AUTUmN/WiNTER 2010 ISSUE 20 (PDF) - Energy Safe Victoria

More documents

Recommendations

Info

14www.energysafe.vic.gov.auA dispute over the qualityof electrical work resultsin court casesA dispute over the quality of electricalwork carried out resulted in threedefendants – a company and twoindividuals – being prosecuted byESV on a number of chargesHomework Development Pty Ltd, a builder, wascharged with carrying out electrical contractingwork when not registered. The defendantcompany was convicted and fined $5000.An unregistered and unlicensed person – andthe sole director – was charged with two countsof carrying out electrical contracting work whennot registered and three counts of carryingout electrical installation work unlicensed. Thedefendant was fined $1000 without convictionand ordered to pay costs of $1500.An REC was charged with aiding and abetingthe company and the unregistered andunlicensed person to carry out contractingwork when neither were registered, aiding andabeting the other individual defendant to carryout electrical installation work unlicensed andfailing to complete a compliance certificate. Thedefendant was fined $600 without convictionand ordered to pay costs of $1500.The court was told the sole director ofHomework Development Pty Ltd did nothold electrical licenses or registration underthe Electricity Safety Act 1998. He did holda restricted electrical licence between25 June 1979 and 25 June 1984.Similarly, Homework Development Pty Ltddid not hold electrical registration underthe Electricity Safety Act 1998.The other individual defendant is a registeredelectrical contractor and a licensed electricalworker under the Electricity Safety Act 1998.In November 2008 Homework DevelopmentPty Ltd delivered a quotation for works at aNorthcote property which included electricalworks The value of the quotes was $4974.52.The quotes were accepted and the individualdefendants carried out the electrical worksduring November and December 2008. Bothwere observed carrying out electrical works,including running cable and fittings.In January 2009 a contractor working at thepremises cut through the electrical mainscable. The unregistered and unlicensedperson was observed attending the premisesremoving the service fuses from the meter boxand repairing the damage to the cable himself.Further between 3 February and 4 March2009 this same defendant was observedcarrying out work running cables in the loungeand kitchen areas of the property.A dispute developed between the owner ofthe premises and Home development Pty Ltdand its director over the quality of the work.Consequently another electrician was called in.Meanwhile a complaint was made to ESV asthe unregistered and unlicensed person wouldnot give a certificate of electrical safety for thework carried out.Inspection of the premises on 27 March 2009found defects in the electrical work, some ofwhich was unsafe.On the same date the unregistered andunlicensed person produced a documentasserting that he was a “licensed electricalcontractor”.The court was told that there is no suchthing as a “licensed electrical contractor”and it was clear that the intent of thedocument was to mislead the reader intobelieving that he was either a registeredelectrical contractor or a licensed electricalinstallation worker.Further, this same defendant asserted to theowner of the property that his REC numberwas 42104. There is no such registration orlicense number issued by ESV.Power companyplea on wire theftIn April, Tasmania’s Aurora Energyurged members of the public to reportsuspicious activity around power poles,after more than 100 cases of wire theftwere reported over the previous week.System Operations Group Manager MalcolmConway said, “Those involved are placingthemselves in mortal danger and their actionsalso pose an electrical safety risk for peoplein their own homes.’’“We are now aware of more than 100 cases oftheft in the past week around the south-east of theState and in some cases the thief has returned tosteal assets that have been recently replaced.“Our crews have worked through Eastermaking repairs so that power interruptions areminimised. These repairs are vital to ensurehouseholders are safe in their own homes.’’Mr Conway said that Aurora was unableto provide greater detail on the thefts in theinterests of community safety and to discouragecopycat activity.You can’t help bad luck!A Queensland prisoner has apparently used ascience trick in an attempt to escape from hiscell at the Lotus Glen prison, west of Cairns.The 29-year-old inmate, serving a life sentencefor murder, successfully breached the bars ofhis cell window.But the man, who has been in jail for sevenyears, was caught attempting to escape asecond meshed cage.It is understood he corroded his cell bars overseveral months by putting salt water on them andconducting an electric current to them by insertinga one-metre length of wire into a power point andattaching it to the bars with electrical tape.He was caught after a guard saw a light comingfrom the cell and went to check on him.A Corrective Services spokesman said aninvestigation has been launched into how theman breached the bars.The prisoner has been charged with attemptingto escape custody.SolarPanelS250W» CEC Approved» From $2.99/watt» System Design & Installation» Free Energy AssessmentsunlImItED GrEEn EnErGy 0425 576 527
ESV’s “Don’tWork Live” DVDis complete– order yourcopies nowProduction of ESV’s new electricitysafety DVD, covering in particularthe issue of “live” work performed byelectricians young and old, is completeand copies can be ordered now.As reported previously, the DVD follows theexperiences of a young electrician, “Damien”,as he recovers from an horrendous and lifechanging incident – simply, the droppingof screw driver when working on a “live”switchboard.Damien’s own thoughts on what he wentthrough are compulsive listening – andreading. They are featured both in the DVDand over the next few pages of this issue.The DVD helps address the concern ofESV and the electrical trades in general,that electricians – both experienced andyounger workers – continue to work “live”on switchboards despite the risks.As Damien experienced, it does not takemuch for things to go horribly wrong andfor horrific injuries to be received.The DVD points out graphically that electriciansdo not have to work “live” whatever thecircumstances and should refuse to do so withno ramifications for their careers. In fact theyshould be respected for their important standon safety.ESV has gained endorsement for theproduction from its safety partners, It isavailable at no cost for distribution to allinterested parties including TAFE colleges,trainers, the electrical trades, industryassociations, trade unions and others.To get your copy or copies call ESV on (03)9203 9700, or 1800 800 158. Alternativelysend your order to info@esv.vic.gov.auDamien: “I’ve been to helland back all because of asilly and costly mistake.”The description of the horrificexperiences undergone by “Damien” afterhe suffered dreadful injuries whenworking “live” on a switchboard in late2008 is one of the central features ofESV’s new electricity safety DVD titledsimply “Don’t Work Live”.In an interview for the DVD, “Damien” graphicallydescribes his experiences – from the momentthe switchboard exploded, thanks to the slip of ascrewdriver, through all the stages of treatmentand the slow and continuing recovery process.This is an edited version of his story. It iscompulsive reading.Question: What were you doing whenit happened?Damien: Just normal day at work … busy day,last week of work before Christmas trying to getthe job finished and tried to put a circuit breakerin live.Q: Why were you working live?Damien: No reason really, just pressure fromthe builders, everyone wanted the job finishedthat week … you know … bit under pressureand just tried to get it done for them.Q: Should you have been working live?Damien: Oh we all know we shouldn’t work live.Q: Can you remember the first fewmoments after the switch board explosion?Damien: Yeah I pretty well much remember thewhole explosion and everything afterwards …basically the explosion was so loud I couldn’t …I thought I was deaf … I thought I was blind …was probably five or ten minutes before I couldactually hear … and in those moments I waspretty much on my own waiting for someoneto come in … to be honest that whole time Iactually thought I was dead.Q: Did your life flash before your eyes?Damien: It was weird … … I was just sortof lying there … everything was just quiet …couldn’t really hear anything and the next thingI heard was one of my colleagues come in andI heard him say … he paused and said oh shit… and then ran out and just heard him call forsomeone to call an ambulance.Q: How long did the explosion last?Damien: Oh … the actual explosion happensso quick … no time to react … no time foranything … all you hear is bang! Bright flash oflight and it’s all over.Q: So your colleagues went off to get help?Damien: Once the help came in … I couldsort of hear all the shock and the panic in theirvoices and the fact they were telling me not tomove … to stay still as I can … ambulance willbe here soon … I started to realise somethingpretty bad had happened and probably afterabout 10 minutes of being on the ground I couldfeel all my skin tightening up and every slightmovement I would feel like basically my skinwas being peeled off.Q: So the ambulance arrived?Damien: … Basically in that time I was startingto panic … I wanted to know what I looked like… wanted to know if I should open my eyesbecause they got basically glued together frommy skin and eyelashes melting together andby now I was starting to … a bit of pain wasstarting to kick in … I was starting to freak out… no one would tell me what I looked like …they just kept saying, you know, you look fine… and then I basically was shouting at themasking them what I looked like … no one would.Basically by this time I was starting to thinkhow am I going to cope looking burnt … I knewat that stage what had happened.15Autumn/Winter 2010 ISSUE 20The cover of ESV’s new electricity safety DVD.Shots of scene from the DVD
Page 6 and 7: 6www.energysafe.vic.gov.auESV alert
Page 8 and 9: Victorian Bushfires RoyalCommission
Page 10 and 11: Beware carbon monoxide -the silent
Page 12 and 13: 12www.energysafe.vic.gov.auAnother
Page 16 and 17: 16www.energysafe.vic.gov.auQ: The a
Page 18: 18www.energysafe.vic.gov.auPower co
Page 21 and 22: Positive responses for ESV fromstak
Page 23 and 24: ESV issues importantsafety advice o
Page 26 and 27: 26www.energysafe.vic.gov.auNew Elec
Page 28 and 29: Guidance notes for the electricaltr
Page 30 and 31: New gas installation or changeover-
Page 32: ESV_Advert(LIVE).indd 126/5/08 4:23

AUTUmN/WiNTER 2010 ISSUE 20 (PDF) - Energy Safe Victoria

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?