Work Health and Safety and Electrical Safety Policy

Purpose. This policy states Voltline's commitment to protecting its workers, customers and the public from the hazards of electrical, refrigeration, roof and electronic work.

1.Purpose and scope

This policy applies to every employee, apprentice, labour hire worker and subcontractor working for Voltline at any customer site, on the road or in the Braeside workshop. It sets out how the business meets its duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in Victoria and the Electricity Safety Act, and what every worker must do in return.

2.Our commitment

Voltline will provide safe systems of work, calibrated test instruments, personal protective equipment, training and supervision so that no worker is harmed. The business will consult with workers through toolbox talks and the safety committee, investigate every incident, and report safety performance to the leadership team monthly.

3.No live work

Work on energised electrical equipment is prohibited except for testing, fault finding and commissioning that cannot be done de-energised, and then only by a licensed electrician following the safe isolation and testing procedure with a documented risk assessment and a safety observer. No customer request, program pressure or convenience overrides this rule.

• Isolate, lock, tag and prove dead before every task
• Test for dead using a tested and calibrated instrument
• Treat every conductor as live until proven otherwise
• Stop and reassess if anything changes on site

4.Responsibilities

Managers and leading hands must plan work so that it can be done safely, check that every worker holds the licence or accreditation the task needs, supervise apprentices in line with their stage, and stop unsafe work. Workers must follow procedures, complete a job safety analysis before starting, wear the specified personal protective equipment and report every hazard, incident and electric shock before the end of the day.

5.Principal hazards

The business recognises electric shock and arc flash, falls from roofs and ladders, refrigerant exposure and pressure, confined roof spaces and heat, manual handling, asbestos in older switchboards, and driving as its principal hazards. Each has a documented control in a procedure that workers must follow.

6.Electric shock reporting

Every electric shock, however minor, must be reported immediately to the supervisor and the Safety, Quality and Business Support Manager, the worker must be assessed by a medical practitioner, and the event must be entered in the incident register and reported to the regulator where required.

7.Review

This policy will be reviewed annually, after any notifiable incident and when legislation or standards change. The General Manager approves each revision.