I am a construction worker based in Naarm/Melbourne. From mid-2021 to mid-2022 I worked for a labour hire company at a host company operating Australia-wide with a market capitalisation in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

This company mainly does construction work for the Victorian government, but also for some federal government projects as well as private companies.

Soon after I started working for the company, it relocated to a larger factory.

Welding was happening near my work area, for several hours two to three times a week, and yet there were no welding screens to protect workers.

I knew there is no safe distance at which ones eyes can safely be exposed to welding flash on a regular basis. So I asked my supervisor when welding screens were likely to be set up. I was told to be patient and that the issue would be addressed.

After several months and much lobbying, a single welding screen on a cable was jerry-rigged from a gantry crane (that was being used daily for other heavy lifting tasks).

It was an ad-hoc solution, but it provided some relief — for me. However, the screen only protected one side of the structures being worked on which meant workers elsewhere could still be exposed to welding flash. In addition, sometimes the screen was not erected and there was no clear process for who was responsible for setting it up or finding it if it got misplaced.

One day I complained to the company safety representative that the welding screen was once again not being used. By this stage I had been working there for around nine months; my numerous complaints to my team leader and supervisor about the need for the screen and then its inconsistent use had been largely ignored.

After complaining to the company safety........

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