[ZenGum]

Whyalla Santos plant workers sacked for dangerous planking 60m up in the air



TWO workers have been sacked from Santos in Whyalla after photos surfaced of them planking on top of the plant's smokestacks, where they risked a 60m fall.

Their actions were viewed as extremely dangerous and they were immediately sacked from the plant.

A response from Santos was not available last night.

Employers across the nation have cracked down on the planking act, with dismissals reported across the country.

The act involves a person lying face down on an object and keeping their body rigid while being photographed.

It began as an internet craze and is being performed in schools and workplaces throughout the country.

A Brisbane man died last week while planking after he fell from a 5cm wide balcony railing on the seventh floor of an apartment building. Sam Newman also caused controversy this week after photographs emerged of him planking on the balcony railing of his 40th floor Port Melbourne apartment.

Despite the danger of the act, the Planking Australia Facebook page continues to attract followers and last night had 149,425 fans.

Anti-planker hurt in planking demo


A Sydney woman has been taken to hospital after falling while planking.

The woman, believed to be in her 40s, was at a dinner party when discussion turned to planking.

The internet-driven phenomenon involves people lying "plank-like" in odd locations and uploading the photos on social networking sites.

A woman at the dinner party says her friend was trying to demonstrate why planking is a silly trend.

"We were just making light of it, and we balanced on a little stool," she said.

"And then it went a little further. And she fell off the wall. And it all started with why you just don't plank."

Brisbane man Acton Beale, 20, died last weekend in a planking attempt when he fell from a high-rise building, while other planking attempts have left people seriously injured.

What can I say? It appears that we, Australians, are somewhere between silly and stupid. Surprised?