Agreed statement of facts
5The following facts were agreed:
(a) The defendant carried on business as a plumber, drainer and gasfitter providing plumbing services in the Rutherford district in the State of New South Wales.
(b) At all material times the defendant employed Mr Allwood as an apprentice plumber.
(c) The defendant was retained to carry out an inspection of and repair work to a leaking water pipe at the Rutherford premises, which was a domestic house.
(d) The occupier of the premises, Mr Millett, showed the defendant where the water was leaking from a pipe located under the bathroom and toilet area of the subject premises. The defendant inspected the area beneath the bathroom and toilet area of the house.
(e) The defendant arranged for an extension power lead to be plugged into a power point in the bathroom of the premises before feeding the extension cord out through the bathroom window to the area adjacent to the leaking water pipe.
(f) The defendant arranged for the water supply to be shut off.
(g) The defendant determined to repair the leak by removing and replacing a length of the water pipe. The pipe to be cut was a galvanised pipe approximately 25 mm in diameter. At the point where it was to be cut, it extended vertically up a wall and was affixed to the inside edge of a timber bearer by retaining saddles. A second existing copper hot water pipe was also in situ along the bearer.
(h) A three core (two core and one earth) electrical cable was also affixed to the bearer by retaining saddles.
(i) The defendant attempted to cut the pipe with a hacksaw. However, he was unsuccessful due to the proximity of other pipes.
(j) The defendant then exited from under the house, selected an electric grinder from his tools and plugged the electric grinder into the extension lead.
(k) The defendant used the angle grinder to cut the pipe.
(l) Mr Allwood was also engaged in cutting the pipe with the angle grinder.
(m) Mr Millett then saw Mr Allwood come out from under the house, bringing the electric grinder with him.
(n) As Mr Allwood was observed coming out from under the house, Mr Millett also heard a groaning noise coming from under the house in the area where the defendant was working.
(o) Mr Millett saw Mr Allwood go straight back under the house into the area where the defendant was working. Mr Millett then ducked down to see what was happening and saw Mr Allwood grab hold of the defendant. Mr Millett then saw Mr Allwood move forward on top of the defendant like Mr Allwood was being pulled onto the defendant. Mr Allwood was then lying on the defendant's lap and legs. Mr Millett heard further sounds consistent with groans coming from the area.
(p) Mr Millett immediately thought that the defendant and Mr Allwood were being affected by electricity. He disconnected the power and called for assistance.
(q) Mr Lawrence, a Senior Installation Inspector, employed by Energy Australia attended at the premises.
(r) Upon his arrival at the premises, Mr Lawrence ... carried out an inspection of the area in which the incident had occurred. In the course of his inspection in the area in which the incident had occurred, Mr Lawrence made observations and findings which led him to conclude that a rough, raised section of the galvanised tee-piece attached to a section of galvanised water pipe (i.e. the section of pipe which Mr Millet saw the defendant manipulating at the time of the incident) had pierced the thermo-plastic sheath, exposing a section of copper wire, in the adjacent 6mm 2 "twin and earth" TPS (thermo plastic sheathed) electrical cable. The TPS cable was the garage sub-mains electrical supply cable from the meter box attached to the house to the double garage also located on the premises. The portion of exposed copper wire, within the TPS cable, was found by Mr Lawrence to be the active conductor of the electrical sub-mains circuit supplying electricity to the garage such that contact between the raised, rough edge of the tee-piece would have caused the galvanised pipe section to become "live".
(s) Mr Allwood died from electrocution.
6The agreed facts indicated that the risk of electrical shock associated with maintenance work on metallic plumbing services (i.e. pipe work) due to the proximity of electrical services (i.e. electrical cables) was well recognised prior to the incident. Reference was made to the Australian Standard 3500.1.2:1998 which provided that:
5.3.1 Electrical Cables and Gaspipes
5.3.1.1. Water Services Above and Below-Ground Water Services shall be installed so that -
(a) no potential safety hazard is created when in close proximity to other services;
(b) access for maintenance and potential branch insertions is not impaired by other services.
7The Australian Standard 3500.1:2003 provides, in Section 5 Installation of Cold Water Services, in the subsection entitled "5.3 Proximity to Other Services" as follows:
5.3.1 General
Where electrical conduits, wires, cable or consumer gaspipes, drains and other services are in existence, pipes shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of Clauses 5.3.2 to 5.3.10.
5.3.2 Separation from Above-Ground Electrical Conduit, Wire, Cable or Consumer Gaspipes
A separation of at least 25mm shall be maintained between any above-ground water service and any of the following services:
Electrical conduit.
Electrical wire or cable.
Consumer gaspipes.
8It was further agreed that:
Having regard to the proximity the galvanised pipe to the TPS electrical cable providing electricity to the garage of the premises, the defendant should have isolated the electricity supply from the premises and proved the electrical installation dead (i.e. de-energised) before commencing the subject plumbing. Or alternatively, isolated the electrical supply at the premises from the sub-main circuit to the garage and proved the TPS electrical cable dead (i.e. de-energised) before commencing the plumbing work.
The Defendant did not have any safe work procedures or written risk assessments to assist him and Mr Allwood to consider and identify the presence of a risk of electric shock whilst performing plumbing works at the premises in proximity to an electrical circuit that had not been isolated from the electrical power supply to the premises and proven de-energised.
The Defendant did not provide any instruction to Mr Allwood that no work should be commenced on the leaking pipe work at the premises, due to the proximity of the TPS electrical cable of the garage electrical sub-main circuit, until either the electrical installation at the premises had been isolated and proven de-energised or the garage electrical sub-main circuit had been isolated and proven de-energised.
9It was agreed the defendant has no prior convictions.