02:21 pm, Friday 17 May, 2013

Further to SafetyCulture’s story, WorkSafe WA has issued another warning on fake work licences.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch said they have received additional reports of fraudulent licences since after they issued a warning this week.

“We issued a warning on Tuesday to check on NSW-issued High Risk Work Licences after two fake licences were discovered in WA,” said Mr McCulloch.

“We have since received unconfirmed reports that fraudulent licences can be obtained overseas quickly and at low cost in places such as Thailand. Although the report is hearsay at this stage, it is good practice to make sure licences are genuine.

Hence, I am repeating the warning on checking these licences and recommending that all High Risk Work Licences be verified before accepting them, no matter where they were issued.

He said verifying High Risk Work Licences are quick and easy.

“Western Australian licences can be very simply verified in a matter of minutes on the home page of the WorkSafe website.

“Simply click on Advanced Search in the Search for Licence Holders box, then select the type of licence from the drop-down menu and enter the licence number. The checking facility will verify the authenticity of the licence.

Mr McCulloch said licences obtained in other states can easily be verified with the relevant authority in the State or Territory of issue.

“As I said earlier this week, it is of great concern that holders of High Risk Work Licences may not be adequately trained to perform high risk work safely and competently, and I urge employers, assessors and trainers to verify any High Risk Work Licences presented to them.”

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05:52 pm, Wednesday 15 May, 2013

Photo: SafetyCulture Library

A roofing contractor was fined $2500.00 for conducting work on a roof without sufficient fall prevention system.

The contractor pleaded guilty to failing to provide adequate fall prevention where there was a risk that a person could fall two metres or more, and was fined in the Mandurah Magistrates Court last week.

In May 2011 the worker was seen by a WorkSafe inspector working near the edge of the roof of a single-storey tilt-up panel warehouse. He was not wearing any fall injury prevention system and had no edge protection. He was issued a Prohibition Notice.

He was previously issued with five Prohibition Notices between 2005 and 2008 in relation to working at heights without proper fall prevention system.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch was disappointed that there are still people who are not taking risks of falls seriously.

“It is evident that (the worker) just assumed that he was not going to fall from the roof and consequently did not bother to take any preventive measures,” said Mr McCulloch.

“Falls are a significant cause of workplace death, and 16 Western Australian workers have died as a result of falls in the last four years,” he said.

Mr McCulloch said accidents are preventable and encouraged workers to ensure that safe systems of work are in place.

“Falls are almost always readily preventable, and it need not be difficult or costly to ensure that safe systems of work are in place at all times.

“A Code of Practice on fall prevention has existed in WA for more than 20 years. The current code is comprehensive, providing information on the identification of common fall hazards.

“I urge any person or entity in control of a workplace that presents a risk of falls to ensure safe systems of work in place and that this code is available in the workplace at all times.”

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03:06 pm, Friday 26 April, 2013

WorkSafe WA was successful in appealing a reduction in penalties against a Malaga-based crane company and its two Directors.

The company was originally fined $90,000 and the directors were each fined $45,000 in March 2011 over the death of a 22-year-old rigger in 2007.

The Directors appealed the penalty against them and the company. This resulted into a reduction in all fines but no change to the conviction of the Directors.

WorkSafe appealed this outcome and was successful in doing so when the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, restored the original penalties and ordered the company and its Directors to pay costs for both the original court case and the appeals.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch was happy with the results.

“This has obviously been extremely tough for the [victim’s] family – not only did they lose a son, but they’ve also had to witness this lengthy process of appeals,” said Mr McCulloch.

“Nothing will bring the young man back, but I’m confident that today’s decision will at least in some way provide closure for his family.

“The result is also important in terms of sending the message to everyone that employers must provide and maintain safe workplaces for workers.

“Today’s result is a tribute to the hard work of the staff at WorkSafe, and a further reminder that the bottom line is that everyone has the right to return home safe and healthy at the end of a day’s work,” he said.

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10:29 am, Friday 21 December, 2012

A building products manufacturer based in Kewdale has been fined $45,000 and required to pay $3500 in costs over an incident in which a supervisor severed two of his fingers through a fly wheel press.

The company pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing serious harm to an employee, and was fined in the Perth Magistrates Court on Monday.

In February 2010, the victim was demonstrating to a process worker on his first day of work how to use the press to make gutter clips. The supervisor had almost 20 years of work experience, was also a safety and health representative and regularly trained new workers.

The supervisor was aware of instructions for the use of the machine but he raised the machine’s finger guards and reached in with bare hands to dislodge a piece of metal that had become wedged in the die. The worker depressed the foot pedal while the supervisor’s hand was in the press, trapping the supervisor’s right hand and severing his index and middle fingers.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch said today the case was an example of failing to provide workers with adequate protection from the moving parts of the machinery.

“In this case, protection from the moving parts of the machinery was provided but the supervisor was able to easily bypass the safety measures and this resulted in the loss of the man’s fingers,” said Mr McCulloch.

“This company was fined $35,000 in September 2010 over a similar guarding issue, so it appears they did not learn from their previous conviction.

“This is the twentieth time WorkSafe has successfully prosecuted an employer over a guarding issue in the past two years – a shameful record for WA industry.

“It seems that employers are just not getting the message that guarding is absolutely essential and that it is never safe to allow the moving parts of the machinery to remain operational when workers may have to make adjustments or perform maintenance.

“It is also worth reminding workers that they too have responsibility for their own safety and the safety of those around them, and they should not be looking to take shortcuts by bypassing safety measures.

“Many workers have been killed and many more have been permanently maimed when equipment or machinery they were working on has been activated, so it’s absolutely crucial that safe systems of work are in place.

“Guarding of the dangerous moving parts of machinery is such a basic and easy precaution to take, and it really is time for employers to take a good hard look at the guarding situation and stop exposing employees to the risk of injury or death.”

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11:31 am, Friday 27 April, 2012

Nominations for the Work Safety Awards Western Australia 2012 are now open. WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch said on Tuesday that the Awards were an opportunity to gain valuable acknowledgment of excellent safety management, solutions and innovations in Western Australian workplaces.

“The Work Safety Awards Western Australia are a chance for individuals, groups, organisations and enterprises to gain not just local but also national recognition for their good work in the occupational safety and health arena,” said Mr Mc McCulloch.

“They recognise and reward outstanding achievements in any of four categories that reduce the risk of work-related injury and disease.

“The Western Australian winners in all categories are automatically entered into the Australia-wide Safe Work Australia Awards and a chance for valuable national recognition.

“In past years, two of our very innovative Western Australians have gone on to win at the national level and reap the benefits of national recognition.”

The 2012 Award categories are:

• Best workplace safety and health management system (private and public sector)
• Best workplace safety and health practices in small business;
• Best solution to an identified workplace safety and health issue; and
• Best individual contribution to workplace safety and health (with or without formal OSH responsibilities).

Nominations for the Work Safety Awards Western Australia 2012 will close on July 6. Category winners will be announced at the Safe Work Australia month breakfast in October. Category winners in the National Safe Work Australia Awards will be announced in April 2013.

“I am consistently seeing excellent occupational safety and health practices in Western Australian organisations, and it is important that we recognise and acknowledge this publicly,” said Mr McCulloch.

“Any achievement in workplace safety and health – whether it be an everyday individual achievement or a large-scale initiative – could be worthy of a Work Safety Award WA in 2012.

“It’s important that organisations are given the opportunity to celebrate their success together with their employees because everyone benefits from good workplace safety and health practice.”

Entry forms and Award criteria for the Awards can be accessed through the WorkSafe website or by calling WorkSafe on 1300 307877.

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