The Northern Territory News on March 21, under a heading FAULTY WIRING PROBE A MUST, said WorkSafe should fully investigate how the “ scandalous situation” regarding electrical wiring in the Masonic Homes villas at Tiwi came about and let Territorians know if this is common practice. Certification that the Masonic Homes wiring was up to Australian Standards was provided to Adelaide based McCracken Homes by an unnamed Darwin electrician subcontracted by Faith Constructions. Of course, both companies were deeply concerned and Faith Constructions is rectifying the situation described as "profoundly dangerous."
Little Darwin has been informed by various people, including tradesmen and home owners , that the Masonic Homes situation IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG in the Territory construction industry. One person , with interstate building experience ,inspected some houses under construction and declared they would collapse in a cyclone because of obviously inadequate bracing . There is talk of intense cost cutting by some resulting in shoddy, sharp practices . Others speak of people “dragged in off the street” to become instant painters and carry out other work in which they have no prior experience , dodgy statutory declarations , apprentices left to do work unattended , “cowboys.”
The NT self certification system which enables work to be declared as meeting the required standards is not worth the paper it is written on in many cases , according to sources, as was shown in the Masonic Homes case.
WorkSafe has a small number of inspectors-five in Darwin , two in Alice and none in Tennant Creek and Katherine. The inspectorate is more involved in checking worker safety on large scale buildings . Work carried out in housing projects and private homes gets scant attention- self certification with a ballpoint . One critic made the allegation that some of the work carried out in "the bush"- down the track where there are no resident inspectors - would not pass inspection .
In the Darwin Magistrates' Court lawyer Peter Maley was reported as saying amphetamine use is “rife” in the Territory’s building industry . He was appearing for a 21 year old carpenter who was arrested with $41,000 worth of ice in his underpants. Maley told the court tradesmen took the drug because they worked long hours . If this be the case , then it is a matter of deep public concern as it raises questions not only about their capacity to carry out work, its quality , their own general health and safety , and possibly explains why so many trade vehicles are driven erratically on the roads.
Little Darwin has been made aware that electricians in Darwin , despite the so called asbestos safety code , regularly carry out work in buildings which contain asbestos , which endangers their lives. The public is entitled to ask what the NT Government, the building industry, WorkSafe and various trade groups are doing to protect the public, trademen. It is a subject you would expect to be followed up by an in depth probe by the media. MORE TO COME .
