09:21 am, Thursday 25 February, 2010

WorkSafe has released an information sheet instructing small business how to prepare an emergency management plan in the workplace.

The safety watchdog recognises the importance of having an emergency management policy to help ensure the workplace is safe for not only for workers, but also for visitors, customers and contractors.

The information sheet has guidelines on worker responsibilities, emergency contact details and work environment.

It also includes pointers on first aid.

Please visit the WorkSafe Victoria website for more information.

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04:20 pm, Wednesday 24 February, 2010

The Perth Magistrates Court has fined a brick making company $70,000 following a 2006 accident which cost the right arm of a labour hire employee.

Apart from the $70,000 fine, Midland Brick Company Pty Ltd was also order to pay $30,000 in costs.

The Court handed down the fine on Monday after the company’s guilty plea to failing to provide a safe workplace and causing serious harm to an employee.

In May 2006, the worker was assigned in Midland Brick’s factory in Jandakot. He was tasked to help an operator in ensuring that paving bricks were properly produced. Part of his job was to clean built-up product from a conveyor machine.

The labour hire employee was checking the equipment and noticed that it was not working properly because product had built up around a roller.

The machine suddenly started while the man was cleaning it. The conveyor’s pinch point pinned his right hand, tearing his arm from his body.

It was found that it had no emergency stop button or any method of locking out the machinery at the pinch point. The guards were not adequately attached to the machinery, and were held together by plastic cable ties and clips. The machine also had missing bolts.

The factory had a plant and equipment policy was being followed or not.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said the case is another example of the importance of guarding the moving parts of machinery.

“It is obvious that a safe system of work in this factory for the guarding of machinery was at best hit-and-miss, and this created an extremely hazardous situation,” Ms Lyhne said.

“A very short time after this incident, a contractor placed new guards on the pinch points of the material conveyor. It was practicable for Midland Brick to have made these changes before this incident could happen, which might have spared the worker a great deal of pain and suffering.

“Safe systems of work were actually documented by the company, but Midland Brick did not ensure that employees were following them, a real recipe for disaster. Documented safe systems of work are of absolutely no value unless they are actually put into practice and monitored.

“While investigating this incident, WorkSafe inspectors discovered more than 50 items of machinery that were not adequately guarded or had guards that were inadequately secured.

“Guarding of the moving parts of machinery is still one of the easiest and most obvious means of minimising the risk of injury to machinery operators, and I strongly urge employers in workplaces with machinery to ensure that it is safe to operate.”

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01:54 pm, Wednesday 24 February, 2010

The Tasmanian Government has vowed to exert more effort in battling asbestos.

Tasmania’s Workplace Relations Minister Lisa Singh made an election pledge to set aside $200,000 yearly for setting up a specialised Asbestos Unit within Workplace Standards Tasmania.

Yesterday’s promise comes a month after an Asbestos Steering Committee recommended major revisions on asbestos policy.

“It’s not just expensive it’s complex, it’s a complex problem,” Ms Singh said.

The unit would be tasked to supervise asbestos removal. However, Ms Singh did not specify if the fund would cover the regional inspectors’ wages.

The Greens say the asbestos issue should have been acted upon years. They are proposing a more expensive action.

Greens Leader Nick McKim says they are looking at $10 million to be earmarked for asbestos removal from schools alone.

“I don’t think Labor can even fund three specialised asbestos inspectors in the regions of Tasmania for $200,000 a year,” Mr McKim said.

“I mean these people are going to need wages, they’re going to need computers, they’re going to need cars.”

He favors a specialised unit but it would take millions of dollars to remove asbestos from schools, homes and businesses.

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01:36 pm, Wednesday 24 February, 2010

Worksafe has released a handbook in its website, which deals with the use of earthmoving equipment around overhead power lines.

Under the Occupational Health & Safety Regulations 2007, Working near overhead power lines is considered as a high-risk construction work.

The handbook gives pointers for employers and operators of earthmoving equipment. The guidelines have been culled from existing WorkSafe ‘No Go Zone’ publications.

The handbook includes information on how to implement work method statements using the machine’s design limits and the overhead power lines.

Under the Electrical Safety Act 1998 and the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, contractors and employers are required to meet safety duties or face prosecution.

Carrying out the guidelines in the handbook will help meet contractors and employers in meeting OHS requirements with on the risks involved with this work.

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09:10 am, Wednesday 24 February, 2010

A Wagga Wagga plumbing company says it will weather the Government’s decision to put the insulation scheme on hold, although other companies are likely to downsize and suffer losses.

Accounts of haphazard insulation, injuries and house fires across the country has contributed to the decision to suspend the program until June 2010.

Power’s Plumbing & Insulation’ John Dohl said they don’t worry about losing money since they don’t limit themselves to just one service.

“We already had a lot of stock on hand because we are suppliers for the Riverina and carry quite a big stock,” he said.

“We might have to stand some people down later, but at this stage we won’t be.”

He said the Government’s decision is a good way to force installers businesses out of businesses who do not follow proper safety procedures.

“The dodgy ones out there over-extended themselves,” he said.

“People have just been too greedy, and WorkCover should have given out big enough fines for unsafe work practices to stop these people cutting corners.”

Mr Dohl said the companies who offer only insulation services will suffer and lose business.

“It’s not everybody’s fault and there are good companies who are only set up for insulation, but unfortunately you can’t be one-dimensional,” he said.

“We are going back to how the system used to be and that’s going to be a lot better because there will be control over these companies rather than just open slather for anyone.”

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08:37 pm, Tuesday 23 February, 2010

A safety alert about crane operations has been released by WorkCover NSW as a warning to employers and employees who use mobile cranes at their work sites.

According to WorkCover CEO Lisa Hunt, 40 percent deaths involving mobile cranes are due to swinging or falling loads and unstable crane structure.

“These tragic incidents are due to unsafe slinging of crane loads, high winds, contact with power lines, cranes mounted on unstable ground, close proximity to trees and other causes,” she said.

“Incidents involving cranes can be prevented by taking all practicable steps to ensure that lifting loads are not exceeded, the crane is on a firm footing, loads are slung by a competent person and the crane is not operated at speeds that de-stable the load with abrupt stops.

“Cranes must be sited so that the operator always has optimum vision of the working area, persons must be kept away from the lifting area, and all cranes and slinging gear must be regularly inspected and maintained.”

The safety alert has coincided with a recent crane-related incident at Muswellbrook that WorkCover is investigating.

On February 20, a sling lifting a truck’s body broke. The chain shattered the operator’s cabin, causing injuries to the crane operator. The crane operator was later airlifted to a hospital.

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08:08 pm, Tuesday 23 February, 2010

The widow of a construction worker who died of skin cancer has been awarded a landmark six-figure payout.

Rohann Crotty used to work as a building sites.

Mr Crotty, 43 years old, died in July last year at his home. He was survived by his 39-year-old wife Jo-Anne and four young sons – all aged under six.

The record six-figure claim is a wake up call to the industry and employers to take sun protection more seriously.

Mrs Crotty, who now has sole responsibility of taking care of his five young boys, is grateful for the payout, but she says that no amount of compensation could ever replace the life of her husband.

“I don’t think enough is being done for sun awareness,” she said.

“I would like to carry on his legacy by organising a campaign bus that goes around to work sites and spreads the message about UV protection.”

CFMEU Workplace Health and Safety Manager Andrew Ramsay said the WorkCover claim was a milestone since there had been few awards of this extent for melanoma in Queensland.

“There is a real difference in the approaches between the civil construction and the building construction industries,” Mr Ramsay said.

“The guys who work on the roads wear long sleeves and heaps of protection but that is not happening so much on the building sites.

“We are trying to change this and what befelled Rohan highlights the urgency with which this needs to happen.”

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09:52 am, Saturday 20 February, 2010

The Australian Federal Police has been conducting investigations into the alleged fraudulent practices of some installers under the home insulation program.

The office of the embattled Environment Minister Peter Garrett has confirmed the AFP’s involvement after reports that dodgy operators were trying to take advantage of the insulation rebate scheme.

The Government’s $2.5 billion rebate program had to be modified amid deaths of four insulation installers and dozens of house fires.

According to senior industry figures, some operators are offering insulation to homes that do not need it and do not fit the criteria set out in the scheme.

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06:28 pm, Friday 19 February, 2010

The roof of a Brisbane school gave way on Saturday, causing two men who were working on the roof to sustain injuries.

According to a spokesman for the Department of Community Safety, the construction workers were building a new roof truss at the St James’ Primary School in Coorparoo, when it collapsed.

The two-metre fall caused one man a leg injury, while the other suffered a cut on his head. The two were transported to Princess Alexandra Hospital.

There were no school staff or children when the incident happened, although the area around the construction site was cleared as a precaution.

The spokesman said Workplace Health and Safety Queensland inspectors are investigating the incident.

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06:00 pm, Friday 19 February, 2010

BHP Billiton has welcomed the changes for licensing requirements of people performing high-risk work.

Pending government approval, the “National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work” is projected to begin in late 2010.

The intent of the new standards is to make high-risk work safer. It also aims to make training, licensing and assessment consistent nationwide.

Olympic Dam vice-president of health, safety and environment, John Hatty, said BHP Billiton backs the changes which put a premium on worker safety.

“We believe uniform national regulations are a good thing for safety in Australia. Employees and employers will benefit from the assurance that competent people are completing work where the risk of injury or loss is high,” Mr Hatty said.

He said BHP Billiton would make sure its workers will comply with the new standard, and it is cooperating with Safework SA inspectors to ensure all the changes were made.

“We are confident that Olympic Dam will transition to the new licensing system with minimal disruption to either the operation or any employees and do so ahead of scheduled time-frames.

“We welcome the new licensing system and will ensure that our operations comply with them.”

Under the new standards, a new license will be issued to qualified high-risk workers. A small plastic card with photo identification, similar to a driver’s license, which will be consistent and valid across Australia.

The new license will require renewal every five years, at which time the license holder will need to provide evidence they have maintained their skills.

A person must be 18 or older to get a new national license. Jobs such as operating a self-erecting forklift will also be classed as high-risk.

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