biggest culprits are dust, asbestos and respirable crystalline silica.
Then there are the materials that might not have been cleared fully from the old building, such as paints and flammable liquids, or chemicals from industrial processes.
•   Be alert when it comes to noise and vibration
Damage from intense vibration and loud noises may not be as obvious as some of the other risk factors around – but they’re no less serious!
Frequent exposure to loud noises can permanently damage a person’s hearing – and using vibrating hand tools can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome. So make sure that anyone at risk of these issues has been properly trained, and given adequate respite from exposure.
•   Engage the right contractor
Selecting the right contractor to do the job is key. So make sure that you engage a company with knowledge and experience for the job, you don’t want to employ a contractor without checking their competency. Getting that right will help avoid problems further down the line.

Are you involved in demolition? Get in touch with ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 to learn more about how we can help protect your business