Skip to main content

Lunch And Learn session strikes a chord

26 September 2024

Did you know… that of the 178 electrical strikes this year, half of those involved an excavator?

Or, that if you find yourself in an area where there has been an electrical strike, the area is energised by electricity and the safest thing to do is remain still, with both feet on the ground?

Yesterday, Winslow Infrastructure spent a Lunch and Learn session at the Port Melbourne office with Rob Oldfield, Education Officer from Energy Safe Victoria.

Rob had the team highly engaged from start to finish and reinforced the importance of Before You Dig Australia, Look Up And Live and what to do if you find yourself in an area energised by electricity.

Rob has been making his way around to all of our WI sites and presenting to our teams on safe work practices around gas and electricity. He also reinforced the resources available to us when planning works and the steps that must be followed to ensure safety around energy.

WI LAL energy safe team 1200x627

It was an informative session for the group, whether it was a refresher for some or a first introduction to energy safety.

Some key take-aways from the session included:

  1. Make your expectations clear to your sub-contractors at pre-start and in your discussions.
  2. Be aware of and follow the “no-go” zones to ensure you are working at a safe distance from overhead and underground assets.
  3. Make sure you visit Before You Dig Australia, and Look Up And Live websites when planning works.
  4. When working with underground assets, don’t expect that cover slabs (or naming tape) have been installed.
  5. Written permission is required from asset owners for all entries into an exclusion zone.

If you find yourself in an area where there has been an electrical strike:

  • The area surrounding the strike will be energised by electricity.
  • Don’t move!
  • Don’t make contact with the ground and a piece of machinery at the same time.
  • If you need to move away from an area or piece of machinery in the event of a fire or similar, DON’T lift your feet off the ground.
  • Do a very slow shuffle, moving your toe to heel, ensuring both feet stay on the ground.

If you see something on site that doesn’t look or feel right, stop and ask the question!

Here are some handy links to useful resources:

To locate overhead powerlines at your site or local area, visit https://byda.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html  

To request plans and safety information for your site, visit https://www.byda.com.au/  

For more information on no-go zones, visit https://www.energysafe.vic.gov.au/industry-guidance/electrical/electrical-network-infrastructure/working-around-powerlines

Learning Safety