Wannon Water to spend close to $200k on improving operations after worker injury

The charges were dropped in Hamilton Magistrates Court last week after Wannon Water made an enforceable undertaking to improve company operations.

The agreement will set the water corporation back $199,548.

If the total cost is less than estimated, Wannon Water will donate the rest, as well as $5000 to charity.

Information obtained from WorkSafe showed a Wannon Water employee was using a high-pressure jetting machine (a jetter) to clear a blocked sewerage pipe in Coleraine on February 8, 2020.

The blockage was reached by connecting a smaller leader hose to a larger main hose on the jetter.

WorkSafe said there was a risk of death or serious injury to employees operating the nozzle if they were struck in the face or head by debris exiting the sewer line, the main hose or high-pressure water.

The employee was not wearing face or head protection and the leader hose was not connected to the main hose by a braided restraint device.

As the employee was clearing the blocked pipe, the leader hose separated from the main hose, striking the employee in the face and resulting in serious head and facial injuries.

Then on February 25 that year, a WorkSafe inspector attended a Portland site and observed three employees operating a vacuum excavator to perform slurry excavations.

They were not wearing face or head protection.

Wannon Water entered into the enforceable undertaking on November 2.

That will operate for 15 months and involves the following four undertakings:

WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Narelle Beer said WorkSafe would not hesitate to "take strong enforcement action against any employer putting their workers at risk of death or serious injury".

"Enforceable undertakings can be a valuable alternative to prosecution as they offer tangible health and safety benefits not only in a particular workplace, but also the wider industry and community," she said.

Wannon Water managing director Andrew Jeffers said the corporation "sincerely regrets this incident and is devastated that an employee was injured".

"We are pleased they have been able to return to work," he said.

Mr Jeffers said Wannon Water had long prided themselves on their attention to safety and took their responsibilities "very seriously".

"That's why we have learnt from this incident and have reviewed systems and processes to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.

"We're absolutely committed to ensuring other regional industries and Victorian water corporations hear about the incident and the steps we've taken to improve our practices.

"Wannon Water has agreed to hold training sessions to enhance the safety of people undertaking high-pressure water jetting activities. We'll also be developing an internal safety award program to recognise employees who actively promote safety or suggest innovative safety improvements."

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