Segcon Constructions Pty Ltd has been fined $300,000 in the Industrial Court of NSW as a result of a prosecution by SafeWork NSW.
The proceedings arose from an incident on 5 December 2022, when a worker received an electric shock after a 16-metre steel reinforcement cage buckled and fell onto two 11,000-volt overhead powerlines while being lifted by a rig.
Segcon Constructions plead guilty to an offence pursuant to section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) for failing to comply with its duty under section 19(1) of the Act.
The full judgment against Segcon Constructions can be read on the NSW Caselaw website.
Segcon Constructions Pty Ltd has the right to appeal against the sentence.
Workers who have concerns about workplace health and safety can anonymously contact SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50 or through the Speak Up Save Lives website.
Business owners and workers can access a range of resources to help manage the risks of working with mobile plant near power lines on the SafeWork NSW website.
Quotes attributable to SafeWork Commissioner Janet Schorer:
“Risk control measures for working with mobile plant near power lines are well known.”
“Contact with overhead power lines is a serious risk that can result in electrocution, electric shock or burns. Other risks include fires and explosions that may immobilise mobile plant involved in work.
“Employers and duty holders must ensure no person or plant comes within an unsafe distance of any overhead power line so far as it is reasonably practicable.”
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