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For all the latest energy safety news visit www.esv.vic.gov.au
Summer 2016
energysafe issue 42
Second farm electrocution
prompts new warnings
By Sharon Rainsbury,
Executive Manager Media
and Communications
ESV is once again warning farmers
and rural workers about the dangers
of electrical installations following
the second farm electrocution in
two months.
A 21-year-old dairy farmer from
Yarroweh in Northern Victoria died in
January when he went to attend to
a pump in a drainage pit.
A pump was also responsible for the
death of a 75-year-old man near Geelong
in November.
Neil Fraser, ESV’s Executive Manager
Electrical Installations, Licensing and
Equipment Safety, said electricity could
kill in an instant and farmers should never
try to do electrical work themselves.
“A qualified electrician must perform
any type of electrical work,” he said.
“Water and electricity can be a fatal
combination. If you need to clear or check
a pump or float switch, turn off the pump
before entering the water or touching the
equipment.”
ESV is warning farmers to be very careful
about how they manage and maintain electrical
installations and equipment, particularly if
they are experiencing minor electric shocks
or tingles.
“Damaged or poorly maintained
equipment can kill. A slight tingle or fuses
blowing regularly are signs of a serious
problem and they need to be investigated
by a qualified tradesperson.
“Do not try to fix it yourself or get
around the problem by adding extra
fuse wire or bypassing circuit breakers.”
Mr Fraser said while many farm workers
were adept at a range of skills, electrical work
was not something unlicensed people should
ever attempt to do.
“Always use qualified tradespeople
to carry out electrical and plumbing work
otherwise you might be putting your life and
potentially your family and colleagues at risk.”
ESV has unveiled a new campaign to
remind farmers that they should not attempt
to be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes
to electricity.
Electrician
killed in
year’s first
workplace
fatality
Deadly serious: ESV’s new campaign urges
farmers not to do their own electrical or gas work.
A 24-year-old apprentice electrician
was killed on 5 January in the first
Victorian workplace fatality of the year.
The father of one was working on the roof
of the Dallas Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s
North when he was electrocuted.
Despite attempts to revive him the
man died at the scene. Work