Contractor fined over drilling work near power lines

Laurence Victor Shrigley, trading as Shrigley Drilling Contractors, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the workplace was safe and, by that failure, causing serious harm to another person and was fined $40,000 recently in the Perth Magistrates Court over an incident in 2006 when a drilling rig mast came into contact with high-voltage power lines.

Western Power contracted Outback Power Services to perform works and construct a voltage regulator, who subsequently contracted Shrigley to perform drilling works.

On 17 May, Shrigley and an electrical contractor were engaged in drilling holes with a drilling rig underneath power lines. The position in which the drilling contractor chose to place the rig required him to raise the mast very close to the power lines.

In repositioning the rig, the left-hand outrigger was raised and the mast tilted towards the power lines. The mast touched the power lines and Shrigley received an electric shock and was thrown backwards from the drilling rig.

Another man, who was driving the truck that carried the drilling rig and was working with Shrigley on a voluntary basis, also received an electric shock serious enough to set his clothing on fire. He sustained burns to around 60% of his body.

The court heard that no formal pre-start meeting had been held before the work commenced and no directions were given for the work, with the exception of where the holes were required to be placed.

Shrigley had not checked whether the power lines were live or attempted to make any arrangements for the power in the area to be isolated.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said the case illustrated the importance of taking every possible step to ensure safety when working with or near electricity: “Over the past five years, 18 Westerns Australians have died as a result of electrocution. Electricity is one of WorkSafe’s priority areas and a lot of resources are directed towards lessening the toll and educating people on how to work safely with electricity.

“The employer involved in this case should have known better than to perform tasks so close to live power lines, but he did not take any action to ensure that the job was done safely. The case should serve as a reminder to anyone who has control of a workplace that they have a duty of care to ensure that the workplace is as safe as is practicable.”