07:58 pm, Tuesday 29 September, 2009

WorkSafe is investigating an explosion last week at an industrial Gas Plant in Preston.

A 45-year-old man suffered serious injuries in the explosion.

The man was filling a bank of nine oxygen bottles used in the health care industry when the explosion happened.

The valve and shoulder of an oxygen cylinder were blown off in the blast.

A colleague got the injured man into an emergency shower before ambulance officers arrived, stabilised him and took him to the Alfred Hospital.

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

07:58 pm, Saturday 19 September, 2009

A contractor has been killed after becoming wedged between machinery at the Coca-Cola factory in Sydney’s west.

Police said the 48-year-old man was killed instantly while carrying out Maintenance Work On A Production line.

Coca-Cola Amatil has temporarily closed its Northmead site while the man’s death is being investigated by police and WorkCover.

Coca-Cola Amatil said it was co-operating fully with investigating authorities.

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

07:58 pm, Saturday 19 September, 2009

A Victorian business has been ordered to improve safety practices after a man was hit by aForklift last week.

The worker was walking beside a forklift carrying 660kg of stone cladding when he tripped.

The forklift did not stop in time and the man was hit. He was taken to hospital where he had surgery to his leg.

WorkSafe has issued a safety improvement notice requiring changes to work practices.

WorkSafe’s Executive Director, John Merritt said separating pedestrians and forklifts was a must in workplaces.

“There is no shortage of fatalities or serious and permanent injuries caused by loads falling from forklifts or pedestrians being hit by these machines.

“We are serious about reducing the number of deaths and injuries in Victorian workplaces, and we expect employers and workers to be too.”

Forklift drivers should also check that they have a current licence to perform high risk work. The licence replaces the old Certificate of Competency or Ticket.

The licence is intended to ensure skills levels are maintained and to reduce the incidence of fraud.

Old certificates issued before 31 March 1995 have now expired and must be renewed.

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

07:50 pm, Saturday 19 September, 2009

The Australian Workers Union (AWU) has called for a new national strategy to identify and remove Asbestos from all homes, schools and worksites by 2030

The AWU is also pushing for a registry of buildings containing asbestos.

“This slow-moving catastrophe has destroyed the lives of thousands of workers and will kill and maim thousands more over the next 20 years,” said Paul Howes, national secretary of the AWU. Breathing asbestos fibers is closely linked to serious respiratory diseases including lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen.

A recent report by Safe Work Australia, said the number of new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year had increased dramatically since 1982, the first year of complete national data.

In 2006, there were 486 deaths attributed to mesothelioma in Australia, the report said.

According to the report, the age-adjusted death rate in Australia due to mesothelioma was 23 deaths per million population. This compares to a U.S. rate of about 14 deaths per million, according to a study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

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

07:50 pm, Saturday 19 September, 2009

WorkCover is investigating a Tractor Death on a rural property near Orange on Thursday.

Police reported that the body of an 82-year-old farmer was found near a tractor.

A WorkCover spokesperson said the man had driven a tractor out of a shed and somehow had an accident.

It is unknown how long the man lay dead before his body was found.

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

07:50 pm, Saturday 19 September, 2009

WorkCover is investigating the death of a man at a Concrete Plant last week in central western New South Wales.

He had been working at the factory for just over a year.

It appears the worker became caught in a concrete feeder.

The company’s chief executive officer, Chris Leon, says it is the first death at the plant in decades.

“This plant has been here for about 100 years and we think the last fatality was about 30 years ago,” he 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

07:48 pm, Saturday 19 September, 2009

WorkSafe WA has launched an inspection campaign targeting workplace safety standards in the Brewing Industry.

Inspectors will visit 30 breweries across the state to identify any common safety risks, and will provide employers with information on how to comply with workplace safety laws.

WorkSafe says the number of small breweries has grown considerably over recent years and the brewery industry has its own unique set of hazards, such as Pressure Vessels and Manual Handling.

Safety Inspectors will be examining the manual handling of heavy barrels and kegs so as to ensure safe handling procedures are in place.

Inspectors will also focus on hoses and connection points of pressurised tanks which are used for brewing, as well as electricity, Hazardous Substances, slips, trips and falls.

Inspectors will take enforcement action if they believe a brewery is in breach of legislation.

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

07:46 pm, Saturday 19 September, 2009

WorkSafe will begin a three-month inspection campaign on slips, trips and falls this month.

Recent data reveals that 20 per cent of all worker’s compensation claims in WA are for slips, trips and falls in workplaces, and that these injuries result in an average of 80 days off work. More than 3700 WA workers suffer an injury from a slip, trip or fall in the workplace each year.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said the campaign would focus on identifying risk factors across a range of industries, including health, education, manufacturing, Construction, retail, wholesale, Transport and service industries.

Slips, trips and falls injuries from those industries will be examined closely by Inspectors to identify the risk factors that may have contributed to the incident.

Ms Lyhne said any safety issues needed to be managed in a proactive manner before any damage was done.

“We firmly believe that raising awareness is the best way in which to lessen the risk of illness and injury,” she said.

“Inspectors will assess the preventative measures taken by employers to prevent slips, trips and falls, and enforcement action will be taken where necessary to improve the control of these hazards in 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

08:46 pm, Sunday 13 September, 2009

A Sheet Metal Manufacturer has been fined $24,000 over an industrial accident in which a worker injured his thumb.

The company pleaded guilty last week in the Industrial Relations Court to one count of breaching the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act by failing to provide and maintain a plant in a safe condition.

It was the company’s second offence, following an incident in 2005.

The court, however, found the circumstances of the accident were “quite unique” and discounted the fine by 20 per cent in acknowledgment of the company’s early guilty plea and remedial action to address safety issues.

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

08:45 pm, Sunday 13 September, 2009

A leading Rail Contractor must comply with a Court-enforceable undertaking after an alleged workplace safety failure.

The enforceable undertaking follows an investigation by Comcare, the agency responsible for workplace safety in the Federal Government.

Comcare investigated a 2007 incident where an apprentice boilermaker working at the contractor’s Victorian facility suffered crush injuries to his left index finger.

The investigation concluded that the contractor had failed to ensure the apprentice had receivedAdequate Training, Supervision And Instructions in the task he was undertaking when injured.

Enforceable undertakings commit employers to do more than minimum compliance with workplace safety legislation. They include activities that deliver a tangible benefit to the health and safety in an organisation or the community generally.

The contractor will make a number of compulsory improvements to workplace safety. It will ensure supervisors sign off on all apprentices’ workbooks across all of its workplaces.

The company will also conduct a Risk Assessment of all major activities to identify those which should be classified as ‘high risk activities’. Any such activities identified will need to be eliminated or controlled.

The company will also prepare additional training and safer systems of work, and implement a ‘Mates Mentoring’ program.

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