Workplace fatalities "devastating start" to 2016

The tragic deaths of two young men at work on 5 and 6 January are a horrible reminder to all about why workplace safety needs to be everyone’s priority, said Worksafe Victoria Executive Director of Health and Safety Marnie Williams.

“This is a truly devastating start to 2016 and the thoughts of all WorkSafe staff are with the families of these two young men during this difficult time,” said Williams.

“In a terrible coincidence, both men were electrocuted — the third and fourth workers to have been electrocuted in Victoria in the past nine weeks.”

A 24-year-old electrician was working on the rooftop of a local shopping centre in the Melbourne suburb of Dallas on 5 January when he suffered a severe electric shock and died at the scene. He leaves behind a wife and five-month-old daughter.

The second victim, a 21-year-old dairy farmer, who died from electrocution at a farm in northern Victoria, was allegedly working on a submersible pump in a drainage pit when he also died from electric shock.

Electrocution is one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities, but there are simple steps that can be taken to ensure worker safety:

• Ensure that the power is disconnected or the power supply is isolated before starting work.
• Make sure that you always test that the power is disconnected before doing repair or maintenance work.
• Do not rely on safety switches to protect you.
• Ensure regular maintenance of electrical equipment.

“Death at work is never acceptable. Everyone has a part to play in making the workplace safe, and every single worker has the right to return home safe at the end of the day,” said Williams.

“No family should go through the suffering that two Victorian families are now going through today.

“So make workplace safety your priority in 2016.”

Worksafe Victoria is currently investigating both incidents.