A Mulgrave sign installation company has been convicted and fined $50,000 over an incident that left a worker with severe burns to his body after he suffered an electric shock. Southern Ultimate Sign Installations Pty Ltd (Southern USI) pleaded guilty at the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court this week to one charge of failing to provide a [...]
Marissa Deeble from WorkSafe’s Prevention Strategy Division focuses on the safety of workers who perform cleaning tasks. Have you ever thought about the safety of the workers who clean your workshop or office and why are they referred to as the invisible army? Often we focus on the workers who perform ‘high risk’ tasks such [...]
New work health and safety laws commenced in the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory on 1st January 2012. Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania have deferred the implementation of these new laws for a further 12 months and South Australian parliament have voted to adjourn the debate on the WHS Bill until 14 [...]
Introduction There is little doubt from reading the myriad of comments made on various sites that workplace bullying and harassment continues to fuel discussion. In fact, I have just finished reading a number of comments made by some obviously very traumatised workers from the public and private sector. There are some common threads relating to: [...]
OHSA provides a great insight into the importance of training; Employers must have an overall safety program including relative site specific safety information where applicable. The safety training program should cover topics such as: Accident Prevention and Safety Promotion Safety Compliance Accident and Emergency Response Personal Protective Equipment Safety Practices Equipment and Machinery Chemical and [...]
This is a fantastic article submitted by one of our readers, Grant McCosh on evacuating people with disabilities. Mobility Impairments Since elevators should not be used for evacuation during a fire alarm, people with mobility impairments will need assistance evacuating the building unless on the ground floor. As people with mobility impairments have varying [...]
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is investigating a fatal incident that occurred on Monday 31 October 2011 at a construction site within the University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, Brisbane. A worker was killed while a formwork shutter was being raised to about one metre above the ground by crane. Lengths of timber were being [...]
Fatally unsafe stacking system costs Fonterra Australia $300,000 fine and a conviction. Unsafe storage has resulted in an industry-wide warning from WorkSafe after dairy products manufacturer, Fonterra Australia Pty Ltd was today convicted and fined $300,000 in the Melbourne County Court. WorkSafe’s General Manager for Operations, Lisa Sturzenegger, said all businesses had to ensure they [...]
Gordon Harris is an auditor and contract investigator for the Plumbing Industry Commission. He has worked in the air conditioning installation industry for 46 years as a refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic, trainer, engineer and most recently, contract investigator. Here Gordon writes of his experience and recommendations for the safe installation of air conditioning units: [...]
Hypothetical Scenario: Mr Benjamin William Jones is the CEO of MAGIC, a large, state based organisation that provides a diverse range of services including security services, administration, storage and delivery, and training. This organisation has been established for some twenty years and provides a range of services to the public and private sector. The [...]
