07:45 am, Monday 27 September, 2010

A 70-year-old man has sustained serious burns to his body in a bobcat explosion at Lawton on Friday.

It is believed the man’s bobcat caught on fire and exploded after it leaked fuel, a police spokesperson said.

Paramedics responded to the scene and performed first aid on the elderly man. He was later taken to the Royal Brisbane Hospital to treat the serious burns to 30 per cent of his body.

Firefighters who went to the accident site were able to control the fire caused by the bobcat blast.

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

07:22 am, Monday 27 September, 2010

A contract worker pinned by a machine in a Tasmanian brick plant had one of his legs amputated on the spot in order to free him.

The 25-year-old man’s lower body was crushed by an equipment, believed to be a clay crusher, at a work site in Gilbin St. for over an hour on Thursday.

He was freed after a doctor was called on site to perform the amputation.

Two Workplace Standards officers had visited the site to investigate the circumstances surrounding the industrial accident.

According to Workplace Standards Tasmania general manager Roy Ormerod, a prosecution will likely result following an accident such as this.

“We first investigate the cause of the accident, then work out where the systems failed which result in the injury, then make sure proper safety systems are put in place so it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Mr Ormerod said a lockout and tagging system would have ensured the equipment was not activated until the area was cleared. He said they had not yet determined whether the company had this procedure in place.

About eight to twelve industrial-related deaths are reported in the state every year, which Mr Ormerod said are “way too many”.

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

09:08 am, Saturday 25 September, 2010

Minister for Industrial Relations Paul Holloway has announced the events lined up for South Australia’s Safe Work Week 2010.

Safe Work Week is one of the State’s most important occasions in the field of occupational health, safety and welfare. It will be held from October 25 to 29 and will feature a host of activities to complement the national Safe Work Australia Week.

“This event has been tailored to meet the needs of employers, employees, contractors, health and safety representatives and OHS professionals – in fact anyone interested in safe, fair, productive working lives,” Mr Holloway said.

The week will be filled with programs, seminars and consultation covering a wide range of occupational health and safety topics, including workplace environment, asbestos, noise, chemicals, and workplace bullying.

“These free sessions aim to help people understand and apply consultative techniques to improve safety for everyone in the workplace, as well as provide solutions to common OHS issues.

“This year’s event also contains a great new initiative called ‘Take 10@10’ which enables workers and employers to participate in Safe Work Week 2010 in their own workplace.

“They can register online or contact SafeWork SA to receive a package of training materials.”

The week will culminate with the Safe Work Awards, where companies with the best workplace health and management systems will be recognised.

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

08:04 am, Saturday 25 September, 2010

A WorkSafe inspector of 11 years shares his experiences on the job, and quips that his role is like “hamburger with the lot”.

Dan Nolan, a Senior Inspector in the manufacturing, logistics and agriculture industry, says inspectors see everything in the workplaces they visit.

“I deal with people from all walks of life and across the entire social strata, including people from non-English speaking backgrounds and with different religious and cultural beliefs,” Mr Nolan says.

He relates that visiting sites where workers have suffered serious and fatal injuries is one negative aspect of his job.

“This always underpins the major aspect of my role – to improve health and safety in the workplace.”

The senior inspector says manufacturing, logistics and agriculture businesses usually generate notices on equipment and machinery; hazardous substances and dangerous goods; and traffic management, as when people work around vehicles such as forklifts.

He advises employers to ensure their workplace is in top shape by reading up on WorkSafe publications; talking to industry groups, workers, union safety officers and safety representatives; and applying for WorkSafe’s free consultancy.

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

07:05 am, Saturday 25 September, 2010

The death of a man at a southern New South Wales construction site has resulted to improvements in refuelling practices, a senior roads official said.

A 39-year-old truck driver has been killed at a Tarcutta bypass site in July 1 after being pinned between a fuel tanker and a reversing front-end loader.

Charlie Blomfield, general manager of Roads and Traffic Authority’s Hume Highway office, said making worksites safe requires a lot of effort, but there is always room for improvement.

“There’s been a number of changes that have been brought in, particularly in the way refuelling is undertaken, but a lot of that at the moment is going through police and WorkCover investigations and I know the industry as well as ourselves will respond once the outcomes of those investigations are known,” he said.

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

08:42 pm, Friday 24 September, 2010

WorkSafe inspectors will visit small businesses in Campbellfield next month to find out if they have heeded its message on safety.

The safety blitz, which will be held from October 11 to 15, is part of a WorkSafe campaign focusing on the most common and preventable injuries.

The area was last visited by WorkSafe in October 2009- and the safety watchdog wants to know if businesses have improved their safework systems.

“We’re giving small businesses prior notice that we’re coming – this is done intentionally so they can sit down with workers, go through the potential safety issues, and work out what can be done to eliminate them,” said Ross Pilkington, WorkSafe’s Manufacturing and Logistics Director.

“Once that’s done, we encourage workplaces to put a plan together and get to work putting it into effect.

“It’s in everyone’s interest to do this sooner rather than later. Don’t adopt a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude or wait until a WorkSafe inspector arrives.”

According to Mr Pilkington, the same health and safety issues come up year in and year out for small businesses.

“Time and time again, our inspectors issue notices for the same problems – and often they’re things which are cheap and easy to fix.

“For example, inspectors regularly come across out-of-date first aid kits, overloaded or damaged racking and shelving, electrical cords with exposed wires, and cluttered work spaces.

“We don’t want to be issuing notices to businesses for health and safety breaches – so our advice would be to sort out any health and safety issues before our inspectors knock on your door.”

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

08:21 pm, Friday 24 September, 2010

A construction company has been fined close to $20,000 by the SA Industrial Court yesterday over a worksite fire in 2008.

Industrial Magistrate Michael Ardlie heard a worker was cutting metal in a construction site in South Australia in March 2008 when sparks set the dry grass in the premises ablaze.

It then developed into a landscape fire, engulfing a brush fence and a neighbouring home.

Magistrate Ardlie said a man was sleeping inside the house during the conflagration.

“Fortunately that resident was alerted to the fire by the workmen on the site and avoided injury,” he said.

“Nevertheless, he was put at risk.”

He said the work site had fire extinguishers, but they were locked up.

The company was fined $18,750 after admitting breaching workplace safety regulations.

Magistrate Ardlie noted that it had already given away $40,000 to the home owner, nearby property owners and a building contractor by way of compensation.

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

07:45 am, Friday 24 September, 2010

WorkCover has said it is open to an independent review into allegations of workplace bullying in one of its units.

WorkCover said in a statement that it is important as a workplace regulator to set an example in managing workplace complaints.

The safety watchdog said it has “no tolerance for workplace bullying,” and “has firm policies in place to prevent and address bullying and harassment.”

It has detailed the steps taken to address the matter.

According to WorkCover, bullying complaints are taken seriously and investigated on evidence, including an independent investigation to erase any perception of conflict of interest.

WorkCover has also contracted two independent companies to provide a dedicated hotline service for any bullying related concerns, as well as a free and confidential WorkCover Employee Assistance Program.

The safety watchdog said it has developed a Respectful Behaviours Guide for its employees.

WorkCover also said 95 percent of its staff have completed respectful behaviour training over the past 18 months.

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

04:41 pm, Thursday 23 September, 2010

The release of toxic fumes from a water treatment plant at Murwillumbah yesterday has prompted an emergency evacuation of several homes in the area.

Around 10 residents on New South Wales’ north were asked to leave their homes just after midday after something went wrong during the cleaning process of a chlorine tank at the plant.

Anthony Burnham, the Tweed Shire Council’s water manager, said the problems were caused by human error.

Council workers reported experiencing minor eye and throat irritations due to the release of hazardous substances.

“We’ve made a mistake in respect to the concentrations to carry out that process and that’s resulted in the production of toxic chlorine gas and some sulphur gases that then escaped from the tank,” Mr Burnham said.

The evacuated persons were given permission to return to their houses about three hours after the incident.

The chlorine tank was being decommissioned so the area can be used by the Men’s Shed.

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

08:10 am, Thursday 23 September, 2010

WorkCover – the New South Wales safety agency tasked to prevent bullying at work – has been hounded by allegations of bullying within its own ranks.

An independent investigation of the alleged workplace bullying in WorkCover will be undertaken, said NSW Finance Minister Michael Daley.

WorkCover said it conducted an internal investigation but found no evidence of workplace bullying. However, it said a prolonged period of “unintentional bullying” may have taken place at its Gosford Licence Processing Unit.

The safety watchdog said in a statement that reports of workplace bullying are taken seriously and will be investigated accordingly.

Mr Daley had announced back in June the launch of WorkCover’s nine-month campaign focusing on bullying in the workplace.

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