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.

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

The training and compliance paradigm

Well-trained staff and qualified professionals are essential in making sure the business is safe. Companies that provide health and safety information and training, not only meet their legal responsibilities, but also ensure staff know how to work safely and without risks to themselves or others.

Effective training will contribute towards making your employees competent in health and safety and it can help businesses avoid the distress and costs that accidents and ill-health can cause.

Training can be on the job, online or in a classroom setting. In-company training can be useful as the course can be designed to fit the organisations exact needs.

ISOsafe’s fully tailored training solutions will consider your organisations health and safety documentation, general operational policies and procedures, site specific needs, and include organisational branding.

Our training solutions are pragmatic, focusing on environments and situations that the learners are familiar with, thereby making the training more engaging. An example of this is our sought-after Risk Assessment in Practice training. By using the organisations scenarios for hazard identification and risk assessment, it makes the learning readily applicable to learners.

Many clients have found our training to be particularly effective in ensuring company processes are adhered to, resulting in operational efficiencies and greater customer satisfaction.

To learn more about our training solutions, contact us today.

Free Ladder Safety Inspection Checklist For Your Workplace

For many short-duration tasks, ladders are undoubtedly the most suitable piece of access equipment: they’re relatively cheap, easy to handle and can be used by almost anyone with a bit of suitable training

However, using a ladder also has its dangers! If your ladder isn’t positioned correctly, regularly inspected or used appropriately then accidents are likely – did you know that last year alone around 567,000 working days were lost due to falls from height?

Before you set foot on the first rung, whether it be to paint a wall, clean a window or reach a shelf, make sure you tally up your task against the following safe ladder procedures and ensure you stay safe:

Assess the risks
☐ Is a ladder the most suitable equipment for the task? Ladders are recommended only for short-duration, low-risk tasks
☐ Will the task last longer than 30 minutes? If so, another form of work at height equipment may be more suitable
☐ Is the person using the ladder competently trained?
☐ Does any personal protective equipment, such as gloves and a hard hat, need providing to the user to enhance their safety?
☐ Are you using the right ladder for the job? 

Check your footing
☐ Is the ladder placed on firm, level ground? Sloping, unsolid or moveable ground can cause the ladder to slip when in use
☐ Are there hazards around the base of the ladder that need removing, such as wet leaves, oil or mud?
☐ Do the ladder’s rungs run parallel (horizontally) with the floor?
☐ Is the ladder fixed at regular intervals or do you have a stability device in place to prevent it from slipping and falling?
☐ Is the top of the ladder resting against a strong surface, such as a brick wall? Weak surfaces, like plastic guttering and glass, can easily break and so should be avoided
☐ Is the ladder at a 75° angle – 1 unit out for every 4 units up? If this angle cannot be obtained then do not use the ladder

Do an inspection
☐ Has the ladder been checked for defects before use?
☐ Are the rungs and stiles bent or damaged? If so, remove the ladder from use
☐ Are the feet missing, worn or damaged? If so, remove the ladder from use
☐ On a stepladder, does the locking mechanism engage fully? If not, remove the ladder from use
☐ Are the steps or feet contaminated with dirt? If so, remove the ladder from use and ensure it is properly cleaned before using
☐ Has a regular formal inspection of the ladder been done? Are there records of this to show any defects that were found?

Climb the ladder with care
☐ Are you ascending and descending the ladder one rung at a time?
☐ Are you facing the direction of the rungs when climbing?
☐ Are you moving too quickly? Quick climbing can cause the ladder to ‘bounce’ and lose footing so always move slowly
☐ Can you maintain 3 points of contact at all times, i.e. two feet and one hand?
☐ Are you overreaching or leaning sideways to reach your task? If so, reposition the ladder so that it’s face on to the work activity or select a ladder with greater height
☐ Are you carrying items up the ladder? If so, use a tool belt to ensure your hands are free to grip the ladder as you climb

Once all of the above have been considered then you should be ready to start your task – the key point is to always assess the situation, inspect the ladder and climb with care. If your workers require ladder safety training, contact us today.