01:31 pm, Wednesday 6 March, 2013

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Almost a hundred people were evacuated from a steelworks in Wollongong after a chemical spill.

According to ABC, the Fire and Rescue New South Wales said HAZMAT crews are currently monitoring the situation.

A spokesman from the steel production plant said a few litres of chemical were spilt in the plant’s central laboratory just this afternoon.

No one was injured in the incident and people were at once evacuated as a precautionary measure.

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01:42 am, Monday 8 October, 2012

Chair of Safe Work Australia, Tom Phillips announced the release of the Fourteenth Edition of the Comparative Performance Monitoring (CPM) report on the country’s work health and safety and workers’ compensation outcomes for 2010 – 2011.

According to the report, there has been a significant improvement (28%) in serious injuries rate. But this figure is still below the target set in the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 which is 40 percent reduction in rate of injuries by 2012.

Below are some of the key findings in the report:

• Employers are now paying 1.49 percent of payroll in workers’ compensation premiums compared to 1.79 percent in 2006-07.
• Work health and safety authorities undertook close to 211 000 workplace interventions and issued 58 000 notices during 2010-11
• Body stressing continued to be the injury/disease that resulted in the greatest proportion of claims (40 percent)
• Australian workers’ compensation schemes expended more than $7 billion, of which around half (55 percent) was paid directly to injured workers in compensation for their injury or illness and 23 percent was spent on medical and other services
• The injury and disease rates in the transport and storage, manufacturing and agriculture, forestry and fishing industries are still nearly twice the national average.

Further information on the report can be found on the Safe Work Australia website.

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12:59 pm, Friday 5 October, 2012

A timber recycling mill in Taree has been fined $80,000 after a worker received serious spine injuries resulting in paraplegia.

The company pleaded guilty to a charge under section 8 (1) of the Occupational Health and safety Act 2000 for failing to provide a safe workplace.

The NSW District Court found there were several failures in systems of work at the mill at Pampoolah and that the risk of serious injury was predictable.

The court heard that the injured worker was on top of a stack of timber as it was being moved by a forklift in the kiln area. The forklift operator, who was also the company director left the forklift and re-boarded it from the wrong side resulting to his clothes catching a lever. This caused the forklift’s tines to rise and pin the victim between the load and the inside of the kiln.

The worker is now a wheelchair bound paraplegic due to serious spine injuries.

The company overlooked basic general principles of safe forklift operation. They were convicted and fined $80,000 and ordered to pay WorkCover’s costs.

In sentencing, Justice Blanch acknowledged the company’s full cooperation with the investigation. The company also supported the victim and provided him an alternative employment. They also revised their safety procedure for work in or near the kiln as well as repairs to the kiln pulley system and forklift guarding.

WorkCover’s Work Health and Safety Division General Manager, John Watson said the incident is a stern reminder there is no room for complacency towards safety.

“Tragically, this incident could have been easily avoided if simple and safe systems of work had been followed. Working with forklifts and machinery poses a range of risks which should be always addressed prior to work being undertaken,” said Mr Watson.

“I urge all businesses that use forklifts to review their work procedures and consult with their staff around safe operating procedures.”

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03:01 pm, Thursday 16 August, 2012

Fair Work Australia upheld its decision prohibiting a state-owned company from conducting urine tests on its workers.

SafetyCulture reported in April that the state-owned energy company appealed on Fair Work Australia’s ruling stating that conducting urine drug tests would be “unjust and unreasonable” because these tests could provide positive results from drug use days earlier. Oral swabs were suggested as a better option.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the full bench of Fair Work Australia upheld the earlier ruling.

“In the present matter the senior deputy president did not fail to consider the employer’s occupational health and safety obligations to take reasonable steps to minimise risk associated with employees being impaired by drugs such that their ability to work safely is compromised.”

A spokesperson for the energy company said that they would consider the implications of the decision before deciding to appeal further.

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11:47 am, Wednesday 8 August, 2012

A country-wide survey conducted by Essential Research has revealed that almost one in three young individuals have been bullied or have witnessed bullying at work.

SA Unions State Secretary, Janet Giles said the survey presented significant statistics on the rate of workplace bullying.

“Thirteen percent of people between the ages of 18 and 34 said they had been bullied at work, with another 19% having witnessed it.”

“We know from our other work with young people that they are less familiar with their rights at work, and are more often in part-time or casual work where they worry that if they speak out they will lose their jobs.”

What’s most concerning about the survey is that 65% of the bullying is reported to have come from employers or managers.”

“This figure rises to 74% for those in part-time work.”

“These are people with the power to hire and fire, increasing the likelihood that young people will feel intimidated into remaining silent.”

“We clearly need stronger national laws against bullying to stop it happening in the first place, rather than dealing with it when it has already occurred.”

Anne Purdy of the Young Workers Legal Service, said they took 450 calls during the last financial year, with a large number dealing with workplace bullying.

“We see this as a major occupational health and safety issue for young people.”

“It is a dreadful thing to happen to them in what is often their first job, and the cases we have seen reveal young people suffer depression, anxiety and are unable to work as a result.”

“We have seen some cases where this behaviour is excused as some kind of work ‘initiation’.

“But it is wrong, and it leaves young people feeling that all work involves bullying, and they become afraid to try again in another job.”

A summary of the results can be accessed through the SA Unions website.

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12:34 pm, Monday 6 August, 2012

SafeWork SA reminded South Australians who undertake high risk work that the deadline for second year conversions to the new national Licence to Perform High Risk Work is coming near.

According to a news release by SafeWork SA, the new Licence applies to all people who work with forklifts, cranes and hoists, scaffolding and pressure equipment, or who engage in rigging and dogging work.

The new Licence will replace all previously  issued ‘tickets’ and qualifications in South Australia and will be implemented over a five-year transition period through September 2015.

“We are currently in the second year of the five-year conversion schedule,” said SafeWork SA Executive Director, Bryan Russell.

“This means that anyone who holds an OHS Certification Australia Card or a Notice of Satisfactory Assessment (NSA) for forklift operation issued between 4 April 1995 and 31 December 1998 must convert their qualifications before 1 September 2012,” he said.

“Both the SafeWork SA Help Centre and the High Risk Work Conversion Line have experienced a dramatic increase in calls over the last few months as the deadline nears.”

“The conversion process takes several weeks from application, so people should not leave this until the last minute or they may not be licensed to work from 1 September,” said Mr Russell.

The Licence can be used in any state of territory in the country and provides photo identification and lists all classes of high risk work that the holder is authorised to perform.

Workers with these qualifications that fall within the date range are advised to call the High Risk Work Conversion Line on 1300 975 909. Callers are required to have on hand their original card showing the qualifications they have, the date of issue and details of any other high risk work qualifications.

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04:04 pm, Monday 9 July, 2012

The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022 (The Australian Strategy) has now moved into the next phase of its development and will be launched later this year.

A draft Australian Strategy went under an eight week public comment period after months of extensive consultations with workers, employers, industry, union and community leaders, inspectors, academics and government policy developers. According to Safe Work Australia, more than 80 submissions were received from across the country. The submissions were utilised in preparing the final strategy for member endorsement.

The Australian Strategy went to the Select Council on Workplace Relations on Friday, 6 July 2012 for Ministerial endorsement.

The Australian Strategy builds on the work of the previous 10 year strategy the National Occupational Health and Safety Strategy 2002-2012.

There are seven national action areas supporting the Australian Strategy, which include foster better design, encourage collaboration and leadership at all levels, improve capabilities, support the better use of research and support a regulatory system that is responsive and effective.

The Australian Strategy’s ultimate vision is to achieve healthy, safe and productive working lives.

More information about the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy can be accessed through the National OHS Strategy.

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12:31 pm, Monday 9 July, 2012

A concrete manufacturing business was fined $80,000 and was ordered to pay WorkCover’s legal costs after a worker was almost killed when he inhaled toxic fumes.

The company, which provides premix concrete and materials to construction sites throughout NSW, owns and operates a concrete manufacturing plant at Tumut, west of Canberra.

According to WorkCover, the 29-year-old man was working in the early hours of 12 November 2009 under concrete premix storage when a large amount of cement powder was accidentally released. He almost died when he inhaled the powder. His lung capacity was permanently reduced to 35 percent.

Investigation revealed that he had no mask or other breathing equipment at that time.

The victim suffered from serious health complications since that incident, including a heart attack and is still unable to go back to work until now.

WorkCover’s investigation found that an accidental release of cement was foreseeable and should have been planned for, including requiring all workers to wear masks while on site.

It was also found that the company failed to offer appropriate supervision, skills and training on what to do in this type of emergency.

The company was charged with breaches under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000. They pleaded guilty and were fined with $80,000 plus legal costs by the Industrial Court of NSW.

John Watson, WorkCover NSW General Manager, said the company made serious failings.

“Companies must maintain a high level of safety in everyday activities,” said Mr Watson.

“Working with heavy machinery in manufacturing plants like these can be dangerous. Mandating, and supervising the wearing of facemasks is a well-known and practical way to improving safety.

“People need to also be trained in how to properly respond to an emergency.

“There was a clear lack of instruction and training in this instance. Had there been better instruction and training the consequences might not have been so severe.

“WorkCover will work with the company to ensure that the same mistakes are not made in the future.”

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12:13 pm, Monday 25 June, 2012

A research commissioned by SafeWork SA to assess the effectiveness of shark shields for commercial fishing crews, revealed that these shields cannot always be relied on to prevent shark attacks.

According to a report by ABC News, the shields can deter some great white sharks but they do not always work.

The device sends out an electronic pulse which is supposed to drive away sharks.

Researcher Dr Charlie Huveneers from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) said that in South Australia, no differences were seen in the proportion of bait being consumed by white sharks whether the shield was turned on or off.

“There are situations where the white sharks were still capable of getting very close to the shark shield, within half a metre, and was still capable of consuming a bait.”

Research in South Africa found the shield was more effective in stopping an attack.

Researchers have concluded that while the shields may reduce the risk of a shark attack, they “did not deter or repel them in all situations nor did it repel all individual sharks.”

The report recommends conducting more research into other species of shark and testing in areas without tuna baiting which is done for tourist cage-diving.

The study was also commissioned by Neiser Foundation, Winifred Violet Charitable Trust, Save Our Seas Foundation, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and Marine Innovation South Australia.

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03:19 pm, Monday 14 May, 2012

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) released a report on Friday saying that oil and gas companies operating in Australia fail to recognise the occupational health and safety risk  caused by ageing facilities.

NOPSEMA chief executive Jane Cutler said that there are three uncontrolled hydrocarbon releases of particular concern because of its potential to ignite offshore rigs and wellheads. The releases occurred last year at a wellhead platform, a pipeline and floating production, storage and offloading vessel.

“From the early design stages of a facility, to the end of its lifecycle, it is up to industry, regulators and operators alike to be vigilant in their commitment to the safety of people working offshore and improve the overall health and safety performance of the petroleum industry,” said Ms Cutler.

According to the report, there are a significant number of facilities in Australian waters which are considered aged or ageing.

“Ageing is considered an OHS concern as, unless a systematic approach is developed, the maintenance and repair resources required to address ageing issues once they have occurred may lead to conflicts between safety and production in the future.”

Perth Now reports that NOPSEMA investigated 57 incidents starting July to December 2011. The investigation also includes 38 incidents which resulted in accidents or injury reports.

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