09:54 pm, Tuesday 31 July, 2012

An oil and gas company has been convicted for the second time over workplace health and safety charges.

WorkSafe VIC told the Sale Magistrates Court today that a leaking underground pipe in November 2009 prompted repairs. However, the pipes were not safely isolated and 650kg of highly combustible gas escaped.

The Court was told the team working on the repairs were given incorrect information when they were told that the pressure in the pipe was at a very low level when it was actually at high levels. When a valve was opened, a high-pressure gas caused a hose flail about and a worker suffered bruised ribs.

Magistrate Clive Alsop convicted and fined the company $40,000 after it pleaded guilty to failing to provide sufficient training or supervision to its employees in relation to the draining and depressurising of gas pipes.

WorkSafe’s acting General Manager for Health and Safety Operations, Jarrod Edwards, said greater level of risk control is required for major hazards facilities because of potential impact on the wider community.

“Those who operate major hazards facilities have the legal responsibility for safety on their sites and WorkSafe will take action to ensure appropriate systems are in place.

“WorkSafe’s expectation is that industry standards are not only maintained, but efforts are made to further reduce risks where possible.

“Maintenance must be kept up to date and safety procedures have to be monitored and tested to ensure incidents do not occur.”

Magistrate Alsop was informed technicians did not see a pressure transmitter located on the pipeline and instrument diagram. The company also failed to identify the person in charge of the workers undertaking the work; determine what type of gas in line to be drained or depressurised and whether breathing apparatus was necessary; and determine whether to secure the hose during the task and what equipment was needed.

The company was first prosecuted in 2001 after a gas explosion at Longford killed two men and injured eight in 1998. The incident reduced Victoria’s gas supplies for several weeks.

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06:06 pm, Tuesday 31 July, 2012

ACT Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe reminded local employers to ensure that appropriate training is provided to workers who may come in contact with asbestos as part of their work.

Mr McCabe also confirmed that a new asbestos awareness training course has been developed in ACT.

“A new asbestos awareness training course has been developed here in the ACT as a result of the work of the ACT Construction Industry Training Council in conjunction with employer and worker representative bodies, local training organisations and local regulators. The course will enable employers to meet this requirement. Training of this nature must be provided to all workers in the construction industry,” said Mr McCabe.

An asbestos information awareness breakfast was held on Monday in Canberra to discuss the purpose of the new asbestos awareness training.

“Any worker in the ACT who may reasonably come into contact with asbestos as part of their work should be aware of where asbestos might be found in a workplace and how to identify it,” said Mr McCabe.

“A person in control of a business, such as an employer, has a duty to protect workers from all health and safety risks arising from their work. Undertaking this new four-hour asbestos awareness course is a great way for employers to ensure they comply with this requirement.

“It is important to remember that this training course is about asbestos awareness and is not designed to provide workers with the skills to work with or handle small amounts of asbestos, nor is this course for professionals who assess, remove or dispose of asbestos.

“Professionals who regularly deal with asbestos have other licensing and training requirements.

“I encourage all employers in industries with workers who may encounter asbestos to have their workers undertake the training course. This is one way to ensure that they are meeting their obligations under health and safety laws in this regard,” he said.

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01:30 pm, Tuesday 31 July, 2012

WorkSafe in investigating an incident where an electrician almost died after being hit by a falling three-kilogram piece of tubing at a Macarthur wind farm owned by AGL on 20 July.

The man, 24, was working on a tower at a height of about 50 metres when he was hit on the head and shoulder by the plastic tubing, which had fallen about 20 metres.

The man briefly lost consciousness and suffered spinal injuries.

Paramedics and emergency services were called to the scene and stretchered the man down a ladder.

The man was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne in a stable condition.

Leading Senior Constable David Rook said the man’s hard hat probably prevented a fatality.

“This shows the importance of wearing safety equipment. It saved his life,” he said.

He described the initial response from AGL as “exceptional”, with the safety of the employee the company’s number one priority. “I also can’t praise the SES and CFA enough for the way everyone worked together,” Leading Senior Constable Rook said.

He said it took time and patience to get the man down the inside of the 50-metre tower.

“It was a bit detailed. It’s not something you can rush though.

“I can’t praise AGL enough — they followed their procedures to the book.”

A spokesman for AGL confirmed that the injured worker was in a stable condition and had been flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne as a precautionary measure.

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12:55 pm, Tuesday 31 July, 2012

NSW WorkCover is investigating a coal loading facility in Newcastle after a report revealed that workers were three times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general population.

A study of 859 people who have worked at Kooragang Island from 1983 to 2006 found that 63 employees were diagnosed with cancer. Fifty eight of these cases were men. The study was conducted by the University of Newcastle.

AAP reported that prostate cancer, melanoma and bowel cancers make up almost two thirds of the cases detected. A spokesman for WorkCover said the agency is coordinating with the Department of Health and the Office of Environment and Heritage to conduct a preliminary assessment of the findings.

“WorkCover will continue its active involvement in the issues that have been raised in the report,” said the spokesman.

John Attia, an epidemiology professor who led the research told AAP that the risk of those who were diagnosed with cancer was in the mid-range of hazardous workplaces.

The Maritime Union of Australia’s Newcastle branch secretary Glen Williams requested for an investigation into the cause of the cancer outbreak.

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12:51 pm, Tuesday 31 July, 2012

A truck safety blitz last week in WA’s south west region revealed that almost half of nearly 200 heavy trucks stopped had safety defects.

Police stopped 196 trucks on Forrest Highway between Mandurah and Harvey and issued 85 work orders.

Traffic sergeant Gerard Murphy said the defects included faulty seat-belts, bald tyres and cracked windscreens.

He says some trucking companies are putting the lives of drivers at risk by scrimping on maintenance costs.

“One of the companies’ truck drivers said their transport manager, who was in charge of fleet maintenance, was basically being paid a monthly budget for coming under budget,” he said.

“If that’s the way most trucking companies work, and I’m not saying that all trucking companies do that, then they need to take a good long hard look at themselves.”

Sergeant Murphy says it is a safety issue.

“When you’re looking at vehicles that are 25 or 30 tonnes pulling fairly large trailers, to have bald tyres, suspension that’s not working, brakes that aren’t operating correctly, seatbelts that aren’t working properly, it can be very concerning to the motorists who have to drive on the same road as them,” he said.

Rick Burton of the Australian Workers Transport Union of WA says safety is a nation-wide problem.

“We’ve been screaming for safe roads, that’s what it all comes down to, people are paid the correct rates, employees are paid the correct rates,” he said.

“That allows for maintenance to be done on trucks and it allows for proper fatigue rates to occur, and therefore that would reduce the accidents on the road.”

Mr Burton says too many people are dying.

“We have over 300 people involved in the transport industry killed each year, and yet it just goes down as a statistic,” he said.

“This has been going on for years and it’s just starting to come on the radar.”

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10:12 am, Tuesday 31 July, 2012

The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service have just updated their emergency planning information and it is a good reminder that every workplace needs an emergency plan for the safety of the workers employed there.

According to Queensland’s Work Health & Safety Regulation 2011 (Section 43) an emergency plan needs to be documented with special requirements for the handling of hazardous chemicals or if the workplace is considered a major hazard.

See the full list of requirements at www.fire.qld.gov.au/planning.

What is an emergency plan?

An emergency plan is simply a document that illustrates how any particular workplace and onsite staff will deal with any type of emergency.

The philosophy being that if there is a plan already in place when an emergency occurs then it is simple to implement, if there is no plan then chaos could result in injury or even death.

The principle elements of an emergency plan

The main elements of any emergency plan are:

1. Being prepared
2. The response
3. Recovery
4. The roles and responsibilities

Emergency plans vary according to the requirements of each workplace and the activities that are conducted there.

Types of emergencies to plan for

There are many types of emergencies that can affect business; it is not possible to plan for every emergency but practical to plan for the most likely which may include:

1. Fire
2. Security
3. Medical
4. Electrical outage
5. Mechanical or process failure
6. Natural events such as storms, flooding or cyclones
7. Hazardous material spills

After you have created your emergency plan and submitted it to QFRS there is another important step that is essential in the whole process and that is to communicate the plan effectively to your staff.

Put up relevant signs, information on notice boards and run drills to ensure that your staff knows what to do if an emergency happens.

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09:26 am, Tuesday 31 July, 2012

Safe Work Australia is in the process of developing a code of practice for Stevedoring on Australia’s wharves and they are asking for public feedback regarding hatchmen and other issues that are considered important safety considerations for the code. The deadline for comments is the 3^rd of August 2012.

The MUA (Maritime Union of Australia) has been advocating for a review of the current safety standards that should not only be maintained but also improved for the safety of the workers.

Concerns have been raised, by the MUA and workers, that with the changes being considered the hatchman role will be removed from the new code. This role helps crane drivers by acting as spotters for operators moving large loads.

The intention of the code of practice is to bring consistency and dispel confusion in an industry that has been operating without a standard code of risk handling across the different sites.

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06:31 pm, Monday 30 July, 2012

Safe Work Australia has recently updated the entry in Hazardous Substances Information (HSIS) for formaldehyde based on the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) Priority Existing Chemical Assessment Report for formaldehyde.

The update includes a change to the carcinogen classification from category 3 (limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect) to category 2 (may cause cancer by inhalation). This is done in accordance with the Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances [NOHSC: 1008(2004] 3^rd Edition.

Manufacturers as well as importers are advised to consider this amendment and, if needed, update safety data sheets and labels to make sure they contain correct and up-to-date information.

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05:42 pm, Monday 30 July, 2012

The NSW Government will spend $1 million to help reduce incidents of quad bike deaths across the state.

The Minister for Finance and Services Greg Pearce said the money will be used to fund research into vehicle safety and improve quad bike protective devices and accessories.

“According to Farmsafe Australia, more than 150 people have died in quad bike incidents in the last 10 years, with almost nine out of 10 rollover deaths occurring on farms,” said Mr Pearce.

“Quad bikes are used extensively on farms for weed control, mustering, property inspections and maintenance work.

“Earlier this month a 13 year old girl died after falling off a quad bike near Wollongong – and last year the oldest victim from a quad bike fatality was a 94-year-old man.

“Every quad bike fatality is a tragedy and it’s time for researchers, regulators, manufacturers and the farming community to work together to improve safety for all quad bike users,” he said.

Mr Pearce added that the research will be conducted at the University of NSW’s Transport and Road Safety research facility.

“Through this $1 million research project, experts in vehicle safety will conduct a series of crash tests to identify engineering and design enhancements which could improve quad bike safety,” Mr Pearce said.

“Most fatalities are the result of head injuries or from being trapped under overturned vehicles and for the first time anywhere in the world, the role of protective systems in the prevention of asphyxia and serious chest injuries when a quad bike rolls over will be tested.

“The project will also consider the recommendation of a national safety standard for all quad bike manufacturers and suppliers.”

The research is expected to commence soon.

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03:42 pm, Monday 30 July, 2012

According to the Fraser Coast Chronicle a well-known Northern Queensland Island, is at the centre of claims about mismanagement.

The international Group that owns and runs the island resort is conducting their own internal investigation after being made aware of complaints that have been lodged with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

Staff were allegedly compelled to work in conditions that they deemed insanitary for example pots being used to cook guest meals that were dirty, using plastic plates to serve guest meals and being required to massage guests that had not showered for up to four days.

These issues were apparently prompted by a shortage of water experienced after a desalination pump malfunctioned and a delay was experienced fixing it. This left both staff and guests with no running water available for drinking for a week.

As the issue stretched on for a number of weeks the issues escalated when staff and guests did not have access to showers, staff were unable to clean clothes and allegedly had to import bottled drinking water because there was very little available to them.

The local council is now aware of the lodged complaints and will be conducting a full inspection as the regulatory body for licensing the food businesses on the island under provisions of the Food Act 2006.

New management has now taken over the administration of the island resort.

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