Mobile plant death prompts call for greater safety

A Queensland worker has died after being pinned between a cane haul-out vehicle (a vehicle used to collect and remove sugar cane as it is harvested) and a fuel tanker trailer.

The worker, who was attending to maintenance issues at the time of the incident, was found by a co-worker after he had not made contact on the UHF radio.

It is still unclear exactly what caused the incident in October as there were no witnesses.

Since 2012, there have been nine deaths associated with being crushed or trapped while working on or around mobile plant. Six of those involved being crushed between mobile plant and stationary objects.

During this period, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland attended an additional 164 notifiable events that resulted in serious injury requiring either hospitalisation or treatment of injuries, and eight notified dangerous events which exposed workers to a serious risk to their health and safety.

Each year there are approximately 300 workers compensation claims made involving a worker receiving some type of injury relating to being trapped between a moving and stationary object. Injuries range from lacerations and contusions, fractures and traumatic amputations, to abdominal, chest and pelvic injuries. Of these claims, about 40% resulted in a serious injury needing five or more days off work, and on average they include one death per year.

According to WorkCover Queensland, there are certain steps that should be taken to avoid these types of injuries.

In ideal circumstances, mobile plant should be turned off prior to exiting the vehicle. However, when performing certain maintenance functions or when using ancillary equipment requiring power takeoffs or vehicle-mounted cranes, it may be necessary to have the engine running. In such circumstances, workers must ensure that park brakes are applied and the vehicle or mobile plant is adequately immobilised before they get out of it.

If you are the person with management or control (PWMC) of mobile plant, you must ensure that:

• it is used in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications;
• the ignition/starter switch key is removed if you leave it;
• no-one works in, under or around it unless it has been prevented from moving;
• wheel chocks are used if required;
• workers are trained and competent to safely operate it;
• all safety features and warning devices are used in accordance with instructions, including guarding, operational controls, emergency stops and warning devices;
• when not in use, it is left in a state that does not create a risk to health and safety.

Mobile plant maintenance, inspection and testing must be carried out by a competent person and the PWMC must ensure that:

• a safe system of work for maintenance is in place and workers follow it;
• the plant is effectively immobilised;
• maintenance is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations;
• where the plant needs to be operated during maintenance, that the risks associated with the maintenance activities have been eliminated or minimised.

The PWMC of mobile plant must ensure that its controls are:

• identified to indicate their nature and function;
• located so that they are readily and conveniently operated;
• located or guarded to prevent unintentional activation;
• able to be locked off.

PCBUs (person conducting a business or undertaking) must also manage the risks associated with workers carrying out work in isolation. A worker may be considered to be working in isolation even if there are other people nearby. For example, a worker carrying out unsupervised work activities in an area separate to other workers is considered to be working in isolation. Those working in isolation must have an effective means of communication and access to assistance including rescue, medical treatment and emergency services.

Originally published here.