
World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Workers’ Memorial Day took place recently on Friday 28 April.
The day is used to remember workplace safety and those who were injured or killed on the job.
This year the day coincided with Safe Work Australia’s World Day for Health and Safety at work, which Essential Energy used to encourage workers to consider electrical safety.
The groups General Manager Safety, HR, and Environment, David Nardi mentioned that tradies and construction workers should be mindful of potential electrical hazards on the building site but people who work in offices and other environments need to also consider their risks.
Mr Nardi explained,
“All workers should assess the potential risk of working close to an electrical hazard and put in place appropriate controls to prevent incidents occurring,” David said.
“Consider the location of equipment relative to underground and overhead powerlines and keep plant, equipment and temporary structures such as scaffolding well clear of the electricity network.”
Source: http://content.safetyculture.com.au/news/index.php/04/workers-urged-make-electrical-safety-priority/#.WRN0zsaxUl1
Essential Energy highlighted the number of power outages that have been caused across it’s footprint over the past few months resulting from incidents such as farming machinery making contact with power lines, burning or igniting of power poles, tree lopping causing vegetation to fall on service lines and vehicle crashes.
The company recommended on-site safety inductions to identify the location of potential electrical hazards in all work environments. In the construction industry, white card training which is mandatory for all workers only covers electrical safety in brief, more detailed site-specific training is necessary.
Essential Energy also advised companies to appoint a competent safety observer to worksites to monitor work teams and guide machinery near overhead power lines.
“If you are excavating, register your works with the free Dial before you dig referral service at www.1100.com.au to identify the location of underground utility assets before beginning work.
“In many cases, unplanned outages due to workplace incidents are avoidable and an unnecessary public safety risk. Not only are they dangerous, but they are expensive and inconvenient for all affected.
“Let’s make safety a priority every day so everyone can get home safely to their family and loved ones.”
Read more at http://content.safetyculture.com.au/news/index.php/04/workers-urged-make-electrical-safety-priority/#.WRN0zsaxUl1
More information about electrical safety in the workplace can be obtained from www.essentialenergy.com.au/safety or call 13 23 91.