Some quick checks and routine maintenance could have prevented the explosion of a storage water heater outside a home in Perth’s north, according to Building and Energy inspectors who attended the site. The incident is a timely reminder for owners of all storage water heaters – gas, electric and solar – to follow the recommended maintenance schedule, which usually involves simple checks every few...

Rand Transport (1986) Pty Ltd was handed a $45,000 fine and a $2900 costs penalty in the Perth Magistrate Court following serious ammonia gas burns to a contract worker. Rand, a cold storage food distributor, pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace where contractors were not exposed to hazards. On 11 December 2014, during the construction of a dividing wall within a...

Axedale Holdings Pty Ltd, trading as Shaw’s Cartage Contractors, was fined in relation to the deaths of two labourers. The deaths were caused by falling concrete tilt-up panels at a Perth construction site. Axedale, among three parties charged, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of workers, and that failure causing the death of Joseph McDermott and Gerard Bradley. The fine totalled $...

Building and Energy (formerly EnergySafety) and WorkSafe have issued a reminder on the importance of understanding and avoiding the electrical hazards in roof spaces, with new regulations coming into effect on Monday (14 May 2018). Director of Energy Safety Ken Bowron today cautioned homeowners to be mindful of the electrical hazards in roof spaces. “Homeowners may need to access the roof space...