Saving lives and preventing electrocution of its workers was the motivation behind Southern Grampians Shire Council’s customised ‘height limiter’ system, which was named one of the WorkSafe Awards Monthly Champions.
The development of the system was led by Council Risk Assessment Officer Phillip Gillin, who identified the serious risk Council’s Infrastructure Maintenance Team faced when working close to no go zones around power lines.
Working near power lines is a major national safety issue because of the number of deaths and serious injuries that occur each year. People or machines don’t have to touch power lines to get a shock; getting within three metres can result in electricity arcing into them.
Phillip Gillin said workers sometimes have to use backhoes near high voltage power lines, and were faced with the prospect of serious injury or even death by electrocution.
“To eliminate the risk Council would have had to purchase a bobcat, it didn’t have the budget for and wouldn’t have suited its needs, so instead Council decided to develop our own system to protect our workers,” he said.
Council worked closely with a local manufacturer, Henry Hydraulics, to develop a device that automatically stops machines and activates an alarm if they got too close to high voltage power lines thereby reducing the risk of electrocution or serious burns.
Phillip Gillin said the whole project was born out of a casual discussion with one of Council’s health and safety staff.
“While it was initially developed in response to the backhoe issue, the unit can be retrofitted to suit other equipment like tippers, cherry pickers and cranes,” he said. “It was really just an idea we had as a result of a casual chat, but the reality is, the solution is now protecting our workers from serious or fatal injury.”
Phillip Gillin said he entered the initiative in the “Best solution to a workplace health and safety issue” category of the WorkSafe Awards to get some recognition for the Southern Grampians Shire Council and its innovative efforts in protecting workers.
The WorkSafe Awards have been expanded and improved this year, introducing quick and easy online entry, broader categories and a public voting system that will help highlight Victoria’s greatest workplace success stories.
