Nearly a year after the Coroner’s Court in Victoria ruled apprentice Ali El-Sayed did not take it upon him himself to do work he wasn’t qualified for; his mother is remembering her son for the kind young man he was and begging other workplaces to remember the importance of apprentice safety.
Ali El-Sayed was in his third year of an electrical apprenticeship when he was killed while installing an air-conditioning unit by himself in January 2019.
At that point in his training, he was not allowed to undertake electrical work including wiring connections unless supervised by an A-grade electrician.
Mr El-Sayed was found dead on a flat roof on December 15, 2019.
Ms Salwa Saad, Ali’s mother, remembers her son for the kind person he was.
“He was an amazing child, hardworking and very loved. He lit up every room wherever he went, his laughter was contagious
“He would do anything for anyone. I always remember when he saw an elderly lady doing gardening. He approached her, and helped her finish her work, he even went to bunnings for her.
“I still wait for him to come through the door, nothing will change this loss, he’s with God now.
“It feels as though there’s no care for apprentices,” Salwa said.
Senior Practice Leader in Work and Roads at Slater and Gordon, Alisha Muscara said that Ali’s death unfortunately reflects a culture where apprentices’ safety is a second thought.
“The Coroner found that by all accounts Mr El-Sayed was a good apprentice who followed guidance and supervision, and that on the day of his death he had not taken it upon himself to connect the condenser, but rather had been directed by a supervisor to do so.
“He also found that a culture had developed where a staff member at the company he worked at were directing apprentices to do electrical work, which meant there was a real risk Mr El-Sayed would do that work without supervision,” Ms Muscara said.
At the time of Mr El-Sayed's death, apprentices bore the responsibility of ensuring they were effectively supervised; this was to discourage them from performing unlicensed work on the side for cash.
“Unfortunately, this did not address the risk of employers or supervisors tasking apprentices with electrical work they were insufficiently trained or experienced to do without proper supervision,” Ms Muscara said.
Legislation changed in December 2019 placing the obligation onto employers to ensure apprentices were effectively supervised.
“One year on from the coronial inquest, Salwa’s memory of her son is a good reminder of the vulnerability of apprentices, and the responsibility employers have to them,” Ms Muscara said.
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