WORKPLACE INJURIES / INCIDENT ALERTS FOR AUGUST 2021
The below Serious Workplace Injuries / Incident Alerts for August (Embedded Content Extracts) were taken from WorkSafe QLD at https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au
Click on the Articles to Read more including outcomes, fines and control measures to mitigate risk.
Truck driver exposed to phosphine gas
In July 2021, a truck driver began feeling very unwell after transporting grain to a feedlot with his semi-trailer. For reasons yet to be established, it appears that during the transportation he was exposed to a fumigant that produced phosphine gas which is commonly used to control insect infestations in grain.
Worker killed by piece of metal ejected from unguarded angle grinder
In June 2021, a worker died from injuries sustained while he was using a 9-inch (230mm) angle grinder to cut the base of a structural steel member at a commercial construction site in Brisbane. It appears a small metal shard was violently ejected from the cutting work and struck his neck. No guarding was fitted to the angle grinder at the time.
Worker seriously injured in construction site fall
In June 2021, a worker suffered serious facial and rib injuries when he fell 3.3 metres from a second story sub-floor level to the first story sub-floor level at a construction site. Early enquiries indicate he was attempting to fix a sheet of bracing plywood to a timber frame. It appears he constructed an improvised scaffold and placed it over a void to gain access to the frame, but then fell from it.