02:27 pm, Monday 24 August, 2009

Worksafe Victoria is investigating an incident where a teenager was shot in the stomach with a Nail Gun at a building site last week.

The 17-year-old was working on a Ladder when the tool went off, firing a 70 millimetre nail into his abdomen.

He was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne for emergency surgery.

A paramedic said the 17year-old was incredibly lucky that the nail appeared to have missed significant blood vessels.

‘In these circumstances (work safety) is about training and supervision of young workers,’’ a spoksman for WorkSafe said.

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

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

07:04 am, Thursday 20 August, 2009

Workcover is investigating an industrial accident where an Oxyacetylene Bottle exploded at a factory workshop on Tuesday.

A 20-year-old man suffered severe burns to both arms and much of his body after the bottle exploded in his hands.

Police set up exclusion zone, blocked off nearby roads and Evacuated About 200 people from nearby houses and businesses after the blast, fearing the bottle might catch alight a second time.

No one else was injured during the explosion.

The injured man’s co-workers plunged the cylinder into water after the explosion but police, firefighters and HAZMAT specialists blocked off nearby roads as a precaution.

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

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

07:04 am, Thursday 20 August, 2009

A catering company has been fined $20,250 after a student’s right arm was crushed in aPasta Making Machine.

The worker was collecting pasta mix from the machine when the plastic container he was using was caught by the rotating blades of the adjacent mixing bowl, dragging his right arm into the blades.

He had to be cut out of the machine by the Fire Brigade. He suffered fractures to his right arm and underwent a number of operations, but has since returned to work.

It was found that the student had no previous food processing experience, had received unsafe training and was not provided with any written work procedures.

On the day of the incident, the interlock switch for the Machine’s Guard was not working. The student’s supervisor was aware that the switch was not operating correctly and that employees could open the guard with the pasta machine still running.

The worker was not told to stop the pasta machine if it could operate with the guard open.

Despite the dangerous nature of the task, the worker was instructed to place the collecting bowl close to the rotating blades of the machine.

There was also no checklist for reporting faults, with the employees only having to check the cleanliness of the machine.

The company pleaded guilty to a breach of s 19(1) of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act.

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

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

07:36 am, Wednesday 19 August, 2009

Commencing next month, WorkSafe WA will conduct a safety inspection campaign of the laundry and dry-cleaning industry.

The safety watchdog says the campaign aims to identify safety risks and provide employers with information on how to comply with workplace safety laws.

WorkSafe inspectors will visit commercial laundries and dry-cleaning premises across West Australia over a three month period.

Inspectors will focus on areas like manual handling, Electricity, Hazardous Substances and slips, trips and falls, as well as issues such as Guarding Of Machinery, Operation Of Pressure Vesselsand fire And Emergency Safety.

The number of reported injuries in laundries and drycleaners has increased significantly over the past five years, according to WorkSafe WA. The watchdog reports that over that time, 46 WA workers were seriously injured and not able to return to work within 60 days.

The majority of these injuries were muscle and joint sprains and strains due to handling, lifting or falls.

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

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

07:18 am, Wednesday 19 August, 2009

Further to last week’s story concerning calls by the WA Mining Industry to reform safety legislation, the Federal Government is close to finalising a national Mine Occupational Health And Safety Plan.

Eighteen people have died on Australian mine sites in the last year, almost double the annual average.

The new legislation will see mines adopt a single, national plan, replacing the different workplace safety rules currently operative throughout the states and territories.

The Minerals Council of Australia says that any miner working on any mine site across the country will undertake uniform training and be aware that their site is very similar in its processes to a site 2000 kilometres away.

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

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06:59 am, Tuesday 18 August, 2009

Husband and father of two young children, Mervyn Jacobs was lifting a seven-metre-long tube when it fell and killed him at Kilsyth in Melbourne’s outer east in November 2006.

The 350kg Steel Tube was to form the core of a roller door.

The incident triggered a Safety Improvement program at B&D Australia Pty Ltd’s Kilsyth factory but, WorkSafe‘s Victoria’s Executive Director, John Merritt, challenged employers not to wait for tragedy to strike before meeting safety obligations.

The company re-trained employees in the Safe Use Of Cranes developed standard operating procedures which were posted near them and among other measures, special notebooks were given to workers so they could raise issues with management.

Melbourne County Court Judge Damian Murphy today convicted and fined B&D Australia Pty Ltd $300,000 after pleading guilty to two Occupational Health and Safety Act* charges.

They related to the company’s failure to provide and maintain a safe workplace and its failure to properly train, instruct and supervise employees.

WorkSafe’s investigation of the incident found the load was suspended by webbing slings hooked over the ends of an axle protruding from each end of the 7.5 metre long tube.

This meant the slings connecting it to the crane’s hook were able to ride up and come off, possibly after hitting an object on a cupboard over which it was being moved.

The court was told another method, which had been used at B&D in the past, should have been used so the lifting points were closer to the middle of the tube.

Judge Murphy said B&D’s Kilsyth factory was unionised and had an active health and safety committee, but despite issues about lifting methods being raised with the company no action was taken to prohibit the practice used by Mr Jacobs.

Mr Merritt said failing to take action once issues were raised exposed workers, the company, owners and shareholders to unnecessary personal and commercial risk.

“Incidents like this are proof that constant vigilance is needed even for what might be considered routine tasks.

“You don’t have to wait for someone to die, lose an arm leg finger or a “near miss” before you take action to protect workers, members of the public and the business.

“When these things happen, it’s not just ‘bad luck’ or a ‘freak accident’. In most cases the problem has always been there, but the trap hasn’t been sprung.

“The good news is that taking a practical and consistent approach to safety, reviewing every stage of the work process and the potential hazards, consulting the workforce and acting on identified problems makes a difference.

“This is an ongoing process. It’s not something to do once and say ‘job done’”, Mr Merritt said.

B&D is owned by Alesco, a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and which supplies a range of domestic and commercial products.

WorkSafe has produced a range of resources on safety with bridge and gantry cranes including a guide and a poster covering lifting accessories.

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06:37 am, Tuesday 18 August, 2009

Springvale, Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne are the latest Melbourne suburbs to be targeted as part of WorkSafe’s Safer Work Zones campaign for small businesses.

More than 170 small businesses were visited in Springvale from 20 – 24 July*.

A further 167 small businesses were inspected in Flemington, Kensington and North Melbourne from 3 – 7 August 2009*.

WorkSafe gave local businesses advance warning that inspectors would be checking that Workplace Health And Safety and return-to-work requirements for injured workers were being met.

Some businesses responded positively to the campaigns by using the advance warning to make safety improvements.

Despite this, WorkSafe still issued 233 improvement notices, requiring specific safety problems to be fixed within designated timeframes.

WorkSafe inspectors also identified a further 51 issues which were fixed on the spot.

Common safety issues included unsafe Manual Handling, unguarded machinery, Unmaintained Forklifts, risks Of Falls From Height, unmaintained fire protection equipment, damaged electrical equipment, damaged storage racking and poor housekeeping.

Four significant issues were identified in Springvale, where Prohibition Notices were issued and work was ordered to cease due to immediate risks to people’s safety.

During the campaigns, WorkSafe also identified 25 breaches to the Accident Compensation Act, where employers had failed to display ‘If you are injured’ posters or adequately support workers who had been injured.

WorkSafe’s Executive Director, John Merritt called on these communities to keep working to make health and safety improvements.

“Safety isn’t just a job for WorkSafe. It’s a job for everyone in the community.

“Our inspectors will continue to be the area to ensure notices are complied with and conduct more visits.

“If you run a business you have a responsibility to make sure it is safe for employees and other people, including customers.

“Ignoring known safety issues is a shortcut to having an injury, an inspection or a prosecution in your workplace.

“Even lesser injuries have an enormous effect on individuals and businesses which often go under as a result of safety incidents or lose key staff and have their reputations undermined.

Multiple Safer Work Zones campaigns are being rolled out around the state, with Oakleigh and Campbellfield scheduled to receive visits later this year.

All small businesses are encouraged to apply for WorkSafe’s Small Business Consultancy Service, which provides three hours of free, confidential safety advice for businesses with 50 employees or less.

More than 11,000 small businesses in Victoria have had great value from this program. Apply atWww.Worksafe.Vic.Gov.Au/Smallbusiness

WorkSafe can also help businesses deal with potential safety issues through its free and confidential telephone advisory service on 1800 136 089 or via the internet - Www.Worksafe.Vic.Gov.Au.

For more information about Safer Work Zones visit Www.Worksafe.Vic.Gov.Au/Zones

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07:35 am, Friday 14 August, 2009

From August 2009, WorkSafe inspectors will visit airports across the state in a bid to check on the safety standards of the Aircraft Maintenance Sector.

Whilst WorkSafe does not have any jurisdiction over the actual maintenance and safety of aircraft, it will review the application of occupational safety and health laws in those workplaces.

Its priority areas are hazardous substances, Electricity and Machinery Guarding. Inspectors will also examine areas of work such as spray painting and fibreglass/composite repair work.

WorkSafe says it has alerted airport authorities and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to ensure that the industry is aware of the campaign and of what is expected in aircraft maintenance workplaces.

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

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

06:38 am, Thursday 13 August, 2009

A Tile Layer has been fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to defrauding WorkSafe Victoria.

The man had been working as a tile layer in 2006 when he injured his back. His claim for workers compensation was approved and he declared that he was not engaging in any form of employment while receiving weekly compensation payments.

However, WorkSafe discovered that he was collecting deliveries of tiles while receiving compensation payments.

The man pleaded guilty to one count of fraudulently obtaining payments over a period of six months and to one count of providing false information under the Accident Compensation Act 1985.

In addition to the fine, he was ordered to repay the $9,836 in compensation he obtained fraudulently.

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

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

06:38 am, Thursday 13 August, 2009

The Department of Mines & Petroleum is investigating the death of a miner at a gold mining site near Kalgoorlie last week.

It was the fourth fatality in the industry in Western Australia this year and the eighth in the past 14 months.

The accident has brought calls from the WA Mining Industry to reform safety regulation.

The Chamber Of Minerals And Energy WA advocates an increase in the number of workplace safety inspectors.

The Chamber says that substantial change needs to be made to the way safety is regulated in the State’s mining sector.

Reg Howard-Smith, the Chamber’s Chief Executive says, “The current approach to safely regulation is focused on compliance with detailed rules and regulations. While this approach may have worked well in the past, it is now increasingly irrelevant to modern mining operations, where there are typically many hazards that are not covered by regulations.

“The industry’s view is therefore that we need to move to a risk management regime, which would require mining operators to demonstrate they understand the hazards and risks at their workplace, and have implemented controls to eliminate or at the very least manage those risks.

These reforms would require a significantly enhanced mine safety inspectorate with a range of different qualifications.

Howard-Smith said the CME’s position on reforming mine safety was based on wide consultation with industry, Government and unions, and was also in line with several major industry inquiries and reports conducted over recent years.

At the Diggers and Dealers conference earlier this month, BHP Billiton’s iron ore chief, Ian Ashby admitted that the company’s safety performance was “abysmal” with five separate deaths in 10 months across the division in the past year.

Later this week, the Queensland Resources Council will hold its annual safety leadership event where the CEOs of Queensland’s 20 biggest minerals and energy companies will meet to discuss workplace health and safety in the QLD mining sector.

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

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