Revised building fire and safety regulation came into force on 1 July 2009 with stricter responsibilities placed on building and body corporate management companies and commercial tenants.

As of 1 July 2009, a greater onus has been placed on Queensland businesses to comply with the new mandatory evacuation requirements under the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008.

Queensland businesses now face on-the-spot fines starting at $3,000 for non-compliance and Ben Swan, Director of Evacuation Services Australia (EVAC), believes many businesses are not even aware of their new responsibilities under the amended legislation.

“A large majority of businesses we have had dealings with are not even aware of the legislative changes and their obligations to comply with the revised evacuation procedures, despite being at risk of fines starting at $3,000,” Ben said.

“We recently undertook an audit of a major Brisbane shopping centre – of the 80 businesses surveyed only one was compliant; from the remaining 79, 18% had non-compliant diagrams and the remainder had no evacuation diagrams at all.”

“Becoming compliant is a relatively easy process which EVAC specialises in; businesses have a responsibility to ensure they are up-to-date with their evacuation plans in the case of a fire or emergency – the ramifications of non-compliance are far greater than a financial penalty, in the worst case scenario many lives can be at risk.”

Major changes under the regulation see an increasing number of parties responsible for implementing mandatory evacuation procedures than was previously the case, including tenants in commercial buildings, retail centres and accommodation unit owners.

“Businesses tenanted in commercial and retail buildings are now required by law to have their own evacuation procedures and diagrams in place; no longer can they rely on the common area plan provided by the building management,” Ben said.

“Owners of premises used for long and short term accommodation must also have a specific evacuation plan for their lodging – again, the general complex’s evacuation plan no longer is sufficient under the new laws.”

Ben provides that this is a significant change under the amended legislation and “our experience is suggesting that the majority of businesses and operators are predominately unaware of their new obligations.”

“For businesses that already have evacuation diagrams in place and assume they are compliant, they need to check the new provisions to ensure that the positions of fire extinguishers, fire reels and other vital safety equipment are indicated clearly on the diagram,” Ben said.

EVAC offers a straight-forward, one-stop solution to ensure that the relevant bodies affected by the revised legislation comply with the Regulation in a cost-effective and speedy manner.

EVAC’s experience and extensive resources enables it to produce high quality evacuation diagrams using Computed Aided Design (CAD) software technology. EVAC also offer the ability for clients to customise their design by incorporating company branding in accordance with individual requirements and preferences.

In the event that up-to-date floor plans are not readily accessible, EVAC can also conduct a survey of the business premises to mark up the drawings in preparation for the development of a compliant plan.

Knowledge

Currently there is a collective body of knowledge developing in Australia and much of this knowledge comes from victims, alleged bullies, organisations, medical and legal professionals, family/friends and associates, investigators and the media.  There is no unified approach.

Whilst there may be some individuals and/or professional differences of opinion about the best possible solution, a national approach that allows collaboration to build on mutual respect and dignity may ultimately result in strategies or guiding principles that will benefit all and sundry irrespective of individual values and beliefs, cultural background or other critically relevant issues.

Some literature has in the past suggested that guidelines such as those for risk management, quality management and the like be developed.  This approach could have merit if they were developed as industry standards.  They could be guidelines but not compulsory, and tied to the proposed OHS harmonisation processes. 

They would be generic and allow the public and private sector to apply them, and this could result in some cost savings.  Licensing arrangements could allow individual organisations to use the guidelines without having to write numerous pages of policies or procedures.  In some cases, the guidelines might be the extension of a Code of Practice currently owned by a State Government agency.

Emerging trends and issues

Recent media sources indicate that workplace bullying is escalating.  Court, Commission and Tribunal decisions are resulting in an increased need for organisations and individuals to be increasingly vigilant about issues that will impact on workplace bullying allegations.

There are also indications that workplace bullying reduces the corruption resistance of agencies, and at the very least, creates a pathway to corruption or unlawful activities. 

It would be in the best interests of public and private sector agencies (irrespective of size) to develop a system or process that allows them to stay in touch with trends and issues.  It could up being embarrassing for an executive officer if they are confronted in a Court, Commission or Tribunal trying to respond to something they know nothing about.

Deviance

There seems to be little doubt that there is a strong link between deviance and bullying.  For some, ideas about deviance or deviants create a belief it only means rapists, murderers, paedophiles, child molesters or domestic violence perpetrators. 

What if bullying does not meet social norms and values (as if it ever did)?  Would we as individuals or as organisations believe that workplace bullying is something to be tolerate, excused or accepted as part of the ‘norm’?

If we as a society believe that workplace bullies are deviants who fail to meet community standards about treating others with respect and dignity, surely it is time to recognise the financial and societal costs and treat it as disease.  Perhaps it is time that bullying, as well as being recognised as a health and safety issue, be treated as a public health issue.

New Directions

There has to be community debate about the acceptability of workplace bullying if organisations and individuals are expected to survive.  In much the same way that informed debate lead to changes in domestic violence and in leadership, similar processes have to be started to generate understanding about the negative impact on workplace bullying on business and society.

Just because it has existed in many forms across a range of societies and communities since time immemorial, it doesn’t mean that no attempts should be made at a national level.

It is time to treat workplace bullying as a national disgrace and take positive action to create a bully free society and workplace.

All it will take is a few good people to stand up and be counted.  Will you be one of them?

Conclusion

Everyone in society feels the impact of workplace bullying.  As taxpayers, customers or clients we experience higher costs, reduced service and increased levels of frustrations because of the bullying that occurs in some organisations.

When I wrote my book about Resolving Workplace Bullying, I found that there were some common issues involving the victims, the alleged bully, the organisation, the medical and legal professionals, the family/friends and associates, the investigators and the media.  Everyone had a vested interest and everyone wanted to ask questions. 

However, not everyone knew what question to ask or why it should be asked.  My practical experience in speaking with victims, alleged bullies and organisations led me to believe that whilst bullying seemed to be part of life, many people were uncomfortable with it happening.

It was a concern that whilst organisations were able to produce policies and procedures about the prevention, detection and resolution of workplace bullying, not much was being done to educate people on the basics of organisational life.

You do need to plan for the day they will be involved in a workplace bullying incident.  When it does happen, how are you going to respond? Whether you believe it or not, we are all in this together.  One of the great things about treating people with respect and dignity is this.  We might not agree on each other’s viewpoint, but we can have some constructive discussions that might be emotive and challenging and we can still agree to disagree without humiliating, intimidating or threatening each other.  It is about communication.

I have set out a few ideas that I believe if addressed not only at a National level but on an organisational and individual level, can make a major inroad into reducing the incidence of workplace bullying.

We can individually and as organisations keep treading water or going around in circles doing the same old thing, and nothing will change.

Alternatively, we can get involved, set the ball rolling and make positive changes.

Thank you so much to Bernie for all of his advice on Bullying in the Workplace.

What is it that makes one organisation safer than another? What is it about employees that are genuinely focused on their’s and their workmate’s safety? What is it that they do or think that set them apart? Well, from an organisational perspective, those organisations that manage to consistently perform safely, where their employees feel safe at work, work in a safe manner and are solid ambassadors for the safety process have developed a superior safe work culture. Furthermore, and although the results of a safe work culture are reflected at an organisational level, those responsible for culture development are more often than not the employees (aptly supported by quality leadership; the bottom up and top down approach working in conjunction with each other).

Although industries worldwide have been discussing the importance of culture to workplace safety for many years, its importance was further highlighted with the release of the Guide to Best Practice for Safer Construction by Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Joe Hockey MP (release date was September 12). The critical focus of the Guide was to “improve the ability of the industry as a whole to deliver safer construction projects” Minister Hockey said. “This guide is a further step to move the industry closer to a culture of safer workplaces through the integration of occupational health and safety into strategic and operational decision making at all stages of construction.”

Given that the development of a safer workplace culture is being supported at such high levels, what is safety culture, and how is it developed in organisations? Culture can be defined as “the attitudes and behaviors that are characteristic of a particular social group or organisation” (Wordweb definition). Culture refers to what employees believe, how they think, how they act and what they perceive is important, amongst other things.

The Bradley Model is a journey model that demonstrates how, over time, organisations can grow through different culture types, where the organisation’s ability to achieve a workplace free of injuries goes from being totally unachievable to very sustainable. The stages of the journey include the dependent stage (where employees are told how to act and how to work – leading to a culture of employee dependence on the employer for safe work processes and initiatives). With effort, the dependent culture can become an independent one, where employees take all the initiative, and focus totally on their own safety, sometimes to the exclusion of their leadership and fellow workers.

The ideal workplace safety culture is one of interdependence, where employees and organisational leaders work collaboratively to both implement and engender an organisational belief system that is built on the premise that ‘no-one gets hurt’ and that ‘injuries and incidents can be prevented’. When an interdependent culture has been created, employees view safety as a critical part of their role, not an adjunct to it, and they see themselves as the driving force behind the safety process. They adopt safe work systems because they want to, not because they have to, or because they are told to.

The question remains then, how can an interdependent culture be created? Put simply, employee engagement, ownership and autonomy (EOA) must be achieved at all organisational levels. Employee engagement starts when organisations and their leaders are involving employees in the safety process, and genuinely invite their feedback, ideas and opinions. Then, not only are opinions and views encouraged, but they are acted upon and implemented into the systems and procedures of the organisation.

Employee ownership is the next stage of culture development, and is achieved when employees are given responsibility for the performance of not only the safety processes and procedures that they have had input into, but also for the performance of the organisation. Employees are given responsibility and accountability for outcomes. With this level of responsibility, employees should be given the autonomy to decide not only how to improve all aspects of their own safety and their own roles, but also how to further improve the organisation’s performance.

Obviously, employee EOA will improve every aspect of any business, but when it comes to safety, it is all about culture.

Thank you Anton.

If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, or you’re in a workplace where you need to use power tools, one of the things you probably regularly come in contact with is a portable saw.

Many people don’t appreciate the dangers in using these types of tools. A portable saw is a very powerful device with the purpose of cutting things. Whether that means a piece of wood or a body part, it can’t tell the difference and will just do what it is designed for. For this reason, safety must be your main priority. Here are some tips to follow:

Before Picking Up the Saw

Take note of what you are wearing before you use a portable saw. Do you have long hair? Are you wearing clothing that is loose? How about dangling jewelry? Any of these things can get caught in the mechanism of the saw and cause you injury. Remove jewelry and reign in baggy clothing. If you have long hair, tie it back securely before you get to work.

The Plug

You should never leave a portable saw plugged in when you are not using it. Indeed, don’t plug it in until it’s time to use it. If there is any damage to the lead or plug, do not use the equipment! Follow your work’s safety procedures and have the equipment checked or replaced as soon as possible. Electricity is not something to play with.

Saw Blade

Before you plug in the saw, check to see if you have the right blade in the saw. Different blades are made for cutting different materials. If you use the wrong one you could cause damage to the saw or worse, break the blade and create a metal projectile.

Cutting Area

What are you cutting? Is the cutting table secure and the item to cut securely held in place? Any of these things being less than secure are sure to cause an accident.

Cover Your Eyes

Even a properly working saw can kick up debris that can get in your eyes. You should always wear some form of eye protection when using a portable saw.

Cutting

Before you cut with a saw you need to make sure the cord is not in the area you are going to cut. This will keep you from cutting through the cord. This may seem like common sense, but there have been a number of close calls when workers have only become aware of how close they were to cutting the electrical lead after another worker pointed it out, or they stopped for a breather…. pure luck was on their side.

Make sure you place both hands on the saw so you can control it well as you use it.

Remember, as you begin to use a saw, and hit the material to be cut, it will most likely kick back towards you. Anticipate this and make sure you have a good hold on the saw before you start cutting.

Housekeeping

Once finished – be sure to switch off the saw immediately, unplug it, put the saw away safely, store leads, and remove any debris that could be a hazard.

One of the most serious threats in driving long distances is drowsy driving, where a driver is more tired than they may think they are, and simply drift off. Have you ever sat in front of the TV, feeling a little worn and the next thing your spouse or kids are nudging you to wake up and you’re surprised to find that you had unintentionally dozed off.

The other danger behind the wheel with fatigue is not being able to react as quickly as necessary in traffic conditions.

Before any driver is allowed to hit the road, they must be sure they know how to identify sleepy driving. Sometimes drivers think they are “a little tired, but I can drive through it”. 

Safety sessions about driving should include learning about:

The Signs of Fatigue – How to notice them and how important it is to respond to those signs. The strategies include getting to a safe location and resting until it is safe to drive again. It is important for drivers to understand it is all right to make a stop for safety purposes – no deadline is as important as a person’s life! And an employee that does not enforce this idea is in breach of Duty of Care for their workers.

The Dangers of Drowsy Driving – Drowsy Driving can be just as dangerous as drink driving. Drunk drivers can at least respond (albeit more slowly) to a traffic situation. Drowsy drivers who fall asleep at the wheel are unable to correct their driving, meaning accidents can happen at a higher speed and without any attempt to avoid them. So much time and money (rightly so) has been put into the campaigns to create a stigma against drunk drivers and their irresponsibility with theirs and other’s lives. The same stigma should be applied to any work schedule that forces a driver to continue to drive despite feeling drowsy or concerned for their safety.

Situations that Lead to Drowsy Driving – It is important that drivers get a good night’s sleep before they start driving. This means may mean they need to cut back on ‘off-duty’ activities that might cut into their sleep time.

Awareness of the Sleepy Hours – If drivers are travelling at night, or during hours where sleepiness is more likely, they need to be aware of this and realize they need to be more observant of their state of alertness during that time.

Employers can implement strategies to help their drivers, including:

Lessen the Drives – If possible, shorten the legs of your long distance drivers so they have a chance to take a break and rest more often.

Require Breaks – There should be set limits for how far a driver can go at one time, as well as per day, week and month. Driving limits are to help keep your people safe on the roads.

Network Driver’s Experiences – Drivers can share their experiences on the roads – such as what’s the best B&B to stay at, good rest stops (with good food and clean rest stop facilities), where road conditions are challenging and to take extra care, etc.

Keep in Contact with Drivers – Speaking regularly with your drivers during their shift (obviously hands free for the driver) is a way of checking up on how they’re feeling, and to find out if there is anything you need to know.

Safe driving and take care of yourselves!

Many employers are now using contractors for non-core work tasks. Some larger organisations are even ‘contracting out’ their facilities maintenance and management processes.

This raises significant issues in terms of where the boundaries fall for the responsibility for safety of people in workplaces.

A couple of case studies:

An academic institution has contracted out their facilities maintenance. The Principle Contractor manages both direct employees and sub-contractors in the delivery of the maintenance services.

Case 1:

A task was allocated by the principle contractor to a sub-contractor. That sub-contractor then sub-sub-contracted another organisation to deliver the service. (Complicated? Wait for it…).

An employee of the sub-sub-subcontractor was found by an officer of the academic institution to be sanding the joints of a patch in a gyprock ceiling panel. He was working on a step ladder and was not wearing any PPE to protect his eyes or respiratory system from the dust. When challenged, and it was pointed out that his eyes were red, he shrugged off the suggestion to use PPE and claimed his eyes were ‘red from beer not dust’.

A subsequent investigation identified that:

• The work was being performed off a 3.6 metre step ladder under a 3.9 meter ceiling in a hallway surrounded by offices opening into the hallway. No effort had been made to protect anyone from falls/falling objects – NEITHER the worker on the step ladder OR the surrounding office workers passing underneath in the hallway.
• There was no adequate job safety analysis (JSA), no safe work method statement (SWMS) and no MSDS on hand. (Gyprock contains a hazardous substance).
• The JSA, such as it was, DID require the use of eye and respiratory protection.

Case 2:

A bundle of similar tasks in various plant rooms was allocated by the principle contractor to a sub-contractor. The sub-contractor had provided a proposed work method stepping out how they would perform the work and developed a Safe Work Method Statement from this. After the job had commenced the employees of the sub-contractor decided to change from a manual process using a wire brush to using a powered grinder with a rotary wire brush attachment.

One employee commenced using the grinder with attachment in a certain plant room and generated sufficient dust to set off a smoke detector (not a local area smoke alarm). This resulted in an evacuation of the building and the fire brigade responded.

A fire brigade officer eventually found the sub-contractor employee still diligently working in the plant room.

A subsequent investigation found:

•  the smoke detector was not clearly defined on the fire control panel and hence the fire wardens could not locate the source of the alarm and so evacuated the building.
• Added to this, there was no audible or visual fire/evacuation alarm indicator in the plant room, hence the employee was not aware that an alarm had gone off or that an evacuation of the building had been initiated.

What makes this second case even more interesting is that the plant room in question is a confined space and the access route to get into it is a utilities tunnel that also is a confined space.

None of these safety issues had been identified in the job safety risk assessment. Neither were these spaces listed in what otherwise is a very comprehensive confined spaces register.

Who’s responsible?

Under section 8(1) of the NSW OHS Act (the relevant jurisdiction) the academic institution has primary responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL people on their site. This extends to ensuring that any work performed by contractors does not affect the safety of others on the work site.

They MUST implement a safety management system that ensures all risks are identified and controlled BEFORE work begins. This responsibility CANNOT be contracted out. They CANNOT rely on someone else to do it.

Under section 8(1) of the NSW OHS Act the principle contractor is responsible to ensure that its operations do not adversely affect the health and safety of its own employees.

Under section 8(2) of the NSW OHS Act the principle contractor is responsible to ensure that its operations do not adversely affect the health and safety of any other person in the workplace.

They MUST implement a safety management system that ensures all risks are identified and controlled BEFORE work begins. This responsibility CANNOT be sub-contracted out. They CANNOT rely on someone else to do it.

Under section 8(1) of the NSW OHS Act the sub-contractor is responsible to ensure that its operations do not adversely affect the health and safety of its own employees.

Under section 8(2) of the NSW OHS Act the sub-contractor is responsible to ensure that its operations do not adversely affect the health and safety of any other person in the workplace.

They MUST implement a safety management system that ensures all risks are identified and controlled BEFORE work begins. This responsibility CANNOT be sub-sub-contracted out. They CANNOT rely on someone else to do it.

Under section 8(1) of the NSW OHS Act the sub-sub-contractor is responsible to ensure that its operations do not adversely affect the health and safety of its own employees.

Under section 8(2) of the NSW OHS Act the sub-sub-contractor is responsible to ensure that its operations do not adversely affect the health and safety of any other person in the workplace.

They MUST implement a safety management system that ensures all risks are identified and controlled BEFORE work begins. They CANNOT rely on someone else to do it. They CANNOT rely on someone else to do it.

Under section 20 of the NSW OHS Act EVERY employee MUST ensure they do not place themselves at risk and do not expose any other person to risk arising from their actions or omissions. This means EVERY employee MUST be satisfied that ALL risks, to themselves and to others, have been identified, assessed and controlled BEFORE starting work.

How well does your workplace do?

Les Henley
OHS and Compliance Manager
Organisation Name withheld to protect the guilty

I want you to consider for a moment: How much time do you spend sitting?

The truth is the majority of working roles force people to spend a huge amount of time sitting – and they never take into account that resulting discomfort plays a major role in fatigue, irritability, injury and lack of motivation. Sitting is a part of:

• the office setting – as a receptionist, bookkeeper, telemarketer, keyboard operator, IT specialist, manager or copy writer, etc.
• driving – delivery, company car, truck, taxi, bus, mining vehicles, heavy duty vehicles on construction sites, or farming equipment, etc.
• aviation services – as a pilot of a helicopter or plane.

Even commuting to and from the workplace can have you sitting for extended periods!

Meet Jill

Meet Jill. She is a keyboard operator for a credit company, working 5 days a week. Jill’s life in relation to sitting is as follows:

• Commute to work on a train = 1 hour of sitting
• Arrives in office to begin work at 9am and sits in a chair until 10.30am – with one stretch break as she gets a drink during period. = 1 and a half hours of sitting
• Morning tea is twenty minutes which consists of 15 minutes sitting in the tea room and then a toilet break = 15 mins sitting
• Re-commences work at 10.40am and works through until 12pm = 1hour, 20 mins of sitting
• Jill collects her lunch from the fridge and catches the lift downstairs to have lunch in the park near her building. She sits reading a book until 12.45pm then returns back to her workplace to go to the toilet, have a quick chat with the Receptionist, and grab a glass of water for the next work session =  40 mins sitting
• Jill works from 1pm to 3.15pm, her longest stint = 2hours, 15mins
• Afternoon tea is twenty minutes which consists of 15 minutes in the tea room and a toilet break and another coffee to get her through the afternoon = 15 mins sitting
• Re-commencing work at 3.35pm, Jill works until 5pm = 1hour, 25mins sitting.
• Jill walks to the train station, stands for 5mins on the platform (thank goodness!) waiting for her train, and then sits for the next hour home = 1hour.
• When she gets home she organises dinner and settles down to two hours of her favourite TV shows, feeling exhausted and a litte irritable due to the ache in her lower back. She relishes this time out after a full days work – the only draw back is she’s sitting again… = another 2 hours.

That’s a day of 11 hours and 40 minutes sitting.

Do you do something similar? It might be behind the wheel of a vehicle or in a ‘cabin’ operating heavy machinery. You might even spend longer sessions than Jill during long shifts in the one seated position, often resulting in an aching back, sore neck and numb bum.

Have you ever considered the amount of stress that is placed on your back and spine sitting for so long? Have you ever considered that the fatigue you experience by the end of the day (or even earlier) is due to your bum and therefore lumbar region, back and spine being denied the comfort  and support it needs?

The average seat whether it be an office chair, pilot’s seat, truck seat, machinery operator’s seat and driver’s seat fails to provide appropriate pressure distribution where you make contact with the seat. You seem to have constant pressure on certain points of your bum and thighs which eventually cuts off blood supply to these areas, leading to a numb bum and legs, and even long-term circulatory issues. Do you ever find yourself squirming to find a better position, only needing to squirm all the more 10 minutes later?

If you are in machinery or a vehicle that experiences vibration (aircraft, trucks, cars, machinery, buses, etc.) due to engine vibration, rough roads or changing terrain, there is added stress to your body as it fights the vibration and gravity in search of stability. The body’s fight against these forces leads to fatigue and muscular pain. And did you know that being seated for long periods over time can contribute to spinal compression?

There are cushions available on the market that can help to relieve pressure by cushioning you correctly, absorb vibration (protecting your back and spine), and avoid heat build up. The leader in this field is AirHawk Cushions, who make cushions specifically designed for the aviation industry, mining industry, etc. and they have cushions to suit cars, buses, trucks, large machinery, office chairs, helicopters and planes, etc.

AirHawk Cushions have a unique design of interconnected air cells that mould to your individual shape – and you can adjust the amount of air pressure in them to suit you whenever you feel like it. The technology company behind AirHawk, ROHO has tested the air cell cushion and found it doesn’t compress like foam and gel cushions do over time.

The other asset of these cushions is that you can take them anywhere – they’re low profile and have washable covers. So Jill (our keyboard operator in the case study above) could use her cushion in the office, on the park bench, on the train, and even at home.

Check out AirHawk’s Website for more details.

The truth is, daily trips, slips, falls, cuts, and grazes are often outcomes from poor House Keeping. And the scarey thing is the statistic that slips and falls rank as the second leading cause of accidental deaths of 45 to 75 year olds. Not only is House Keeping important to you and your workmates, but also to your family, friends, and clients who visit your workplace.

Recently in an email I received from one of the Safety Concepts Subscribers, Les Hunter put the role of House Keeping in relation to Safety in the most straightfoward fashion:

“House Keeping is the benchmark for Safety:
Poor Housekeeping = Poor Safety.
Moderate Housekeeping = Moderate Safety
Good Housekeeping = Good Safety.”

Thank you Les, you said it perfectly.

With all of the rain we’ve had in the South East recently (and we need more!) wet surfaces are a major House Keeping hazard, and need to be addressed immediately.

Let’s consider the scenario: After a particularly heavy downpour, water has leaked through the ceiling creating a miniature swimming pool in the foyer of the shop/factory/office where you work. You’ve arrived early at your work before too much ‘people traffic’ begins only to discover the mess.

Being a Safety Conscious Individual you remember the steps involved with dealing with a hazard:

1. Assess the hazard.
   Which you have; there is water on the floor in an area where people will walk and more than likely slip. There are lights in that part of the ceiling and therefore quite possibly wet wiring. 
2. Find and implement solutions to those hazards.
   You switch off the lights to avoid any possible electrical damage. With no one about to help you, but aware that someone may come in at any moment, you throw a towel down over the puddle to highlight it’s existance, while you go find a mop and bucket to clean up.

   As you mop up the water and dry the floor, other work colleagues begin to arrive. Thankfully, one offers to contact the appropriate person to deal with the possible damaged ceiling and wiring (whether that be the building supervisor, an electrician, maintenance person, etc.)

3. Assess whether the solutions have eliminated or reduced the hazard.
   You are happy that the floor is now dry and that someone who is qualified to deal with the ceiling and electrical wiring is on their way. However, you notice there is still a slow drip wetting the floor.
4. If a risk to health and safety still remains, implement sound work procedures, in depth training, and use personal protective equipment to further reduce the hazard.
   You put an appropriate sign up notifying everyone that the floor is wet and slippery, and even send a memo round to staff asking them to take care. A bucket with a towel underneath is set up to catch the drips.
5. Conduct regular inspections for other hazards and for further improving existing solutions.
   You keep a copy of the maintenance report after the ceiling has been fixed, and electrical wiring given the ok. You decide that a thick, course mat would be a great idea to put at that particular entrance, as it often becomes slippery when people enter from outside with wet shoes. You forward your suggestion onto management. You also keep a record of all the steps that were taken to fix the hazard and suggestions to reduce any future risk.

Pat yourself on the back – job well done, and hazard efficiently dealt with.

Bathrooms too are notorious places for slips. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of people who wash their hands, and then flick the water from their hands all over the basin, mirror… and floor. As this accumulates, you now have a hazard. Even worse is the need to walk two metres across from the basins to the hand-dryer or towel dispenser, dripping water all the way.

Make towels available closer to the sinks, and ask other staff to wipe up any spills or drips immediately.

Even a request printed up, laminated and stuck to the mirror is a great reminder. We are all responsible for House Keeping and maintaining a safe workspace. If staff leave a hazard for the ‘cleaner or janitor’ to fix, it could escalate to a situation that may just ruin someone’s life. If you are under strict rules not to deal with a particular hazard (whether due to hygiene or other safety issues) then report the hazard immediately. Don’t wait for someone else to report it.

For more weight behind hazard identification and getting it fixed, put the details in writing and hand it to the appropriate person. Don’t think you’re being a nuisance or whinger – you might just save the company a lot of money in the future, as well as someone’s life. And I can almost assure you that you’re not the only person who is aware of the risk.

One work place’s bathroom was an accident waiting to happen. The bathroom floor was constantly wet due to poor design, and staff often grumbled about how slippery it was. A couple of comments were made to management ‘on the fly’ but nothing was put in writing and the WHSO (who overlooked several different outlets of this nation-wide company) was not notified of the extent of the danger. When someone did eventually slip and break their arm – who could have helped to prevent it?

I’d like to finish with another comment Les made in his email:

“The Definition of an accident: an avoidable occurence.
It puts every one involved on the same level as far as what to keep an eye out for.”

Thanks Les, I couldn’t agree more.

No matter who we are: Management, Staff, or Junior…

No matter what our jobs are: IT Department, Janitor, Construction Engineer, Receptionist…

We are still responsible for a safe workplace, and House Keeping is a major part of that.

Myrian Gear, Chris Gear’s widow, attended the rally. You may recall Chris’ terrible accident back in June on the Gold Coast, where he fell from swing scaffolding.

Mrs Gear stated, “If the unions were allowed to do their jobs and go on-site, Chris wouldn’t have died.”

Spokesperson for the CFMEU, Michael Ravbar, said that before John Howard came in, when sites were deemed dangerous they were shut down and the problems fixed. But now there is a time delay before any action takes place. Ravbar also said that workers were under pressure to meet unrealistic deadlines. These were contributing to unsafe work environments due to fatigue and ‘dangerous corner-cutting’.

With deaths increasing by 35% on Qld building sites, and now after 3 deaths on Qld building sites in the last fortnight, as well as 18 worksite fatalities this year it sounds like the CFMEU and every construction site worker has cause for alarm…

And after yesterday’s shocking incident they may well have even more to add to their arsenal…

Tom Takurau, 25 years of age, who was working in a cherry picker on a construction site died at the Princess Alexandra Hospital after a concrete beam fell from a road project, crushing him.

The incident is currently being investigated and the CFMEU spokesperson says the concrete beam responsible for crushing Tom Takurau had not been tethered properly.

Our heart-felt condolences go out to Mr Takurau’s family and those of the other unfortunate workers. We can only hope their deaths will shake up the safety industry and changes will be made.

“Health and Safety Training?”
“Training for what?”
“Training for whom?”
“Where do I get training?”

If you’re reading this type of site, the chances are you already have the first element required for safety. Regardless of the application you use, the knowledge without the primary element, all else you attempt will sound hollow and fall on deaf ears. Without PASSION all the training and knowledge under the sun will prove ineffective. Rarely can a person relay a convincing message or engaging information sessions without revealing the passion they hold for the subject.

So one would assume that for you as an individual to have entered this article you have a passion for safety on some level.

Congratulations, my friend!

One thing will be sure, aware of it or not, your passion for safety will provide another with the tolls or information to make a difference to the safety of another. Realistically that’s the bottom line for all safety persons. To attempt to make a difference and ensure the safety of at least ONE other. And if it is only ONE then it has been a worthwhile journey.

Health & Safety Training can range from expanding your general knowledge for personal gain, to a professional requirement, and all levels in between. Four areas of interest in this article are restricted to:

• General Interest
• The new Workplace Rep.
• Mandatory Training
• The Newbie to the Profession

From these areas the “Professional Safety Individual” officially “titled a range of things” (depending upon the industry training) can take a number of roads. This area can be varying in depth and complexity and will be examined at a later date.

General Interest in H&S Training

Why the interest? Who cares? You do – and that’s enough.

In this time of information revolution gaining access to information is a relatively simple task. Safety information can be obtained from almost any street corner or newsagent at least. But is it reliable and concise? One would hope so in this environment of litigation. Safety information can be obtained from the common press, magazines, product advertising, local libraries, internet, private business and government offices, just to name a few. Are these people being”trained” in safety?

When an individual is given the opportunity to expand the level of knowledge through providing information regardless of the subject matter, isn’t that “training” the mind?

A general interest in training should cover the basics of Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification.

The new Workplace Rep.

Congratulations on the selection of your new WH&S Representative.

As a new WH&S Representative you have a number of tasks you can perform for your group. However as a volunteer you are under no obligation to perform these if you choose not to.

I recommend reading information available on the following sites;

1. Workplace Health and Safety Qld
2. OHS Reps at Work

But be warned. There is a vast amount of information available from your local library or electronically. This can be disconcerting to the new comer. At first remain focused on what is important to your work situation and relevant to your circumstances. This will reduce the confusion until you have a better understanding of what is important to you. Then once comfortable with the material and subject matter, branch out and explore what’s happening in other areas of safety. This can often impact on your work place as well.

Mandatory Training

Mandatory training is often a requirement in a number of professions to maintain the competencies required for your profession. It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure the competencies are maintained. Depending upon your workplace, management may play a key role in ensuring this takes place. It is often a question asked of the WH&S Rep, so for all concerned knowledge of where to obtain the training in your area could be an advantage. This information can be obtained from your local “Recognised Training Providers” in your area. This could include your local TAFE, Registration Authority or Telephone Book.

The Newbie to the Profession

As a newbie to the world of SAFETY it can be a huge shock to the system. The amount of information required, sources available, reliability of information, relevance to your situation, and just plain language it is written in can be enough to make you quit before you start. Please don’t. There can be a lot of satisfaction from taking on this role as well. At least that’s what I have found. It can be thankless, prickly and not pleasing for everyone. A lot of what I do doesn’t get seen from the front line. But in the end, it’s nice to know I have done my bit to ensure my mates make it home in one piece to their families at night, and so do I.