Australian Water Systems Pty Ltd

Incident description:

A worker was injured when the water tank she and her supervisor were removing from its mould fell on her, fracturing her hip. The tank weighed approximately 375 kilograms and was 3 metres in diameter.

Investigation findings:

The investigation found that whilst the worker had been instructed and trained in a safe way to remove the tank from the mould, another procedure that she had been shown previously by a co-worker was adopted instead at the direction of her supervisor. The adopted procedure was unsafe in that it did not allow sufficient time for the tank to cool before it was removed from its mould thus allowing it to become rigid in shape and the removal was done while the mould and the tank was still rotating.

The investigation found that the administrative controls, which would have controlled the risk, had not been adequately enforced by the obligation holder and resulted in workers being able to adopt another means of performing the task, which subsequently put them at risk.

Considerations for prevention:

Adequate supervision including following correct safety procedures may have prevented the incident from occurring. Adopting higher order controls to perform the task may be required.

Court result:

The defendant pleaded guilty and was fined $22,500. No conviction was recorded.

Visit the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website for more information on:

• implementing controls or evaluating or monitoring them.