Prosecution Details

Being an employer at a workplace where access to plant was required for the purposes of maintenance, failed to ensure, when access to the plant was required for the purposes of maintenance and it was practicable to do the maintenance when the plant was stopped, that all energy sources to the plant, namely a bench saw were isolated using isolation devices and were locked out using lock out devices where it was practicable to do so.

The defendant operated a saw milling company with premises in Yornup.

On 2 March 2000 a WorkSafe inspector was conducting an inspection of the defendant's timber mill at Yornup. The inspector observed an employee of the defendant changing a large saw blade on a bench saw at the mill. The employee was not using an isolation device and a lockout device.

An isolation device is one which, when activated, enables all active electrical conductors to the plant to be interrupted and a lockout device is one that enables the isolation device to be locked into position so that it, and thus the electrical conductors, can only be reactivated by the person who placed the lock on the isolation device in the first place.

When questioned by the inspector, the employee, did not know where the isolation device for the saw was located. The employee had not received any training or instruction in relation the use of isolation and lockout devices.

A subsequent inspection, by a WorkSafe Inspector with electrical knowledge, on 27 February 2001, found that there was a suitable isolation and lock out device on the switchboard. However a director of the company had not been aware until that date of the existance of the device.

This matter was heard by Mr Lawrence SM. The defendant pleaded guilty.

Also refer to media release titled "Isolation and lock-out procedures a must" dated 26/11/2001.