Dated: March 2011

TOO SLOW - TOO LATE ...AND NO WHERE NEAR ACCEPTABLE!

The death of 1st year Apprentice Toolmaker Daniel Madeley became a focus of the Coroner’s Court in May 2010.  Within that lengthy inquest came evidence that many Horizontal Borers were operating in South Australia in a similar manner of that which killed Daniel Madeley.

Daniel Madeley was pulled into the Horizontal Borer at the premises of Diemould Tooling on June 5th 2004 - 6 years before this inquest began.

In communications with Andrea Madeley not long after her son was buried, SafeWork SA advised that the Horizontal Borer that killed her son was likely the last one remaining in operation in South Australia.

We recall SafeWork SA ran a safety blitz in the Edwardstown some years ago after Daniel Madeley death.  Note - at this inquest in 2010, evidence given suggested that one of these Horizontal Borer’s was still operating in a similar fashion just down the road from Diemould Tooling - which is located in the Edwardstown area.  

It was only when SafeWork SA were prompted as a result of this inquest, 6 years after the death of this young worker, did it finally move in some preventative capacity but even then, it was slow and cumbersome.  This excerpt from the Coroner’s Finding on the 9th February 2011 sums it up rather well:

Page 38 (11.5)

 

“I am particularly disturbed that some 6 years expired from the date of Mr Madeley’s accident, and the first evidence of the potential danger of machines of this kind, and the eventual institution of a program of inspection targeting these machines. It would have been reasonable to assume that if such a machine was in operation at a workplace such as Diemould, which was a supposedly reputable workplace with a good record of safety and recognised high standard of product, that such machines would also be in operation in other workplaces. Indeed, the letter from SafeWork SA states that there are 78 South Australian workplaces with such machines on site but, as at 29 September 2010, only 7 of the businesses had been visited and 6 horizontal borers and 3 vertical borers identified. A total of 3 prohibition notices and 5 improvement notices were issued.”

 

Page 38 (11.6)

11.6. I do not know whether any further progress has been made by SafeWork SA in this project. Despite the author of the letter undertaking to provide me with an update upon completion of the project, no update has been provided as at the date of this finding. It is reasonable to assume therefore that work is continuing. Given that the project started in May 2010 and it is not yet complete in February 2011, it is fair to say that the project is hardly proceeding expeditiously. In my opinion, some greater sense of urgency should be applied to this project and I propose to recommend accordingly.

June 2011

EPIC FAIL!