06:33 pm, Friday 30 July, 2010

WorkSafe will be going to western Victoria next week to conduct field days for agricultural workers.

The safety watchdog will grace field days Sheepvention (2-3 August) and the Mallee Machinery field days (4-5 August) to inform the farming community of workplace safety in a neutral setting.

“We set up stands at major field days to help industry with some of the issues they face. Taking the opportunity and making a five or ten minute investment in the future,” WorkSafe’s Ross Pilkington said.

WorkSafe records about 500 work-related farm injuries yearly while while six of the 14 work-related deaths in 2010 have been on farms. Tractors were the most common contributing factor in deaths in farmers, followed by quad bikes.

“While WorkSafe’s statewide farm safety enforcement campaign is underway, farmers, farm workers and their families all have an important day-to-day role to play on the ground,” Mr Pilkington said.

He stressed that farms are a place of business and there are risks that must be addressed.

“Getting information, thinking about what can go wrong and how to prevent it and having a dinner-table conversation about what’s at stake will save lives, maintain quality of life for individuals & families and keep people working in regional communities.”

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06:04 pm, Friday 30 July, 2010

The construction of a new covered outdoor learning area (COLA) at a public school in Kooringal has received a major setback after the structure’s steel frame collapsed on Tuesday.

The school had been given $1.2 million for construction of the COLA under the Building the Education Revolution’s (BER) Primary Schools for the 21st Century funding program.

The possibility of a miscalculation involving a crane as the cause of the collapse had been advanced, but a spokesperson for the project’s contractor had refused to make any comment about it.

According to the BER website, the project was about 30 per cent complete. At the time of the incident, the steel frame of the COLA was still being worked on.

No one was injured in the crash, and there were no students near the construction site when the incident happened.

“The site’s been closed for the moment and WorkCover has been notified and is on the way,” the project leader for the construction company said.

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05:08 pm, Friday 30 July, 2010

Construction safety is in the limelight at a coaches’ breakfast on Wednesday.

The Western Bulldog’s coaches’ review breakfast was in line with the launch of WorkSafe’s  new campaign promoting the use of the right tools for the job among tradies.

“The purpose of the coaches’ breakfast is to talk about tactics of the game – we’re using it to discuss tactics for getting construction work done safely,” WorkSafe’s Construction Director Chris Webb said.

“Tools used on construction sites across Victoria every day are involved in a third of all construction worker injuries.

“Ladders, scaffolds, nailguns, saws and grinders feature all too often in injury claim reports - and as a result we’re seeing tradies off work, for about a month on average, with nasty yet preventable injuries like serious cuts, broken bones, and sprains and strains.

“Tradies need to think about the tools and equipment they need to do a job safely – and make sure they’ve got them on hand before they start the job.

“WorkSafe wants builders and tradies to stop, step back and think. For example, a carpenter erecting a wall frame at a housing site needs to plan ahead to use a saw bench so they’re not working on the ground cutting all the timbers. Nail and ramset guns need to be in good working order and guards in place on circular saws.”

The safety agency’s campaign is primarily aimed at parties in the residential construction industry such as builders, subcontractors, supervisors and apprentices.

Site inspections will be conducted as part of the campaign to ensure that workers’ tools and equipment are suitable for the work at hand.

“Victoria’s construction industry paid out an estimated $91 million in the year to June for claims following tool and equipment injuries,” Mr Webb said.

“The cost of an injury including time off the tools, replacing the worker, and re-training comes to over $80,000 – without including treatment costs. It makes good business sense to prevent unnecessary injuries by using the most appropriate tools for the job, and using them in the right way,” he said.

WorkSafe is in the fourth phase of its Back to Basics campaign, which targets the most common causes of injuries among domestic construction workers.

The campaign had previously tackled basic site housekeeping, planning for a job, and site supervision.

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06:22 pm, Thursday 29 July, 2010

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05:56 pm, Thursday 29 July, 2010

A drilling firm has pleaded guilty in the industrial court yesterday over a work-related death in its gas rig in Moomba.

The company pleaded guilty to failing to maintain a safe work environment and failure to appoint a responsible officer to ensure the company met safety obligations.

In January 2008, a 36-year-old drilling assistant from Queensland died after being pinned by equipment.

The court was told manual tongs were being clamped onto a drilling pipe when the structure moved towards the man.

According to prosecutor Brad McCloud, hydraulic tongs should have been used for the job. He said the work should not have been performed in the confined space on the drilling deck when they were being tightened.

The court heard the workers were pressed for time, so they decided to use manual tongs to save them about 30 minutes.

The court was told by the defendant’s lawyer that the company accepted its wrongdoing and would ensure the incident will never happen again. The court heard a $100,000 trust fund was set up by the drilling firm for the worker’s partner and children.

The workplace fatality was the first since tougher penalties were introduced at the start of 2008. The change in regulations has tripled the maximum fine for each charge to $300,000.

The court is expected to deliver a penalty in September.

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07:59 pm, Wednesday 28 July, 2010

Truck drivers may automatically lose demerit points for violating fatigue regulations under a proposal from the National Transport Commission (NTC).

The suggestion has received lukewarm response from transport unions.

The Australian Trucking Association’s Jill Lewis drivers could lose their licence if the proposal pushes through.

“They automatically lose their job, they lose their income, they can’t pay their mortgages,” she said.

The Bob Nanva from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union suggested giving employers the power to decide how long staff should work.

“What the draft legislation proposes is to allow rail operators the flexibility to determine their own shift lengths and to determine what they think are reasonable rest breaks that could potentially be done on the basis of what’s cost efficient,” he said.

“When it comes to the safety of the public that’s not acceptable.”

NTC is evaluating state and territory heavy vehicle and rail laws in anticipation of a shake-up in the transportation industry. One change includes the assumption of control by new national regulators in 2013.

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06:52 pm, Wednesday 28 July, 2010

A munitions factory in Gladstone was a ‘ticking time bomb’, the Industrial Relations Court was told on Monday.

The munitions company is under fire over a 2006 factory explosion.

The incident in mid-north of South Australia killed three workers and injured two others.

The Court stated that friction inside a machine that blends chemicals caused the blast. It found the company’s chief operating officer guilty of failing to maintain a safe work environment.

During submissions on penalty, the prosecution told the court that the firm had a ’slapdash’ approach to equipment maintenance.

The court will hand down the penalty on September, which can reach up to $100,000.

The defendants have appealed the decision.

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05:45 pm, Tuesday 27 July, 2010

WorkSafe inspectors are expected to conduct an intensive inspection of small businesses in Melton next week

The inspections between 2-6 August are part of the safety body’s Safer Work Zones campaign, a program targeting small business safety.

“We’d recommend that businesses concentrate on basic safety issues - sort out your housekeeping, make sure electrical equipment is tested and tagged, and check your first aid amenities,” Manufacturing and Logistics Director Ross Pilkington said.

“In the 2009/10 financial year, WorkSafe issued nearly 2,500 legal notices under this campaign.

“That being said, we’re not out to get anyone – we’ll be giving businesses we’re planning to visit prior notice that we’re coming and guidance on the sorts of safety issues we’ll be looking for.”

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05:25 pm, Tuesday 27 July, 2010

WorkSafe is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in Dandenong on Thursday.

It is reported the 51-year-old-man was crushed to death while performing repairs on a 4WD.

The front of the vehicle was suspended on a ramp while the rear was jacked up with a hydraulic trolley jack. The vehicle apparently dropped and rolled back, crushing the man in the process.

It is the 14th workplace fatality for 2010, and the second fatality involving hydraulic jack in eight days.

A 41-year-old worker was crushed to death by a 2.7-tonne steel beam as it was being lifted by a crane on July 14. The beam’s collapse was a result of the failure of the device’s hydraulic jacks to operate in unison.

“Given the nature of this kind of repair work, there’s always a risk of severe injury or fatality,” Manufacturing and Logistics Director Ross Pilkington said.

“However, there’s a number of ways to stay safe while working under a suspended vehicle.

“If you’re using a lifting device, make sure it’s suited to the work you’re trying to perform.

“Always put backup measures in place so that if something goes wrong, you’ll be safe.

“For example, if you’re using a jack to raise a vehicle, put a vehicle stand in place as a backup. Where possible, always use chocks to prevent wheels rolling or moving.

“Finally, remember to regularly inspect equipment and make sure the safe working load is clearly displayed.”

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03:29 pm, Monday 26 July, 2010

Operations at the zinc works in Hobart have been halted on Thursday morning after a power surge triggered a plant shutdown.

Reseidents in the plant’s vicinity said they saw steam and  smoke coming from the smelter about 7am.

One worker was affected by sulphur dioxide gas escaping from the plant. He was taken to a hospital as precaution.

Operations at the smelter resumed later in the day.

The cause of the power loss is currently being investigated, the company’s general manager said.

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