October 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 improve risk management, grow your business and make your life easier.
OHS and Productivity a trade-off? No
The Institute for Work and Health in Canada conducted a study of over 200 companies and found no evidence of a ‘trade off’ between operational effectiveness and occupational health and safety. Read more…
Jons Comments: The research provides empirical evidence that organisations that integrate safety within operational management perform significantly better than those that don’t. It is good to see the research supporting the evidence I have seen myself.
October – Health and Safety month
Have you registered to attend the free OHS seminars being delivered across Victoria? If not, you still have time to – Register here… You could gather your team to watch one of the live broadcasts scheduled between 9am and 4pm on 26 October: Live Broadcasts… Dont miss out on free training and support. What OHS initiatives will you seek to achieve this Health and Safety month?
Young workers at highest risk
WorkSafe Victoria has revealed 49 young workers, aged 15-24, were injured each week in 2015/16 business year. Victorian injury claims by young workers (15-24 years) From 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016
- 2554 injury claims made by young workers
- 1873 injury claims made in Melbourne (73%)
- 670 injury claims made in regional Victoria (26%)
- Construction sector had the highest number of claims at 534
- Retail had the second highest number of claims at 416
- Manufacturing had the third highest number of claims at 361
- Poor manual handling caused the most injuries 779 (30.5%) followed by being hit by a moving object 743 (29%). Read more…
Jons comments: It is important that you are aware of the needs of this high risk group and verify that your safety management system, inductions, buddy systems, mentoring, training and supervision etc are sufficient to ensure employee safety.
Safety Alert – Risks of short legging when using mobile plant
Workplace Health and Safety Qld has issued a safety alert to highlight the risks associated with the practice of short legging when using mobile concrete placement booms, mobile cranes and truck mounted elevating work platforms. Read more…
Jons comments: Short legging is usually done when space is at a premium or the ground is unstable however the risks are unacceptably high and the consequences are overturning of the lifting equipment and a very high risk of fatalities to everyone in the vicinity. If space is short, seek alternate options that provide greater safety.
On-Site Structural Welding
On site structural welding has come under the spotlight as a result of serious safety issues related to the performance and management of on-site structural welding which may result in catastrophic structural collapse and cause serious and/or fatal injuries to workers (and other persons) in the vicinity. Read the WorkSafe article…
5 ways to manage safety and fatigue at harvest time
As farmers and growers near harvest season, there are a number of important steps they should take in order to improve safety for themselves and their workers, according to the Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety. Read more...
Jons comment: These tips could help agribusiness to have a safe and uninterrupted harvest this year.
Safety alert over hyperbaric chambers
WorkSafe Victoria recently issued a safety alert about the safe use of hyperbaric chambers after a serious incident earlier this year involving the operation of a single person (monoplace) hyperbaric chamber. Read more.. .
Jons comments: Hyperbaric chambers are necessary equyipment but come with some significant risks., good information is provided and the further link provides additional information fopr divers and others involved.
Warning over diesel fumes and “cancer time bomb”
About 130 Australian workers are diagnosed each year in Australia with lung cancer as a result of work-based exposure to diesel fumes, according to the Cancer Council. Read more…
Jons comments: This ‘sleeper’ is a sobering reinder to revew the use of diesel powered equipment and ensure that workers are not being exposed to their emissions. Gas and electric forklifts etc can be good substitutes in some cases.
Safety Solution – star picket driver
Using ‘conventional’ star picket drivers involves a significant hazard that has resulted in many serious hand injuries over the years, including fractures and serious lacerations.
As a picket is driven deeper, it effectively becomes shorter and the driver’s tubular body can more easily come of the picket’s top. If this happens and the worker doesn’t notice, the next ‘downward stroke’ can cause the worker’s hand to be driven into the top of the picket with great force, usually resulting in fractures and serious lacerations due to the pickets burred/sharp edges.
Workers at the Geotech Group have developed modifications to hand-held star picket drivers that can significantly reduce the injury risks to workers. This is a perfect example of why it is so important to consult with workers and to get their input on safety matters. Geotech -Star Picket Driver.pdf
Jons comments: As someone who has rammed in many hundreds of star pickets and knows the risks, this is a brilliant development. It is simple and foolproof. Congratulations to Geotech for seeing the solution and making it available to all.
Businesses need to improve OHS consultation and justice
Up to one-quarter of employers do not frequently empower their workers through active consultation around safety and do not always treat their workers justly – especially when investigating incidents, according to Safe Work Australia research. Read more…
Jons comments: It is interesting to see that there is a correlation between those industry sectors with high injury rates and the industry sectors that do not encourage the reporting or near misses. A bit of leadership, awareness training, improved OHS consultation and better processes will definitely assist and are likely to raise productivity and bring your costs down as a bonus.
Employers found wanting on workplace mental health issues
Around two-thirds of employers do not currently measure the impact of staff mental health issues on their organisations, according to international law firm MinterEllison. Read more…
Jons Comments: A colleague of mine (we are not commercially linked) is offering a staff wellness program that can be delivered at no cost to the organisation, I am aware of some good testimonials but have not attended the program. I have heard that “It reduces absenteeism, presenteeism, boosts your culture & your teams health. Your team also get great rewards like 50% off Qantas flights, up to $650 per year in retail shopping gift cards at Myer, Rebel Sport, JB Hifi and much more” I cannot vouch for it however you are interested to find out more, I will put you in touch.
How to achieve step-change safety improvements
A step change improvement in safety and accompanying reduction in fatalities require an equivalent step change in thinking about how OHS risks are addressed within an organisation, according to The University of Queensland. Read more...
Jons comments: Critical control management, with its more stringent definition of control, is an approach that can deliver a step-change in thinking. Improved selection of risk controls and improving risk control effectiveness will positively impact safety, operational efficiency and cost performance. It also assists Officers of the organisation to meet their OHS/WHS due diligence obligations.
Director jailed for 12 months over death
A company director in the UK was sentenced to 12 months in prison over an incident in which a 51-year-old worker died when a remote-controlled Mobile Elevated Working Platform he was loading onto a truck fell from the ramps and crushed him. Read more…
Jons Comments: The legislation is the UK is similar to ours and director Due Diligence obligations are much the same as well, so “This case should act as a stark warning to all company directors of their personal responsibility to protect their workers’ health and safety and the tragic consequences when they fail.” Unfortunately I have recently seen two local organisations where their company directors are exposed to risks equivalent to this and they appear to be complacent about addressing the risks.
OHS Construction Forum (Vic) 2016
The Safety Institute of Australia is inviting interested people to the complementary OHS Construction forum that will be held on Monday 24 October at RMIT University. Read more…
Jons comments: as a regular speaker at past SIA/RMIT Construction safety forums, this session should be of interest to all associated with the construction industry.
Health and Safety in the Agricultural Industry
Safe Work Australia has released a new publication, Work Health and Safety in the Agricultural Industry. The report identifies key risks faced by workers in the agricultural industry and provides statistics about injuries, fatalities and workers’ compensation, including how the agricultural industry compares with other industries.
Jons comments: Key findings include:
- The fatality rate in the agricultural industry is significantly higher than the all industry average.
- Around three quarters of fatalities in the agricultural industry involved vehicles.
- Over half of serious workers’ compensation claims in the agricultural industry resulted from body stressing injuries (primarily Manual Handling) or being hit by moving objects.
Are you doing enough to manage your risks?