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SA safety alert focuses on risks with excavation work

Jul 26th 2021

SA safety alert focuses on risks with excavation work

SA safety alert focuses on risks with excavation work.

Following two separate incidents in two weeks involving collapsed trenches, SafeWork SA has released new information to help manage the risk of ground collapse associated with excavation work.

The first incident occurred when a worker was removing earth from under and around existing services in preparation for the installation of an electrical conduit. The worker was engulfed in waist-high dirt for approximately 30 minutes and suffered severe spinal and internal organ injuries.

In the second incident, a worker was engulfed for approximately 30 minutes by earth up to his shoulders after a trench collapse while using a jackhammer, resulting in bruising and muscle strain.

Executive Director of SafeWork SA, Martyn Campbell, said a state-wide compliance campaign on High-Risk Construction Work (HRCW) would commence in September 2021. HRCW includes work carried out in or near a trench or shaft with an excavated depth greater than 1.5 metres.

The new guidance information developed for preventing trench collapse can be viewed along with the original article on the SafeWork South Australia website.


ACT alert for electrical equipment. 

WorkSafe ACT has issued a safety alert to remind all persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) that electrical risks need to be controlled in the workplace.

Not only are electricians and their apprentices at risks, there may be hazards such as poor electrical installation, outdated and poorly maintained equipment, and contact with exposed live parts in any workplace.

By maintaining electrical equipment, conducting risk assessments, and testing and tagging the risk of workers being exposed to electrical hazards and electric shocks are reduced.

If a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is required before electrical activities are carried out, the work must be undertaken as outlined in the SWMS.

The original article can be viewed on the WorkSafe ACT website. 

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