Electrical fatalities 2006–07

The Electrical Safety Office is committed to reducing the number of injuries and deaths caused by electricity.

The Electrical Safety Act 2002 has helped reduce electrical fatalities from 3.6 per million in the five years to June 2001 to 1.01 per million in the five years to June 2007. This is well below the national average of 1.9 deaths per million.

In the last financial year the following fatalities occurred:

1. In August 2006, a person on a ladder was nailing panelling when he made contact with a live conductor.
2. In August 2006, an electrical worker was found deceased in the switch room of a commercial building. Evidence suggested contact had been made with the live equipment of the switchboard.
3. In January 2007, a person received a fatal electric shock after contacting a high voltage powerline with an aluminium irrigation pipe.
4. In January 2007, a person was found deceased near electrical equipment. The pin of a three pin plug was energised to 240 volts.
5. In March 2007, a person contacted a live fallen overhead conductor while walking in an easement to investigate a loss of supply to his home.
6. In June 2007, a farmer was repairing the sprinkler head on a lateral irrigator when the opposite end of the boom made contact with 11kV overhead lines.