AUSTRALIAN WHS STATISTICS
The number of workplace fatalities continues to rise and it stands at 22 (as at 7 March).
This can be seen by some as an improvement to the 36 fatalities recorded at the same time in 2015.
The industries with the highest number of fatalities are:
Transport, postal & warehousing – 7
Agriculture, forestry & fishing – 5
Construction – 5
More at: Safe Work Australia
NEW SAFETY RECORD ANOUNCED BY WORKSAFE VICTORIA
WorkSafe Victoria released the half-yearly results on 3 March and the figures indicate that the rate of injuries has reached a record low in Victoria.
“As of 31 December 2015 there were 7 claims per million hours worked (MHW) in Victorian workplaces, compared to 7.34 claims recorded at the end of 2014/15 - a fall of 4.6 per cent.”
The results were released by Clare Amies, WorkSafe Chief Executive at a briefing to key stakeholders at the Melbourne Town Hall.
The briefing was attended by Finance Minister Robin Scott, WorkSafe chairman Paul Barker, and stakeholders that included representatives of employer and union groups.
Ms Amies said that while employment in Victoria had grown strongly, the injury claims rate had continued to fall. “However, we know we cannot take this for granted. There’s a long way to go in making Victorian workplaces even safer,” she said.
More at: WorkSafe News
QUAD BIKE SAFETY
The latest fatality in NSW, on 4 March, involved a quad bike.
A 53 year old man from Michelago, about 50 km south of Canberra, was found lying on the roadway near his overturned quad bike not far from his property.
NSW Ambulance Paramedics attempted to treat the man; however, he died at the scene.
Statistics from Safe Work Australia indicate that since 1 January 2015, there have been 22 quad bike fatalities: five in Victoria, four each in Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales, three in Tasmania, and one in the Northern Territory.
There were 15 quad bike fatalities in 2014, 21 in 2013, 19 in 2012 and 20 in 2011.
All jurisdictions have approached the safety of quad bike users with great concern.
Safe Work Australia provides a lot of information through its QuadWatch site. QuadWatch is an Australian Government initiative to bring together industry, manufacturers, quad bike users, community organisations, and government to raise awareness of quad bike safety.
The QuadWatch webpage provides links to quad bike safety data and information, guidance material, other useful webpages and information, and contact details for the relevant work health and safety regulators
More at: Safe Work Australia Quadwatch
In Victoria a “New approach designed to make quad bike use safer” has been adopted.
WorkSafe Victoria has revised its approach to quad bike use in order to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries in Victorian workplaces.
A key part of its new approach is to accept rollover protection devices on quad bikes as a means of controlling the risk to operators in the event of a rollover.
This decision means that if a duty holder (normally an employer) wants to use a quad bike in the workplace – and there is a risk of rollover – WorkSafe will require a suitably designed and tested operator protective device (OPD) to be fitted.
More at: WorkSafe News
In Queensland the approach is slightly different, focusing more on training and driver awareness. Very recently the QLD Government released ‘The Statewide Plan for Improving Quad Bike Safety in Queensland 2016 – 2019’. The plan is a key initiative to raise awareness of the risks associated with quad bike use and enhance operator skill and safety. The plan focuses on three key priorities:
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Community education and awareness about quad bike safety risks.
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Improving quad bike operator skill and safety.
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Government leadership in promoting quad bike safety
More at: WorkSafe Queensland
In NSW in 2013 a world-first testing and research project into quad bike safety was funded by SafeWork NSW and undertaken by the University of NSW Transport and Road Safety Unit.
The results of the Quad Bike Performance Research Project were released in July and produced 24 recommendations including:
- introducing a consumer safety rating system for new vehicles
- retrofitting of operator protective devices for existing on-farm vehicles
- increasing helmet wearing
- restricting children under 16 from operating an adult quad bike
- increasing education and awareness about vehicle selection and safe use
More at: Workcover NSW
SITTING OR STANDING?
If you are reading this article in an office, chances are you are sitting.
Many office workers, do that for prolonged amounts of time during the day.
Many research papers and articles have been written on the negative effects of long term sitting.
According to the ABC Health News article “Standing desks: Spending more time on your feet doesn’t have to mean back pain or sore legs” a recent study found that sitting time accounts for 7% of all deaths aged 45 and older.
The article focuses on the benefits of standing while doing desk work.
“Apart from the longer-term health benefits — standing helps prevent a harmful build-up of sugars and fats in your blood — workers who stand more often say they have better energy levels and concentration.
It can also help you manage your weight; standing uses around 13 per cent more energy over the course of an eight-hour day, says Dr Dunstan, who is head of physical activity at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.
So accumulating four hours standing would burn energy equivalent to a 45-minute walk.”
A number of DOs and DON’Ts are provided for dealing with the change from sitting to standing.
More at: ABC Health News
Other articles on this topic:
Workers happier with standing desks but improper use can cause harm, study reveals (Safety Culture)
Health Check: Sitting versus standing (The Sydney Morning Herald)
Taking a Stand on Children’s Health – One Desk at a Time (Education Technology Solutions) Technology Solutions)
In addition to the articles above I would like to draw your attention to a YouTube video which can be used by GTOs or any business during training, especially when the target audience is young workers.
It refers to “The Importance of Good Posture”
The video explains why developing the right posture is so important for the rest of the body.
The video is from the TED-Ed YouTube channel and explains why standing up straight is so important. Bad posture affects every movement the body makes, and can make the muscles work harder to perform normal tasks, or become weakened over time.
Pain and the inability to move certain ways are now all too common side effects of poor posture, and it can even start to affect the internal organs; so it should be taken seriously. Sitting at the desk for a long time is now considered the root cause for a lot of these problems.
The Benefits of Good Posture [YouTube]
Updated Standard Operating Procedures on setting up workstations for use by SafetyFirst subscribers are available at:
WH&S 17.1.9 SOP Workstations V2
WH&S 17.1.10 SOP Workstations self assessment checklist V2
WORKPLACE BULLYING WORKSHOP
At the beginning of this month, GTAV ran a Bullying workshop for staff from GTOs and TAFEs.
Oscar Yildiz, CEO of BullyZero, as always, delivered a fantastic presentation. The information focused on recognising bullying when it happens and methods of dealing with it. Lots of discussions took place on the different aspects of bullying in the workplace with the participants reflecting on past situations.
Several of the participants are working directly with young people, so many of the scenarios discussed involved cyber bullying.
There were also guest speakers. Dean McGowan, Police Inspector, Moreland’s Local Area Commander, spoke about some of the cases he worked on that involved bullying, stalking or other forms of harassment. Toni Carbone, the Managing Partner and co-founder of Nowicki Carbone law firm, shared some of his experiences and explained the legalities in cases that involve bullying.
The feedback from the participants was extremely positive.
More information on bullying can be obtained from:
BullyZero Australia Foundation
WorkSafe Victoria
FREE GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING THE RISKS OF DIESEL EXHAUST
Safe Work Australia has developed a guide and information sheet on managing the risks of diesel exhaust exposure in the workplace.
Short term exposure to high levels of diesel exhaust can cause eye, nose, throat and lung irritation or even suffocation. Long term exposure can worsen allergies, increase the risk of heart and lung disease and increase the risk of lung cancer.
Workers most likely to be exposed to diesel exhaust include drive-in booth operators, miners, construction workers, oil and gas workers, forklift drivers, loading dock workers, truck drivers, farmworkers, stevedores, and vehicle maintenance workers.
To access the free resources please click here
SafetyFirst - Ahead of the Action
 Your own branded learning management system not only benefits your apprentices and trainees, it also benefits you as a business. You need not worry about putting your resources out of play for a day or two just to conduct the program. With SafetyFirst's online safety induction training, you'll enjoy benefits such as:
- Assist in meeting compliance - designed as tools to assist managers and supervisors to meet their Work Health and Safety obligations
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SafetyFirst can assist you in creating a safe work environment for all your new employees, apprentices and trainees.
A free trial of the material can be found here - demo.safetyfirst.org.au
Learn more about SafetyFirst
 SafetyFirst is an initiative of the Group Training Association of Victoria. Visit our site to keep up to date with the latest Health and Safety news Australia wide. SafetyFirst.org.au
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