The following electrical incidents, including electrical fires and prosecutions are but a sample of those occurring across Australia and beyond that we have been made aware of since our last newsletter.
Employers and workers are encouraged to ensure all legal requirements and controls are in place when carrying out work to prevent heartache, loss of production, fines, imprisonment, etc. Our sympathies go out to those that have lost loved ones.
Electrical Incidents, Fires and Near Misses
NSW Open Cut Coal Mine – worker receives an electric shock are arc flash burns handling a portal hydraulic pump and plugging in to an extension lead.
NSW Open Cut Coal Mine -an electrician was almost crushed when an un-isolated retractable ladder was moved by another person.
NSW Underground Coal Mine – an electrician suffered arc flash burns while trying to close a circuit breaker in a DB. The racking handle made contact with a phase and the enclosed earthed frame.
NSW Underground metals Mine – Surface drill rig contacted overhead 11 kV mains as the jib had not been lowered.
NSW Metals Mine – A worker suffered an electric shock when his finger made contact with the plug of a welder while he was fault finding in a boilermaker bay. The welder was unplugged during testing, indicating a possible fault within the welder.
NSW Mine – A boilermaker has suffered an electric shock from a caddy welder.
NSW – an Ausgrid employee electrocuted after contacting energised low voltage conductors.
NSW South Coast – 48-year-old electrician electrocuted while working on power heads in a holiday park.
NSW Mines – the safety regulator has issued a safety bulletin following 15 incidents in a 5 month period – the bulletin details the incidents. Apprentices, electricians, boiler makers and other workers all received electric shocks.
TAS – a light circuit was found to be incorrectly connected to a Residual Current Breaker with Overcurrent (RCBO), resulting in reversed polarity. This poses a high risk to electrical workers and householders e.g. when changing a light globe, as the globe terminal remains live even when the light switch is off.
VIC – Scissor lift loading death
VIC – worker brushed a cable suspended from the ceiling and received an electric shock while installing a partition track.
VIC – a crew member on a boat received an electric shock while investigating an air conditioner fault.
VIC – 600kg switchboard was moved to its final location and toppled over, narrowly missing two workers.
USA – worker cleaning a boat drowned due to an electrical fault in the water. His brother also received severe injuries from the same source.
Prosecutions and Inquests
NSW – electrician doing remedial work after a storm to a garage was electrocuted in the roof space.
QLD – An electrical worker installed an earth connection within an underground supply link pillar caused an arc flash event. The worker was fined $2,5000 and issued a reprimand. The contractor was also issued with a reprimand and fined $3,000.
QLD – a third-year electrical apprentice received an electric shock when terminating an energised conductor with exposed parts due to a worker breaching LOTO requirements. The worker was cautioned and fined $400 whereas the contractor was cautioned, fined $800 and received an infringement notice for $3,600.
QLD – an electrical worker failed in LOTO requirements at an educational training facility and was fined $400 and received an infringement notice of $600.
VIC – electrician, solar installer, was fined $2,500 and order to pay costs of $4,382 for failing to reduce the risk of a fall from height and performing high risk construction work without ensuring that the work was performed in accordance with a SWMS.
VIC – another electrician, solar installer, was fined $10,000 and order to pay $4,365 costs. Solar installation work was undertaken by two workers on a high-pitched single storey roof with no handrails or edge protection and a worker had a harness with no ropes attached
VIC – Elevator company was convicted and fined, following an incident in March 2021, $300,000 for failing to provide employees with the necessary supervision to ensure they could work safely and without risks to health. They were also convicted and fined $580,000 for failing to provide and maintain safe systems of work and failing to ensure that people other than employees weren’t exposed to health and safety risks.
VIC – scaffolding company fined $25,000 and ordered to pay $6,965 costs for erecting scaffolding within 100 mm of a liver service cable. The building company was also fined $65,000 and ordered to pay $4,210 costs.
VIC – a solar electrical company had been warned multiple times between June 2021 and April 2024 for working at height breaches before being fined $10k and paying $1,500 costs.
VIC – a solar electrical company was fined $8k and ordered to pay $3,204 costs for working at height breaches.
VIC – another solar panel installer was fined $20k and ordered to pay $7,996 costs for height safety breaches. A staff member had no working at heights training, a ladder was used between the first and second floor on a roof near a skylight. It started to rain, and the worker slipped on the ladder and fell through the skylight.
VIC – 17 yr old apprentice suffered terrible burns when sparks caused his clothes to catch fire while welding. The company was fined $30,000 and order to pay costs of $4,365. Drop and roll failed to put out the cotton/polyester clothing.
WA Quarry – fined $167,000 after a work was seriously injured from a fall and the company did not preserve the site.
WA – Alleged electrical and air conditioning company was fined $3,500 and costs of $951.50 for two breaches of the Electricity (Licensing) Regulations 1991. The owner had never been a licensed electrical worker or electrical contractor and subsequently carrying out electrical work, which included moving a switchboard and meter enclosure, as well as altering wiring behind the meter panel and in the ground. He also opened and examined the network pillar box.
WA – electrician fined $3,500 for a missing MEN link and $15k for submitting an notice declaring the work as checked, tested and compliant.
WA – solar/electrical contractor fined $6k for transposed active and earth conductors at a socket outlet and missing MEN link at a DB at another property. The contractor also failed to check test at both properties.