July 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.
Please note: There will not be an ‘August OHS Update’ as I will be walking the Kokoda Track from 11- 22 August. I am unlikely to be able to access any emails or be reached by phone during this time.
Harmonised OHS/WHS Acts across Australia? Getting closer
It is more than five years since harmonised health and safety legislation was introduced across Australia with Victoria and WA the only states not joining in. The Western Australian government recently announced that it will align its legislation with the model Work Health & Safety Act.
Victoria claims that its legislation is superior to the harmonised legislation and Victoria does have better injury claims statistics than most. Being out of alignment with the rest of the country does not appear to make good sense. It is also makes OHS/WHS compliance more complicated and therefore more expensive for all organisations that work in other states as well as Victoria.
Action needed: if you conduct, or intend to conduct work in WA, keep looking for updates and prepare for them by checking the legislative obligations that apply in every other state but Victoria!
Victorian OHS regulations, more information
WorkSafe Victoria recently released a comprehensive guide to the new Victorian OHS regulations 2017. Read more….
Jons comment: Victoria’s new Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations) and Equipment (Public Safety) Regulations 2017 (EPS Regulations) commenced on 18 June 2017. The new OHS Regulations 2017 are similar for most Victorian duty holders. However, if you have asbestos present in your workplace; are a manufacturer or an importing supplier of hazardous substances or agricultural and veterinary chemicals; work in construction; or operate a mine or major hazard facility, you need to become aware of the changes and ensure you are compliant. WorkSafe has prepared some information and support resources to help you identify what to do. They are available at: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/notices/ohs-regulations-reform-2017
Farm Safety Week -This week
This week is Farm Safety Week, and Safe Work Australia is focussing on quad bikes – a major cause of death and serious injury in rural workplaces. Agriculture, whilst a rewarding industry to work in, is also one of the most dangerous. 115 people have lost their lives on quad bikes in Australia since 2011, and almost two-thirds of those have occurred on farms.
Of the nine quad bike fatalities that have occurred this year already, over half (51%) involved rollovers, and 14% were children (aged 16 and under).
“One of the most effective ways to prevent quad bike injuries and deaths is to critically assess if a quad bike is the right vehicle for the job,” said Safe Work Australia Chief Executive Officer, Ms Michelle Baxter.
- Farm Safety Week is a nationwide initiative held between 17-21 July 2017, raising awareness of farm safety issues and highlighting practical steps farmers can take to improve work health and safety on farms. Agriculture page, More information on SWA website.
Jons comment: In 2015–16, the agriculture industry made up 2.3% of the workforce, but accounted for 23% of worker fatalities. Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries to work in due to the combination of hazards. These include plant, chemicals, noise, dust, sun exposure, working with animals as well as the fact that many in the industry work alone or in remote locations. If you are on the land or have friends or family on the land, your assistance in raising their OHS awareness may help to save their lives.
Quad bikes and manageable risks
One in two quad bike riders have crashed, see Quad bikes’ “very small margin of tolerance for rider error”, and about two-thirds of crashes involved rollovers, putting riders at risk of serious chest injury and asphyxiation, according to a UNSW study of quad bike safety.
Jons Comments: There have been 32 deaths from quad bike incidents in NSW alone since 2011. The quad bike manufacturers are fiercely resisting the sale of roll over protection or even acknowledging the obvious need for it. This action is reportedly being taken to protect themselves from litigation: They should be held criminally liable for selling clearly dangerous equipment, especially when good controls are known, available and cost effective. Also see: Safe Work Australia Quad bikes page
Major fine for Victorian Vegetable Grower after two incidents
A major Gippsland company specialising in vegetable growing, processing and distribution was convicted and fined $85,000 for two separate incidents in which one worker was run over by a tractor attachment and another fell into an uncovered drainage pit.
Jons comments: These incidents highlight the importance of having safe equipment, having workers trained to implement safe practices and having supervision sufficient to ensure that the safe practices are implemented as intended. It is really disappointing when that that message is only recognised after someone has been seriously injured or killed: It’s too late then.
Court closes union “Right of Entry” loophole
The Full Federal Court recently ruled that union officials must hold a valid entry permit under the Fair Work Act to enter premises under Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (State OHS Act). Read more…
Safety Alert: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – LPG Powered Equipment
This alert highlights for employers the risk that employees may be over-exposed to carbon monoxide when operating LPG powered floor cleaning equipment such as a floor burnisher or buffer. Download the full Worksafe Vic ALERT
Jons comments: Clearly this alert applies to the use of LPG powered equipment, it also applies to the use of all other types of internal combustion engines being used in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas. The controls suggested in the alert will assist safe operations.
Nail gun safety
With the frequency of nail gun injuries notified to WorkSafe, Industry Education Officer (and Construction Inspector) Brian Chamberlin, writes about nail gun safety.
Nail guns are used every day on many construction sites, especially in domestic construction. They boost productivity but also cause numerous injuries every year, many of which are avoidable.
Nail gun incidents that occur often involve young or inexperienced workers being shot or shooting themselves or their workmates in the hands, arms, feet, legs or even the head.
A significant cause of these incidents is when the nail gun is set to ‘bump-fire’ rather than ‘single shot’ mode. Read more…
Jons Comments: This appears to be an easy fix: make sure that all nail guns are set to Single Shot rather than Bump Shot and ensure your supervisors are red hot on workers skills and policing expectations.
Prosecutions
WorkSafe has updated its summaries of prosecution outcomes up to 22 June 2017. Read more…
Jons Comments: As mentioned in earlier Updates, check the types of breaches that are regularly occurring then look at your own OHS/WHS systems and processes to ensure that you are not exposed to the same shortcomings.