Plumber fined after carbon monoxide poisoning

An incident in which 47 people were affected by carbon monoxide fumes from a concrete cutting machine has resulted in a Chippendale plumbing firm being fined $220,000 for breaching the Occupational Health & Safety Act 1983.

T Helsby & Sons Contracting Pty Ltd, which had pleaded not guilty in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission sitting in Court Session, was also ordered to pay the prosecutor's costs of $72,688. The company contracted a concrete cutting service to perform work in the canteen area of Chubb Security Holdings Australia Ltd at Ashfield on 18 February 2000. The canteen was poorly ventilated and the concrete cutting machine was not fitted with a carbon monoxide limiting device.

Fumes from the cutting operation spread through the ceiling to surrounding offices, resulting in injuries to employees, ranging from severe headaches to nausea and collapse. The court was told the office workers may have been exposed to levels of carbon monoxide that were high enough to pose a risk of fatality to persons with severe heart disease or to the foetuses of pregnant women. In imposing sentence, Justice Boland said the offence was serious and attracted a penalty at the high end of the range.