Safe Workplace and Safety News

This is the safety news blog for the Safe Workplace web site. We cover workplace safety related news with a focus on how safety, or a lack of safety, impacts employers, employees and their families. We also cover topics such as safety training, safety tools, and legal issues related to safety. For regular safety news and information enter your email address in the box above the Subscribe button to the right (then click on the button).

Monday, June 02, 2008

Union Ban On Killer Hose

News from Australia concerns the dangers of high pressure water lances. The Illawarra Mercury News reports on the death of a worker using a high pressure water lance and the supsequent union ban on the use of similar equipment. The article reports:

"Mr Kolomaka, 39, died after he was hit in the chest by an ultra high-pressure stream of water while cleaning a catchment sump at BlueScope's Springhill site last Thursday.

Wollongong Police Inspector Mark Lavers said Mr Kolomaka lost control of the hose while breaking up sediment at the bottom of a large pit in an area known as the 21 Dump.

'His colleague was standing 5m to 7m behind him controlling the water flow by a foot-activated pedal,' Insp Lavers said."

Do you see anything wrong with what happened as described above? Use this link to read the entire article.

Labels: Construction Safety, Industrial Safety, workplace fatalities, workplace safety