February Updates

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 improve risk management, grow your business and make your life easier.

 

Free Mental Health support for small business

The Partners in Wellbeing Helpline offers free and confidential one-on-one access to wellbeing and mental health support to small businesses. The 1300 375 330 Helpline is available seven days a week from 9am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends. It has also been expanded to provide business owners under stress with free access to financial counsellors.

The Stakeholder Pack from Partners in Wellbeing can be accessed here. It is worth checking it out as most of us and most businesses have had their share of mental health and other operational challenges over the past year.  These resources may assist you to resolve some of the risks that have emerged as a result of that.

Related resources include the

 

 

 

Australian Workers Comp Statistics 2018-2019

The Australian Workers Compensation Statistics Report-2018-19 (AWCS) provides detailed statistics about workers’ compensation claims that were lodged in Australia between 2000-01 and 2018-19, including preliminary data for 2018-19 and trend analysis to 2017-18.

The statistics provide an indication of Australia’s work health and safety performance and include data broken down by gender, age, occupation, industry, nature of injury or disease, mechanism of injury or disease, and bodily location of the injury or disease.

Go to the Australian Workers’ Compensation Statistics 2018-19 infographic to see a very simplified summary.

The main causes of serious claims are:  Body Stressing 36%, Slips, Trips and Falls 23%, and being Hit by Moving Objects 16%.  Perhaps its time to review your workplaces to make sure you and your people do not join these statistics.  If an independent set of experienced eyes will help, please contact me.  If I am involved, it will definitely demonstrate your OHS due diligence as well as probably identifying a few more hazards to discuss.

 

 

 

The key OHS legal issues of 2020

Organisations were challenged in 2020 by many OHS law-related issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an international law firm.

These included managing overseas, interstate and local travel, notification obligations in each jurisdiction, best practice for dealing with the return to work, vulnerable workers and the content of COVID-Safe plans, said Nicki Milionis, special counsel and partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Australia.

“As a result of both the pandemic and media attention on sexual misconduct and harassment, organisational interest and focus on the management of risks to workers’ mental health was renewed and will likely continue well into 2021,” she added.

Another top issue for 2020 was the introduction of industrial manslaughter offences in Victoria, Northern Territory and Western Australia (as part of its new Work Health and Safety Act 2019 which received royal assent in November 2020 and is awaiting proclamation at the time of writing).

See What were the top OHS law issues in 2020 for further details and issues to address.

 

 

 

Working in heat and in air pollution

This summer has not been as hot so far however this time last year, parts of Australia were badly affected by extreme heat and bushfires. Working in heat and/or in air pollution can be hazardous and can cause harm to workers in both indoor and outdoor work environments.

Employers must take precautions this summer and know the risks of working in heat and/or air pollution and protect worker health and safety.

Over the 10 years from 2009-10 to 2018-19p, there were 1,774 workers’ compensation claims resulting from working in heat.

The following link provides access to lots of resources to assist you to manage the hazards associated with working in heat and in polluted air Summer: ensure you know the hazards of working-heat and air pollution.

 

 

 

$250,000 fine for farm related death

Two companies and a director have been penalised $250,000 after a contractor died when he was run over by a trailer while delivering almonds at a Mildura almond processer in 2018.

WorkSafe Acting Executive Director of Health and Safety Adam Watson said there was no excuse for failing to protect workers from the known risks of mobile machinery.

“Too often workers are put at risk because well-known safety steps, such as separating employees from mobile machinery, are not followed,” Mr Watson said.

“When a worker is struck by large, moving objects it can cause serious injuries and, tragically in this case, death.

“Every employer has a duty to reduce or eliminate the risks to employees in high traffic areas for vehicles.”  See trio-convicted-after-workers-death for further details.

If you are concerned about mobile plant and vehicle safety or need assistance with your Traffic Management planning, please contact Jon Temby.

 

 

 Meeting the new GHS 7 Chemical Obligations

Safe Work Australia has published a new webinar to help businesses who manufacture, import, supply or use chemicals to navigate the transition to GHS 7.

On 1 January 2021, Australia began a two-year transition from the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals Revision 3 (GHS 3) to Revision 7 (GHS 7).

The GHS is a global method of classifying chemicals and preparing labels and safety data sheets. Businesses that manufacture, import, supply or use hazardous chemicals should watch the online presentation.  Topics covered include:

  • what the GHS is, why it is changing, and what it will mean for businesses
  • transition arrangements
  • what is changing, including changes to classification and labelling requirements

Watch the Transition to GHS 7 webinar, it is worth 14 minutes of your time.   For more guidance material and resources for businesses, go to the GHS 7 transition web page, or ask Jon Temby for assistance.

 

 

 

Company fined over Bee Sting death

A mining services company in WA was recently fined $60,000 and ordered to pay $6,000 in costs over the death of a contractor who suffered a severe allergic reaction after being stung by a bee in February 2018.

The 34-year-occupational lung diseases engineering surveyor was working alone at Iluka Resources’ Cataby mine site around 150km north of Perth.

Shortly after being stung, the worker self-administered an EpiPen and radioed for emergency assistance.

Co-workers found him unconscious and unresponsive some minutes later. A site medic and St John’s Ambulance paramedics were unable to revive him.

The worker was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital and placed in an induced coma, but passed away two weeks later. See further details here.

I often mention this sort of risk to clients where it is foreseeable that bee stings could occur.  It is important that you know the additional risks faced by your workers, such as serious asthma, allergies, epilepsy, fitness for work etc.  When it comes to allergies to bees, plants etc, requesting that the employee carry an EpiPen with them seems reasonable and all personnel should have a means to get immediate assistance should an incident occur.

 

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