12:45 pm, Tuesday 30 October, 2012

Winners of the 2012 National Safety Awards of Excellence were announced in a ceremony held this month at Doltone House in Sydney.

This year’s awards saw the introduction of a new category – Best Workplace Health and Wellbeing Program. With 140 submissions this year, the National Safety Awards of Excellence honours the dedication and hard work of safety heroes within organisations that have achieved excellence in their respective field of work.

“The record number of submissions this year is a true statement to Australian organisations pushing the boundaries of standard WHS&E regulations by ensuring all workers return home safely each day and that Australian levels of safety are seen as a goal for the rest of the world,” says NSCA CEO, Adam Baldock.

2012 National Safety Awards of Excellence Winners:

2012 NSCA Member of the Year, sponsored by Pro-Visual Publishing

Brookfield Multiplex Construction Pty Ltd

Best Implementation of an OHS Management System, sponsored by Lend Lease

Ten Group (The Energy Network)

Best Solution of an OHS Workplace Risk, sponsored by Rio Tinto

Small Business category: StaminaLift International Limited

Medium to Large Business category: Sinclair Knight Merz & Balfour Beatty UGL and New Future Alliance

Best OHS Training Program, sponsored by Safe Work Australia

YMCA Victoria

Best Environmentally Sustainable Work Practice or Solution, sponsored by Queensland Rail

Sunstate Cement

Business Excellence through OHS&E Management, sponsored by ExxonMobil

Decmil Australia

Best Workplace Health & Wellbeing Program, sponsored by BMA

MATES in Construction

The event was hosted by former Australian Olympian, Kerri Pottharst. Keynote address was given by Kate Carnell AO, CEO of beyondblue.

For more information about the Award, visit the NSCA website.

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12:51 pm, Wednesday 17 October, 2012

South Australian unions welcome new safety laws saying workers will be better protected when these laws pass through State Parliament.

SA Unions State Secretary, Janet Giles says working people are happy that the Greens and Independent John Darley have decided to support the Government’s Work Health and Safety Bill.

“This has been sitting in the Legislative Council since April 2011 – and was the subject of three years of consultation before that,” says Ms Giles.

“We are grateful that the Bill will now get through Parliament and become law.”

“We have been working on better work safety laws for years, and we have continued to push for them because people continue to die or be seriously injured at work.”

“It is a tragedy when someone leaves home to go to work and simply never returns to their loved ones.”

The Work Health and Safety Bill includes much tougher penalties for safety breaches and gives working people the right to ask their union representatives to conduct random safety checks.

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01:20 am, Friday 31 August, 2012

Hon Jarrod Bleijie
Photo: Queensland Government website

Queensland’s attorney general said he is willing to minimise burdensome workplace health and safety laws if necessary.

Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie chaired a roundtable discussion on Wednesday with industry groups to examine the national Workplace Health and Safety laws introduced to Queensland in January.

He said the Government is committed to improving the state’s finances by encouraging Queensland businesses and supporting safe and productive workplaces.

“The previous Government’s view on Workplace Health and Safety was all about regulation and red tape, which strangles business and reduces productivity and flexibility.

“The Newman Government wants to work with the business sector, not over-regulate it and tell companies how to run their operations.

“Unlike the previous Government, we trust business wants to do the right thing as they don’t want a reputation for dropping the safety ball.

Mr Bleijie also said that the Liberal National Party raised concerns about the workplace health and safety laws and advised of possible future amendments if the laws were not well received.

He said he wanted to hear from the business sector the impact of implementation and operation of these laws.

“I want to hear from businesses and workers directly affected by the new laws on whether aspects of the legislation are unworkable or have compliance or cost burdens,” said Mr Bleijie.

“Given it is an employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe workplace for staff, it is essential that Government listens to how this can be best achieved.

“By working with employers to create safer workplaces, we aim to reduce the overall number of workplace injuries and also improve business efficiency and labour productivity.

“While we want to ensure there is strong focus on work health and safety standards and improved safety outcomes, we do not want to impose unnecessary burdens on business,” he said.

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11:49 pm, Tuesday 28 August, 2012

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland will conduct a Work Health and Safety Symposium on 2 October 2012. The symposium will launch Safe Work Week 2012.

WHS professionals and industry leaders will discuss important issues on work health and safety during the symposium. High profile speakers and safety experts will talk about innovative safety strategies.

Speakers will include President of Society for Knowledge Economics, Steve Vamos who will talk about how organisations can create and enable innovation at work and director of Deloitte Access Economics, Lynne Pezzullo who will discuss how to measure costs and safety benefits, including measuring the years of healthy life gained from reduced risks. The symposium will also feature a short film on workplace safety.

The WHS Symposium will be held at the Traders Hotel (formerly The Holiday Inn) 159 Roma Street in Brisbane.

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02:36 pm, Friday 17 August, 2012

Public comment on the costs and benefits of the proposed national Work Health and Safety (WHS) regulations as they apply to Western Australian workplaces is being sought by the State Government.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch said today the public comment period was an opportunity for businesses, industry and workers to express their opinions on the model Work Health and Safety Regulations package.

“Harmonised work health and safety laws will affect all Western Australian workplaces in varying degrees, and it is important that we all provide input during this consultation process to gauge the impact of the new laws on all WA workplaces,” Mr McCulloch said.

“An Australia-wide consultation process took place late in 2010, but the current public comment period is specific to WA and aims to give participants in all WA workplaces the opportunity to provide their views on the proposed new laws.”

An Information and Issues Paper which offers easy to understand details regarding the changes which would take place with the adoption of the model WHS Regulations was prepared by WorkSafe. Letters and emails will also be sent to subscription lists and industry associations. Press and radio advertisements will also be utilised to increase awareness of the public comment period.

Public forums will also be conducted in regional WA to make sure that regional communities are aware of the new laws.

The Information and Issues Paper and additional information on submissions can be accessed through the WorkSafe website.

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12:57 pm, Wednesday 1 August, 2012

A safety alert on switchloading when transferring flammable liquids has been published by WorkCover NSW following a recent coroners findings into an incident which highlighted the risks of switchloading and static electricity.

The WHS Act requires persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) particularly those in control of workplaces to make sure that safe systems of work are implemented, maintained and supervised, and that persons undertaking them are provided with adequate information and training to ensure their safety.

The WHS Regulation, clause 351 has specified obligations in managing the risks to health and safety when handling hazardous chemicals at a workplace. Clause 355 requires steps to be taken to prevent the introduction of an ignition source (including those caused by static electricity), into a hazardous area.

The WorkCover NSW publication The storage and handling of dangerous goods (catalogue no. WC01354) offers PCBUs with practical advice on reducing risks associated with the discharge of static electricity.

Risk controls

WorkCover provides the following control measures which should be considered to reduce the risks from the discharge of static electricity:

• All tanks, pipework, transfer systems (including decanting) and process plant associated with dangerous goods should be electrically bonded to each other and earthed, or otherwise protected (see AS/NZS1020 and AS4979 for advice)
• Completely drain previously loaded liquid with the lower flashpoint
• ‘gas free’ the compartment where appropriate
• Reduce loading rates to less than one m/s until the fill pipe is submerged
• Use anti-static additives in non-conductive liquids
• Ensure that hose assemblies are appropriate for use with petroleum products (see AS2683 for advice)

Further information can be accessed through the WorkCover NSW website.

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12:44 pm, Thursday 12 July, 2012

A worker from Geelong is expected to provide evidence today during a Federal Government inquiry into workplace bullying and will appeal for mandatory reporting to WorkSafe.

Geelong Advertiser reported how the victim was bullied for 18 months at a Geelong business.

“It came as a real shock to me, I had a long work experience and didn’t think anything could get to me, but it knocked me for six,” said the worker.

“I was always confident of my work quality and had other management saying what a good job I was doing but it was generally affecting my health and self-confidence.

“I spoke to HR and management several times and it didn’t get addressed and finally we parted ways.

“I spoke to WorkSafe and Fair Work Australia after but their powers did not extend far enough (to act). No one had the power to do anything so I thought I needed to give them the power.”

The worker is hoping that his efforts would result to significant changes into workplace bullying policies.

“Government contractors should be required to have specific bullying policies and compliance before (getting the job) and WorkSafe should treat (allegations of bullying) the same as an accident or a near miss.”

He has also started a website to create awareness on workplace bullying and to convince workers and businesses to support his petition against workplace bullying.

An inquiry will be conducted by the Standing Committee on Education and Employment on the nature, causes and extent of workplace bullying and will also consider suggestions to address it. The Productivity Commission estimates that workplace bullying costs Australia up to $36 billion every year.

WorkSafe spokesman, Michael Birt says allegations of workplace injuries could be logged into their register of injuries. Guidelines and other information on workplace bullying can be accessed through the WorkSafe Victoria website. 

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11:27 am, Thursday 12 July, 2012

SafeWork SA is now accepting applications for the WHS Commissioned Research Grant Programme which is aimed at improving work health and safety (WHS) outcomes in South Australia.

Minister for Industrial Relations Russell Wortley said a total of $320,000 will be given to successful applicants.

The grants will assist in funding research in priority areas including:

• The impact of precarious employment on WHS
• Implications of social health trends and social policy for WHS in the SA Public Service
• Best practice for inspectorial services
• Workplace-based WHS consultation
• WHS youth strategy

“High quality research into priority areas will inform and progress workplace safety knowledge and policy development which is critical to achieving positive health and safety outcomes in South Australian workplaces,” said Minister Wortley.

“University-based and independent researchers can apply for a grant to investigate interventions that will improve workplace health and safety outcomes.

“Previous grant recipients have already achieved significant results in priority areas such as youth safety, high risk employment, psycho-social issues and workplace-based WHS.”

For this grant, the Mining and Quarrying OHS Committee will consider submissions relevant to work health and safety in the mining and quarrying industries. If accepted, additional research funding will be given.

Applications for SafeWork SA WHS Commissioned Research Grants will close on Friday, 24 August 2012. More information can be accessed through the SafeWork SA website.

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12:54 pm, Thursday 24 May, 2012

The Western Australia Government will introduce its Work Health and Safety (WHS) Bill into parliament in the next financial year. The announcement was made by the WA Government in its 2012-2013 Budget released last week.

The 2012-2013 Budget says that a draft bill is underway and “is expected to be introduced into Parliament” in the 2012-2013 financial year. An assessment on the impact of the laws is still being conducted.

“A local assessment is being conducted by the WorkSafe Division to analyse the possible impact of the model WHS regulations and first stage codes of practice on Western Australian workers, businesses, government and the economy if they were implemented.”

It was clear right from the start of the work health and safety harmonisation process that WA will not adopt the whole of the Model Work Health and Safety Act. WA laws will omit penalty increases, union right of entry, health and safety representatives directing the cessation of work, and reverse onus of proof in discrimination matters.

Any additional deviations from the Model Act will not be revealed until the local assessment is complete.

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