February Updates
Axento Safety provides you with health and safety expert witness and risk management solutions to enhance your business success.
In addition to incident investigations and expert witness services, Axento Safety’s focus is to help create safe, healthy, innovative AND PRODUCTIVE workplaces. Axento Safety partner with you to take the pain out of health and safety, provide safety management systems, reduce the paperwork, achieve certifications, enable increased compliance, enable productivity improvement and achieve this cost effectively. Contact Jon Temby to grow your business and make your life easier.
Quad bike fatalities under additional spotlight
Regulators recently issued renewed calls for quad bike safety following 20 fatalities from incidents involving their use across Australia in 2015. Read more… The Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety Research recorded 69 non-intentional on-farm injury deaths in 2015 and the main cause of these was quad bikes. This link provides access to the range of articles relating to Quad bikes and associated deaths Articles related to Quad bike dangers… and this link is the Summary report…
Jons Comments: Quad bikes are clearly not ‘All Terrain Vehicles’ and are the leading cause of fatalities on farms. So far the makers of Quad bikes have resisted putting roll bars on them despite coronial findings identifying rollbars as a practicable control over what the evidence demonstrates is a high risk piece of machinery. If you have or are considering purchasing a quad bike, read the information in the links above.
IR and OHS – uneasy links, a brief case study
It is frustrating when health and safety issues are misused as industrial relation bargaining chips, especially at critical points in a project. I was recently able to assist a large organisation with an OHS related IR situation where considerable time was being lost by over 30 workers as a result of actions by the Health and Safety Representative (HSR) supported by representatives from the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) on issues that were not associated with immediate site safety. Had their concerns been justified, I would have been their best advocate however when the ETU insisted on a very impractical ‘safety improvement’ for a long term standard system of work, the ETU were not impressed when I explained that what they were suggesting was not an improvement, would introduce additional hazards and that there were better solutions available (I found out later that I was supported by the majority of the workers in this). At about midnight of the final night shift, we got the work restarted, the construction deadline was met (just) and the site was officially opened a few hours later.
In relation to the ETU’s actions, Trevor Kletz is one of the major OHS/WHS authors and thought leaders, he stated in “An engineer’s view of human error”, (IChemE, Rugby, 2001): “It is not, of course, sufficient to have knowledge. It is necessary to be able to apply it to real-life problems.” The HSR and the Union reps inability to apply their knowledge to real life problems is where they lost a lot of credibility. Had their approach been practical, pragmatic and seeking win-win solutions, their contributions may have been valuable. What occurred made them lose considerable credibility and any remaining goodwill and probably lost them a few members as well.
Note to management teams everywhere: Health and safety issues that are dealt with promptly and properly stay 100% health and safety issues. If you delay or respond badly to the health and safety issue, it will eventually become 100% an IR issue. It is important that if you are unsure or concerned by the logic and/or practicality of any health and safety suggestions that you get good advice as occurred in the case study above. Good advice from Axento Safety probably saved tens of thousands of dollars as well as a lot of additional downtime, unnecessary hassle and reputational damage. What is more, Axento Safety’s situation report provided useful information for practical improvements and future planning.
Australian Standards drafts up for review and submissions
Jons Comment: This information may be of interest to those who wish either to be informed of potential changes to a number of Australian Standards or who wish to influence them by putting in a submission. Note: drafts can usually be downloaded free.
Angle grinders: Safety warnings and Safety Alerts
SafeWork SA recently issued a warning about angle grinder safety and issued guidance on how to minimise risks associated with their use. Read more… Plus Safety Alert – use of saw blades on angle grinders. WorkSafe NT has released a Safety Alert highlighting the dangers of fitting saw-type blades to hand held angle grinders Read more… Plus Related WorkSafe Victoria Guidance…
Jons comments: Failure to follow standard angle grinder safety guidelines can lead to horrific injuries, the photos are not suitable for this newsletter but they are very sobering viewing. Make sure that all angle grinder use is carefully managed, appropriate PPE is used, saw blades are avoided and disks are rated for greater than the speed of the grinder. Many big companies have banned the use of 9” angle grinders on the basis that they are too dangerous… if you are still using them, a review is suggested.
Apprentice collapses in heat
A 17 year old apprentice has regained consciousness in hospital several days after collapsing in 41 degree heat while working at a building site. Read more…
Jons comments: previous ‘Updates’ including the January Update have outlined the measures needed to help prevent incidents like this from occurring. This worker is at risk of permanent damage as a result of exposure to extremely hot conditions, it could have been much worse. Dont let it happen in your workplaces.
Safety in seven industry sectors targeted
Seven industry sectors have been identified as requiring targeted efforts to improve safety in order to keep Queensland’s work injury rates trending down. Read more..
Jons Comments: Whilst this is based on Queensland, the targeted issues for each industry are factors that apply nationally. The target industry sectors are: The metals manufacturing industry; The road freight industry; The civil construction industry and the construction trades; the horticulture industry; the livestock industry and the meat processing industry. If your industry sector is involved, the link will be relevant to your business.
Consultation invited on OHS/WHS requirements for inorganic lead
Safe Work Australia recently invited feedback from interested parties on proposed changes to work health and safety requirements for inorganic lead. Read more…
Jons Comments: A number of my clients have potential exposures to inorganic lead compounds. This is your opportunity to make a submission to Safe Work Australia on the proposed changes to inorganic lead management obligations. The deadline for submissions is 26 February 2016
Prosecution summaries – updated
WorkSafe has updated its list of prosecution summaries and includes those associated with a precast panel collapse, workers falling through an awning and a worker injuring an apprentice. Read more…
Jons Comments: Ensuring that your safety management systems are suited to your workplaces and are implemented as intended will help to ensure that your name and company does not appear in these lists and your workers can go home after a safe and productive day at work.
Safety Recalls
The following products have been recently recalled:
- SKL Cables Australia—Flat Cable 2C+E TPS; The cables fail the required ageing tests of AS/NZS 5000.2. The insulation could become prematurely brittle with age. Read more…
- Beaver Brands Pty Ltd—Chain Block described as ‘Lift-All V series Chain Block C/W Overload Protection’: The retaining spring could dislodge causing some ball bearings to fall out of the chain block. As a consequence, the top hook block could separate from the chain block causing the chain block to fall. Read more…
- Fisher & Paykel Appliances Pty Ltd—Electric Ceramic Glass Cooktops; Accessible parts may not be effectively earthed. Read more…