09:58 am, Thursday 21 October, 2010

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) is encouraging employers to participate in the upcoming Safe Work Australia Week (SWAW) to be held 24–30 October.

Mal Meninga, Rugby League legend and Queensland Origin team coach, will be participating in SWAW by sharing his own personal experiences and spreading the word about the importance of maintaining a safe work environment.

A wide array of resources and safety ideas are being made available by WHSQ, including:

* holding an information session about your safework systems
* encouraging employees to take a break and exercise to improve physical wellbeing, as well as minimise stress and fatigue
* holding an office clean up day to ensure workplaces are safe and clean
* having a health professional come over the workplace to discuss health and wellbeing
* communicating with employees to encourage them to speak up about health and safety issues.

It costs the Queensland economy over $5.2 billion for 100 work-related injuries and almost 30,000 serious workplace injuries every year. The SWAW is a timely reminder that ensuring the safety of workers is is given priority.

For more information, please visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au.

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05:32 pm, Thursday 5 August, 2010

WorkSafe has investigated a school in Melbourne over reports of violence directed at teachers.

The safety watchdog visited the Werribee school late last year and in May following alleged incidents of students attacking teachers.

Several teachers have also filed compensation claims after they were allegedly bullied by senior staff:

According to a WorkSafe spokeswoman, the school complied with a notice to improve safety procedures on yard duty following the May inspection.

In May 2009, a teacher needed stitches after reportedly being struck on the heat with a garden stake by a student. Two other incidents of assault had been reported last year.

Kurt Butyn, the school principal, insisted the school was safe. He said they do not tolerate violent or aggressive behaviour.

“The three students involved in the three incidents last year were appropriately disciplined,” he said.

“Our school is a safe school but, with 1400 students, incidents occur from time to time. Our dedicated staff work extremely hard to manage those incidents appropriately.”

Last year, a teacher was awarded up to $140,000 by the magistrates court after ruling that a performance review aggravated stress and depression. The case is currently under appeal.

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09:01 pm, Wednesday 12 May, 2010

Roadblocks set up at Port Hedland more than a week ago has shown that laws on fatigue safety have generally been complied with, although issues with rest breaks still persist.

The roadblock operation was a joint effort of WorkSafe, Main Roads WA and WA Police. It involved observing commercial vehicles leaving Perth then being pulled over at Port Hedland to determine if drivers had taken the required rest breaks.

According to WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne, the operation showed improvement in terms of compliance with the fatigue laws. However, she said there was still room for improvement.

“Fatigue is still a significant occupational safety and health issue in the commercial transport industry and it’s pleasing to see that transport companies are largely in compliance with the major aspects of WA’s fatigue regulations,” Ms Lyhne said.

“Inspectors did find some continuing problems with mandatory rest breaks, and notices were issued when breaches were discovered.

“We’ve seen a steady increase in understanding of the fatigue laws since we began conducting these roadblocks five years ago, and it seems that the industry has generally come to grips with the fact that the laws are there to ensure commercial vehicle drivers are given sufficient rest.”

Authorities stopped a total of 174 commercial vehicles at the Port Hedland checkpoint. A driver who had not taken the mandatory seven-hour rest break was issued a prohibition notice. Another was issued an improvement notice.

WorkSafe inspectors will also follow up with 16 transport companies about othertraining of drivers and keeping proper records.

“Fewer notices were issued on this occasion and there was a further reduction in the number of follow-ups required, a pleasing result overall,” Ms Lyhne said.

“Although we’re pleased with the improvement in compliance, it is worth reminding the industry that the human body has limitations and adequate sleep and rest is essential to safely undertake long-distance driving.

“These roadblocks are an excellent example of cooperation between agencies, with valuable assistance provided to WorkSafe’s inspectors by WA Police and Main Roads WA, especially with regard to traffic management.

“We have been conducting these roadblocks for more than five years now, and we intend to continue monitoring the commercial transport industry with roadblocks for some time to come.

“A comprehensive code of practice for the management of fatigue has been in operation in WA since 1998, and it was updated in 2003 when the regulations came into effect.”

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11:25 pm, Saturday 10 April, 2010

A report has revealed that workplace laws in Australia are not addressing workplace bullying adequately, although mental stress claims cost more than occupational safety hazards.

According to the Productivity Commission, varying state and territory definitions on bullying, work violence and fatigue have resulted to confusion and unnecessary business costs.

The commission observed OHS laws concentrate more on physical hazard claims than mental stress claims. This is despite the finding that the average cost of work-related mental stress claims is much higher than the average cost for all workers’ compensation claims, in terms of costs and time taken off work.

Inspectors of workplace safety and health authorities find it harder to address psychological-social issues in the workplace than physical hazards, the report noted.

The report also pointed out the lack of uniform definition of “psycho-social” hazards, and that Queensland is the only state to define bullying as a form of harassment.

The blurring of psychological and social hazards means an act like verbal abuse could potentially be categorised as occupational violence.

According to the report, NSW and Victoria have been the most active in dealing with bullying claims in the courts.

However, Western Australia is the only jurisdiction that has a code of practice on bullying and occupational violence.

Queensland has a code to prevent bullying while South Australia refers to inappropriate bullying.

On occupational fatigue, only South Australia and Western Australia have a code regarding working hours.

Aside from the finding on workplace bullying, the commission also criticised the states for having inconsistent occupational health and safety laws, including regulations for handling asbestos.

The report noted that national companies and large enterprises are more likely affected by the diverse OHS legislation than small and medium enterprises.

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08:22 am, Tuesday 2 March, 2010

Qantas has been issued two improvement notices by WorkCover NSW, citing the company’s staff training for emergency evacuations and baggage handling.

According to news reports, Qantas workers at Sydney’s domestic airport have not been given training in emergency procedures. Reports say some employees have not been in an emergency drill in 8 years.

WorkCover has confirmed improvement notices were issued to Qantas, but no additional details were given.

Qantas says emergency procedures are in place, and it is committed to complying with all OHS requirements.

The Transport Workers’ Union says the improvement notices are long overdue.

“That constant wear and tear on the guys, day in, day out, we’ve now got a high percentage of worker’s comp, which is just unbelievable,” he said.

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