On 6 March, Willoworks Pty Ltd was subjected to penalties in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after conceding guilt to a single offence of failing to ensure a risk-free and secure workplace under its stewardship. The court also commanded them to settle $4,210 as costs.
The circumstance highlighted that Willoworks, while building four triple-storey townhouses in Elwood, had commissioned a subcontractor to set up scaffolding at their workplace in January 2023. During an April 2023 site visit, a WorkSafe inspector detected metal scaffolding perilously close (within 10 centimeters) to a power service cable. A glaringly orange bollard signalling “danger live power” stood over the cable.
Owing to electrocution threats, the inspector led two workers off the site promptly. Post-work safety investigations verified that the service cable had been live since August 2022. It also surfaced that the local power company had yet to receive a permit application from Willoworks for working within a No-Go-Zone – a mandatory authorisation for operating within 4.6 meters of a live power line.
Investigators unravelled the company’s non-compliance with its Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS). This WHS management system, such as the Bluesafe SWMS, identifies risks like setting up scaffolding near power lines and requires isolation of electricity or implementation of No-Go-Zone protocols.
Willoworks could have reasonably minimised electrocution hazards by procuring the work permit for the No-Go-Zone, adhering to any stated conditions, or deactivating the service cable ahead of planned work on the site.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, Sam Jenkin, expressed his disappointment over this dangerous oversight of working near live power lines despite them being pointed out initially. He criticised the company’s apathy in executing the pre-defined safety directives in their SWMS and stressed the essence of their Safe Work Method Statement, implying it’s not a simple checkbox exercise. “Failure to administer risk could have ultimately escalated to severe injury or fatality,” cautioned Mr Jenkin.
Scaff Right Scaffolding Pty Ltd, the scaffolding firm associated with Willoworks in this project, also faces charges for its role in the incident and is scheduled to answer these in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 26 March.
Employers and contractors should avoid electrical line contact by:
Email: media@worksafe.vic.gov.au
Phone: 0438 786 968
Subscribe to media releases.
Original article link: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/2025-03/65000-fine-scaffolding-centimetres-live-power