Community Energy Group fined for unsupervised apprentice
Electrical company, Community Energy Group, has pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for failing to provide supervision for employees to perform their work safely and without risk to health.
This comes after two Energy Safe Victoria officers observed an apprentice working unsupervised installing solar panels on a property at Craigieburn. The apprentice was installing electrical cables into a live switchboard and installing solar panels with no edge protection on a double storey property. The apprentice had no formal training in the work he was directed to perform.
Julie Nielsen, WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, said it was never acceptable for apprentice electricians to undertake work without being effectively supervised by qualified electricians. "This incident could have easily ended in tragedy," she said. "It is vital that inexperienced workers are properly supervised, trained to perform their tasks safely and encouraged to speak up or ask questions if they are unsure or feel unsafe." Read more: WorkSafe Media Release
To check for any Victorian prosecutions before the next edition, go to WorkSafe Victoria's Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings webpage.