07:17 am, Thursday 23 October, 2008

WorkSafe is investigating an incident where four houses were evacuated following an ammonia leak from a fruit shop.

The potentially explosive substance was detected leaking from a 1,500 litre container in the rear of the shop.

Fire Authority crews entered the area in gas suits with detection devices and were able to shut down pipes in the vicinity.

Ammonia is an explosive gas and can cause burns.

The Fire Authority reported that the levels they found were not of an extremely dangerous nature.

OHS News Tip: Working Around Explosives Work Method Statement

Report by Julia Alder, OHS News Reporter – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

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07:19 am, Wednesday 22 October, 2008

Nearly 12,000 people have registered for events during Work Safe Week which runs from October 27 to 31.

It’s a record number of bookings for the week which features a series of free seminars and events across the state.

WorkSafe’s Executive Director, Health and Safety, John Merritt, said Work Safe Week was about giving people skills and knowledge to take back to their workplace.

“The fact that demand for places is up reflects the growing awareness that health and safety outcomes can be improved, and more importantly, that managers, supervisors and workers want to play their part.”

This year’s theme ‘Learn the latest and stay up to date’ encourages people to attend one or more of the free, practical, seminars and events being run in their region.

More than 80 workshops are being held at the Melbourne Museum. Another 40 are being run in suburban and regional areas. The workshops cover a wide range of safety issues, occupations and industries including construction, manufacturing, mining, transport, education, farming and small business.

Topics include Return To Work for injured workers, manual handling, health and safety consultation, employing young workers, fatigue and a range of general OHS topics relevant to all employers.

For the full calendar and to register for these activities visit worksafe.vic.gov.au

“Everyone should treat every week as Work Safe Week, but these workshops give people the opportunity to take stock about what more they can do to help keep themselves, their workmates and business safe.”

Over the past five years more than 150,200 Victorians were injured seriously enough to make a workplace injury claim*.

“The sad reality is that almost every one of these injuries is preventable,” Mr Merritt said.

OHS News Tip: Safe Work Method Work Method Statements

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07:15 am, Tuesday 21 October, 2008

A state-wide campaign targeting musculoskeletal disorder injuries (commonly known as “sprains and strains”), begins on 1 November when WorkSafe begins a state-wide inspection campaign.

Improvement and Prohibition Notices will be issued where safety issues are found. In some cases, prosecutions may follow where serious safety breaches are identified.

WorkSafe’s Executive Director, John Merritt, said employers needed to do more to improve safety.

“Preventing injuries from manual lifting and slips, trips and falls of less than two meters are the focus of this campaign. These injuries accounted for more than 60% of all workplace injury insurance claims in 2007-2008.”

“Despite working with and supporting industry for more than a decade to address these risks, WorkSafe’s message does not appear to be getting through,” Mr Merritt said.

Technological solutions such as robotics and the bulk supply of raw materials are helping eliminate manual lifting in manufacturing. In the health and aged care sectors patient-lifting devices have had a significant impact on these injuries.
Mr Merritt said many employers did not seem to realise that affordable mechanical solutions were readily available and that costs of between $1000 and $3000 are no longer prohibitive.

“These solutions have been available for many years and are a good first step towards reducing unsafe manual lifting.”
Injuries from slips, trips and falls where workers were using unsuitable ladders or climbing on furniture to reach and handle objects located above shoulder height are of particular concern.

“Mobile scissor lift work platforms or mobile, stable steps with a work platform and handrails such as we see in supermarkets, are readily available.

While these solutions reduce injuries, they can also increase productivity and help minimise business costs associated with managing claims and potential legal and reputational issues.

“Creating a safer, more productive workplace requires thought and action. Once the process has begun, it must be followed through. Too often WorkSafe inspectors find that plans have been developed, but not put into effect.

WorkSafe has publications aimed at industries of all types.

OHS News Tip: Manual Handling Work Method Statement

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07:15 am, Tuesday 21 October, 2008

Source: ABC News

A poll of Tasmanian union members shows 30 per cent of workers are concerned about health and safety standards in their work place.

The EMRS poll, which was commissioned by the ACTU, interviewed 400 Tasmanians about whether they thought union membership was valuable.

The Secretary of Unions Tasmania, Simon Cocker, says the safety statistic is a clear sign that being part of a union is very necessary.

“Thirty per cent of Tasmanians indicating that they are concerned about their health and safety at work, that is very worrying” he said.

“We need to know more about that figure and find out why.”

OHS News Tip: Safe Work Method Work Method Statement

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08:10 am, Monday 20 October, 2008

Safe Work Australia Week 2008, being held this year from 19 – 25 October, aims to raise awareness of workplace safety, prevent workplace incidents and manage injuries.

More than 140,000 people are seriously injured and over 250 people die annually owing to work-related incidents.

Work-related injuries also cost the Australian economy some $34 billion a year.

The Australian Safety & Compensation Council (ASCC) Chairman, Mr Bill Scales AO, has encouraged all Australians to get involved in national Safe Work Australia Week and make workplace safety a priority.

Scales said that that over 3000 organisations from a diverse range of industries across Australia are participating in Safe Work Australia Week.

The construction industry will be targeted in particular during the week. Representing 9 per cent of the Australian workforce, this industry still accounts for a large proportion of work-related accidents, with an incident rate well above Australia’s average rate.

Other industries, such as manufacturing, transport and mining also have incident rates higher than the national average.

The ASCC website has a range of information about Safe Work Australia Week including industry workplace safety statistics and links to each state and territory WorkCover and WorkSafe organisation.

The Safety conference will incorporate research, workshops and case studies relating to safety in the workplace.

OHS News Tip: Safe Work Method Work Method Statement

Report by Julia Alder, OHS News Reporter – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

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08:04 am, Monday 20 October, 2008

A recent survey of police in South Australia has found many officers in need of help for psychological “distress”.

The survey of 918 frontline officers was conducted by psychologists, Professor Maureen Dollard and Dr Peter Winwood, from the Work and Stress Research Group at UniS.

The Police Association of SA said aspects of the survey results were “a concern” and urgent action was needed for a better system to support at-risk officers.

The aim of the survey was to investigate the potential psychological risks to police so that suitable OH&S policies could be developed to protect officers.

It found some of the key factors linked with psychological distress were physical injury, verbal abuse, attending fatal accidents and using force to restrain offenders.

Manifestations of psychological distress identified in the survey included post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, alcohol use, cardiac, blood pressure and circulation problems.

The survey also identified lower levels of job satisfaction and an increased risk of staff turnover.

Pressures on police who, unlike other workers were compelled by their oath to stand in harm’s way, made them prone to levels of stress higher than those in the general community.

OHS News Tip: Safe Work Method Work Method Statement

Report by Julia Alder, OHS News Reporter – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

07:58 am, Monday 20 October, 2008

Source: ABC News

South Australia’s unions will again lobby the State Government on WorkCover after the weekend’s Labor Party conference agreed to soften the effects of the controversial laws.

A resolution was passed calling for a number of measures to be considered, including a safety net for low-paid workers.

The Government says it will discuss the proposals, but will not commit to changing the laws.

Manufacturing Workers Union spokesperson John Camillo says the laws will be up for review next year.

“The mechanism we’ve put in place is to get the Labor Government sitting down and consulting and getting a few things in place,” he said.

“The key issue for us is the review in 2009, where we’ll be engaging in regards to problems facing workers who are injured and then we’ll be sitting down with the State Government and looking how we’re going to fix those issues up.”

Industrial Relations Minister Paul Caica says he will consider the proposal, but says the Government does not plan to change the legislation.

“The WorkCover legislation will not be reopened between now and 2010,” he said.

OHS News Tip: Safe Work Method Work Method Statement

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07:48 am, Monday 20 October, 2008

SafeWork SA will be running mining safety workshops in South Australia over the next four weeks to raise awareness about safety in the workplace.

Graham Sauer, SafeWork’s Inspector of Mines and Major Hazards Facilities, will give a talk on principal/contractor relations in the mining industry, including safety issues and solutions.

Sauer will also deliver findings from some coronial inquiries which are related to contractor and mine operations.

SafeWork SA’s chief advisor of compliance investigation, Carl Asker, will also be available to discuss changes to licensing requirements for operators of high risk plants.

The workshops are free to attend and are aimed at preventing incidents of harm at work.

OHS News Tip: Mining Industry Work Method Statement

Report by Julia Alder, OHS News Reporter – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

07:34 am, Monday 20 October, 2008

A stock feed manufacturer has been fined $150,000 for a 2006 incident in which a worker died after a large cement mixer was activated while he was inside cleaning it.

WorkCover NSW found the company had failed to ensure employees could only enter the mixer once the plant had been isolated from the electrical supply and locked out. It had also failed to undertake adequate risk assessments of the mixer.

The task of cleaning the mixer was required to be performed up to 20 times a day.  The mixer’s interior was not lit and there was no guarantee the isolation system was functioning properly.

Although the company fitted guarding and interlocking devices to the mixer promptly after the incident, the sentencing judge said employers were required to be diligent in managing potential risks, rather than simply reacting to incidents.

OHS News Tip: Lock-Out Of Plant and Equipment Work Method Statement
OHS News Tip: Cement Mixer Usuage Work Method Statement

Report by Julia Alder, OHS News Reporter – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

07:26 am, Monday 20 October, 2008

As of 13 October 2008, new major hazard facility (MHF) laws came into effect.

In addition to Dangerous Goods notification, the legislation now requires notification to WorkCover NSW.

Operators of MHFs as of 13 October should notify WorkCover NSW by 12 January 2009.

Notification is compulsory for all facilities where the total quantity of any Schedule 8 material present or likely to be present exceeds 10% of the corresponding threshold quantity set out in the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001.

This includes facilities with more than 20t of LPG, 2.5t of chlorine gas, more than 20t of oxidising materials or more than 5000t of flammable liquids.

More information on notifications and MHFs are available from the Major Hazard Facilities Guide on the WorkCover website.

OHS News Tip:

• Hazardous Materials Safe Work Method Statement
• Working Around Explosives Work Method Statement
• Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) Safe Work Method Statement

  Report by Julia Alder, OHS News Reporter – Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know