Energy & Utilities Industry
WHS Expert Witness
Independent expert opinion on energy and utilities WHS matters. Major hazard facilities, permit-to-work systems, isolation and lockout, confined space and elevated work in utilities environments. Karim Ali is Head of Occupational Safety at Origin Energy.
Energy and Utilities Expert Witness Scope
The energy and utilities sector operates some of the highest-hazard workplaces in Australia. Power generation facilities, gas transmission and distribution networks, electricity transmission and distribution assets, water and wastewater treatment plants and petrochemical facilities all involve hazardous energies, confined spaces, chemical hazards and the potential for catastrophic incidents.
The WHS obligations applicable to energy and utilities operations are demanding. Major hazard facility operators face specific regulatory requirements under the Major Hazard Facilities Regulations, while all energy sector PCBUs are subject to the general WHS Act duty of care and the applicable codes of practice for the specific hazards of their operations.
Karim Ali is Head of Occupational Safety at Origin Energy, one of Australia's largest energy companies. This gives him direct, current operational experience managing WHS across energy generation, gas and integrated gas operations at major hazard facilities. This experience is directly relevant to expert witness work in energy and utilities matters.
Analysis Areas in Energy and Utilities Matters
- Major hazard facility safety case and obligations
- Permit-to-work system adequacy and application
- Isolation and lockout procedures for high-energy systems
- Confined space management at utility infrastructure
- Electrical safety at high-voltage installations
- Contractor and construction safety at energy facilities
- Emergency response adequacy for major incident scenarios
- Process safety management and bowTie risk analysis
See the electrical safety expert and confined space expert pages for detailed incident-level analysis in this sector.
Major Hazard Facility Regulations
Facilities that store or handle threshold quantities of dangerous goods are classified as major hazard facilities under the WHS Regulations and are subject to specific safety case requirements. The safety case demonstrates that the major accident scenarios have been identified, the risks have been assessed and adequate controls are in place.
In expert witness matters involving major hazard facilities, the analysis assesses whether the safety case adequately addressed the hazard that caused the incident, whether the controls specified in the safety case were in place and maintained, and whether the operator's safety management system met the requirements applicable to major hazard facility operations.
Permit-to-Work Systems in Energy Operations
Permit-to-work systems are a fundamental safety control in energy and utilities operations. They authorise specific work on hazardous systems, specify the isolation and precautions required, confirm that those precautions are in place before work begins and ensure the system is returned to a safe operational state when work is complete.
Failures in permit-to-work systems are a common contributing factor in serious energy sector incidents. The analysis assesses whether the permit system was adequate for the complexity of the operations, whether permits were properly prepared and authorised, whether isolations were verified before work commenced and whether the permit was closed out correctly after the work was completed.
Instruct on an Energy or Utilities Matter
Contact Karim Ali to discuss the matter, confirm availability and obtain a fee estimate.