Energy Australia fined $1.5 million after a Yallourn power station worker suffered fatal burns

Energy Australia has been fined $1.5 million after a veteran Yallourn power station worker suffered fatal burns to 90 per cent of his body in an electrical explosion.

Graeme Edwards was highly trained and had worked at the power station for over 30 years when he volunteered to connect a high voltage cable to the section of the power station where he worked.

It was a routine procedure called racking, which involved putting a high-voltage circuit breaker into place in a cabinet while the wires were live or energized.

Mr. Edwards was fully trained and underwent the required triennial training two months prior to his death in November 2018.

A filler panel above the 6.6kW control panel he was working on was loose and even the slightest pressure exposed it to live wires.

On November 12, while working on the unit, an electrical arc and explosion occurred while charging, believed to be the result of control cable contact with live components.

Edwards suffered severe burns to 90 percent of his body and died at the hospital the next day.

Energy Australia Yallourn pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act and was ordered to pay $1.5 million in fines.

The company admitted that it failed to properly install and inspect the filler panel, failed to properly train employees to connect wires, and failed to provide or require employees to wear proper arc-rated PPE while working on breakers breakers in active high-voltage breakers. boards

“There is absolutely no excuse for it,” the company admitted during a pre-sentence hearing last year.

It was avoidable and preventable and should not have died. The reason he died is due to failures on the part of Energy Australia.

Edwards was wearing cotton overalls that one expert described as “grossly inappropriate”.

The coverall increased the area, depth, and severity of the burns he sustained.

Appropriate arc-rated PPE, which had been provided to workers at a sister company, would have provided thermal protection and is self-extinguishing, Victoria County Court Judge John Carmody said on Monday.

The Energy Australia manual also said that the so-called elephant trunk cable must be connected before the insertion procedure is complete, but employees commonly connect it afterwards.

The inconsistency between the manual, training and procedures was a violation of the law, the judge said.

Energy Australia Yallourn pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching the Occupational Safety and Health Act and was fined $1.5 million (Yallourn Power Station pictured)

Mr. Edwards’ co-workers described him as a helpful and respected colleague who always followed procedure.

After initially notifying Mr Edwards’ family that no one would be prosecuted, it took WorkSafe three years to bring charges against Energy Australia.

The company has made significant changes in the past four years, many directed at the causes of Mr Edwards’ death, the court heard.

“It raises the question, why wasn’t all of this done before November 2018?” asked the judge.

The cost to repair or replace the panel was minimal, he said.

A picnic area at the power plant and a Federation University scholarship have been established in Mr. Edwards’ name.

Energy Australia operating executive Michael Hutchinson and other executives appeared in court over the sentence and offered their deepest condolences to Mr Edwards’ family, friends and colleagues.

Additional safety procedures and enhancements have been put in place since Mr Edwards’ death, and shared with other power plant operators to ensure lessons can be learned and not repeated, Mr Hutchinson said.