Hume MasterPanel Pty Ltd

Incident description:

An electrician was injured in a factory that manufactures door frames for the door industry. On the day of the incident, a fan on one of the spray booths was not working. The electrician found that the fan motor was jammed, so he arranged for a forklift to be fitted with a lifting jib so the fan motor could be removed. Another worker operated the forklift. The fan motor did not lift at first, so the electrician kept scraping away the build up of paint around the motor. On the third attempt at lifting it, the motor suddenly came free. It struck the electrician in the face and he fell off the top of the spray booth to the concrete floor 2.9 metres below. The electrician sustained broken arms, a broken knee cap, fractured skull, concussion, bruising and facial cuts.

Investigation findings:

At the time of the incident, there were no procedures for the removal of a fan from a spray booth. Although there was a process for accessing heights greater than 1.4 metres, there were no attachment points for harnesses at the top of the spray booth.

Considerations for prevention:

After the incident, the company:

• implemented two day training for working at heights
• implemented an immediate specific work instruction for the removal of fans
• hired a 'Franna' crane
• implemented handrails
• installed connection points on the roof for workers to attach their harnesses.

Obligation holders should consider the requirements of the Plant Code of Practice 2005 in particular part 5.1 Risk management, part 5.8 Powered mobile plant, part 5.15 Repair – work to be performed by a competent person e.g. mechanic, tradesperson and part 5.22 Instructing, training and supervising workers.

Court result:

Hume MasterPanel was convicted and fined $30,000. No conviction was recorded.

• Spray Painting Guide for Employers and Operators (PDF, 2.26MB)
• Spray painting plant and equipment