esv.vic.gov.au
By Worksafe Victoria
Company fined
$300,000 after
apprentice
electrocuted
Heat map indicating the density
of inspections in Victoria, July 2018.
Blue/green indicates few inspections
Yellow/red indicates a large amount
of inspections
A Melbourne electrical company has
been convicted and fined $300,000
after an unsupervised, third-year
apprentice electrician died from
electrocution while laying cables
at a Camberwell property.
3 Point Electrics Pty Ltd pleaded
guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’
Court to two charges under section
21 of the OHS Act for failing to ensure,
as far as reasonably practicable, that
the workplace was safe and without
risk to health, and for failing to provide
the supervision as was necessary
for employees to perform their work
safely and without risk to health.
The company was also ordered
to pay $6,067 in costs.
Across Victoria and in particular
Melbourne, the distribution of
inspections varies. The greatest
concentration is in Melbourne’s North
and East. The chart below identifies
15 of the most common places our
GSOs visit.
Suburb/town
The court heard how the 26-year-old
apprentice was sent to the property
alone to install cables in preparation
for a new smoke alarm in August 2016.
He was working on the roof when his
hand contacted an exposed live wire,
electrocuting him.
Complex
Inspections
Type B
Inspections
Total
Inspections
Melbourne 27 27
South Yarra 12 12
East Melbourne 11 11
Robinvale 8 Campbellfield 7
8
Eildon 8 Dandenong South 1 Carlton 7 Reservoir 2 Glen Waverley 6 6
Southbank 6 6
Box Hill 5 1 6
Brooklyn 4 1 5
Shepparton 4 1 5
Kew 3 2 5
1
8
8
6
7
7
4
Inspections by suburb, July 2018. Based on July 2018’s figures, a yearly estimate of total distance
travelled by GSOs to inspect complex gas installations is in excess of half a million kilometres.
6
A firefighter who attended the scene
found that all the circuit-breakers on the
switchboard were in the 'on position'.
WorkSafe’s investigation also found
the company failed to prepare a Safe
Work Method Statement for the work.
WorkSafe Head of Hazardous Industries
and Industry Practice, Michael Coffey,
said it was unacceptable for apprentice
electricians to undertake electrical work
without being effectively supervised by
qualified electricians.
"Mature-aged apprentices are
becoming more common so employers
need to remember that age does not
necessarily relate to experience or
competency."
"It is vital all inexperienced workers
are effectively supervised, trained
to perform their tasks safely, and
encouraged to speak up or ask
questions if they are unsure about
something," Mr Coffey said.
"This is a tragic reminder of what
can happen when electrical circuits
are not isolated as they should be."
17