Insulation company pleads guilty

A Queensland company has pleaded guilty to safety breaches following the
electrocution of a teenage insulation installer.
Reuben Barnes, 16, was electrocuted while installing fibreglass insulation in a
Stanwell home, near Rockhampton in central Queensland, on November 18, 2009.
He was one of four people who died during the rollout of the Rudd government's
multi-billion-dollar home insulation program, which was also blamed for almost 100
house fires.
Arrow Property Maintenance Pty Ltd was charged in the Rockhampton Industrial
Magistrates Court with failing to conduct its business or undertaking it in a way
that was electrically safe, and failing to ensure its workers were protected from
falls from height.
Queensland's Department of Justice and Attorney-General laid the charges following
an investigation by the Electrical Safety Office and Workplace Health and Safety
Queensland.
The investigation found the company allowed work to proceed without the house's
electricity being turned off.
It also failed to provide workers with first aid training in the event of electric
shock and offer proper induction training.
The court heard there was no "specific or documented procedures in place for
installation of insulation".
The investigation found Barnes was given an aluminium pole to position or place
insulation batts and there were no procedures in place for working at heights.
Rockhampton industrial magistrate John McGrath received the plea on Tuesday and has
reserved his judgment to 4pm (AEST) on Friday.
The case of the death of another insulation installer, Matthew Fuller, 24, is due
back in Beenleigh Industrial Magistrates Court on October 1.
Investigations into the deaths of installer Mitchell Sweeney, 22, in February this
year and Marcus Wilson, 19, in November 2009 are ongoing.