January 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.
Safety in hot weather
Heat is a hazard in many Australian workplaces, whether work is performed indoors or outdoors, so we have published a new guide on working in heat.With our current heatwave conditions, the following information should assist safe operations. Safe Work Australia has published a new Guide for managing the risks of working heat. You can access the new guide and more information on our website.
People in control of the workplace, such as managers and supervisors, and workers all have duties under work health and safety laws to manage risks to worker health and safety, such as those associated with working in heat. First aid fact sheet now available: See the First aid fact sheet for information on recognising and treating the most common forms of heat-related illness.
The University of Adelaide are researching heat related injuries and are seeking input from health and safety professionals, Health and Safety Representatives and interested others via a short survey, see Understanding and preventing heat-related injuries for further information.
Outdoor work involves UV risks
More than two million employees who work outdoors are not being provided with any sun protection by their employers, according to a recent research report: Sun-damage-risks.
With potential employer liability for significant workers’ compensation claims if employees develop skin cancers, taking steps to prevent skin damage is good for all involved. Take the same precautions when you and your family are heading outdoors.
Employee and employers convicted
A roadworks incident in Victoria in 2011 resulted in the death of a worker when a street sweeper reversed over him. Downer EDI was fined $1.3 million and VicRoads was fined $250,000 following the incident. Mr Wayne Pollard was driving the street sweeper. He was employed by Statewide Traffic Control who were subcontracted to Downer EDI. Mr Pollard was sentenced to a two year Community Corrections Order and ordered to perform 500 hours of unpaid community work. For full details: Read more…
Jons comment: I am often asked whether employees are ever charged with offences under the OHS/WHS acts. Here is an example of the mutual obligations for each others health and safety being demonstrated in criminal convictions. Criminal convictions have significant career and travel implications in addition ton the incident trauma and ongoing feelings of guilt for the family who will never have their loved one come home again.
Excellent Work Safe Month resources
WorkSafe Victoria (WSV) Health and Safety Month took place in October, at twenty three locations, 91 sessions with over 4000 people registering/attending, the event was well received.
Presentations became available after each event and can be accessed via Work Safe Month presentations 2017 . Make the most of these free resources for Toolbox talks, OHS/WHS committee briefings, management team discussions etc
Are you prepared for Natural Disasters?
Weather predictions from as early as the 1980s and ‘90s regarding the impact of Global Climate Change are now occurring and we are seeing many more severe weather-related events, not just in Australia but globally. A severe weather-related event can have a major impact on business viability so good preparation is important.
Does your emergency plan identify foreseeable natural (or other) disasters and has it established arrangements to ensure employee safety and minimise damage and business disruption should one occur?. The following edition of the, Process Safety Beacon provides some disaster examples and good tips for disaster preparation and recovery. When used to initiate an Emergency Planning discussion, this information can apply to all organisations. Contact me if you need assistance to create or update your Emergency Plan.
Managing risks in stevedoring
Safe Work Australia has released a new code of practice, ‘Managing risks in stevedoring’, to address the high rate of accidents and injuries in the stevedoring industry, where the rate of serious incidents is more than three times the average rate of all industries. See New code of practice for managing risks in stevedoring