Workers in cushy jobs will be able to claim compo for being left idle, under national laws drawn up to combat bullying.
Employer groups have hit out at Safe Work Australia's "nanny state" rules, outlined in a draft code of practice that would be admissible in court cases. The code lists "not providing enough work" as a form of "indirect bullying", along with constantly changing deadlines or setting timelines that are difficult to achieve. It advises employers to ban pranks and discourage "exclusive clubs or cliques", so workers are not "ostracised" by colleagues.
The Australian Industry Group's representative on the board of Safe Work Australia, Mark Goodsell, said "It's easy for people to make an allegation and it is expensive and difficult for companies and management to rebut it."
The latest draft by Safe Work Australia states that "in some situations, behaviours may unintentionally cause distress and be perceived as bullying. For example, a manager or supervisor in a position of power may have a management style that seems to be strict or disciplinary when it is in fact bullying.”
The code has been put on ice pending the outcome of a parliamentary inquiry into bullying, ordered by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry director David Goodwin said "employers are now responsible for virtually every aspect of wellbeing of their staff, whether they know about it or not”.
ACCI work health and safety manager Carolyn Davis said "the guidance must clearly distinguish bullying from legitimate management practices and reasonable management”.
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Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/national-bullying-laws-allow-workers-left-idle-to-claim-workers-compensation/story-e6frg6n6-1226504514022
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Construction firm fined for endangering workers and the public
A construction firm has been prosecuted for endangering workers and the public with unsafe demolition work.
Local residents raised concerns that asbestos materials were being smashed up and littering the site, that debris was dropping from height onto the road and footpath; and that the site was insecure despite its close proximity to a local school.
The Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the company should have carried out an asbestos survey and produced a health and safety plan and a plan of demolition to ensure the buildings came down in a safe manner. Safe working platforms such as scaffolding could also have been used.
The construction company also employed inexperienced labourers to carry out demolition and asbestos removal, and did not give them sufficient instruction, training, or supervision. The company was fined £36,000 and ordered to pay £9159 in costs.
HSE Inspector Helen Donnelly said: "Construction projects need to be properly planned and safely managed by competent personnel using the right procedures and equipment. That clearly didn't happen here, and I hope lessons have been learned."
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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-ldn-19412.htm?eban=rss-
Local residents raised concerns that asbestos materials were being smashed up and littering the site, that debris was dropping from height onto the road and footpath; and that the site was insecure despite its close proximity to a local school.
The Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the company should have carried out an asbestos survey and produced a health and safety plan and a plan of demolition to ensure the buildings came down in a safe manner. Safe working platforms such as scaffolding could also have been used.
The construction company also employed inexperienced labourers to carry out demolition and asbestos removal, and did not give them sufficient instruction, training, or supervision. The company was fined £36,000 and ordered to pay £9159 in costs.
HSE Inspector Helen Donnelly said: "Construction projects need to be properly planned and safely managed by competent personnel using the right procedures and equipment. That clearly didn't happen here, and I hope lessons have been learned."
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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-ldn-19412.htm?eban=rss-
Thursday, October 25, 2012
International paper manufacturer fined £200,000 after worker’s death
An international paper manufacturer has been ordered to pay £260,000 in fines and costs for serious safety failings after a mill worker was crushed between two large rollers running at full production speed.
There had been significant production problems with paper breaks and waste material affecting the process. The 45-year-old worker gained access to the large rollers by opening an unlocked gate, & used a long-handled tool to clear waste material. The rollers were running at 131 metres a minute. He was drawn into the rollers and suffered severe crush injuries.
HSE found significant failings by the company in guarding the rollers and in training given to workers. The company was fined £200,000.
His widow said: "Words cannot describe the gap left in our lives by his death. Today's court decision can never bring him back but does give us a sense of justice.”
HSE Inspector, Jo Fitzgerald, said: "Fast moving machinery is a well-known hazard and must be properly guarded. Managers must take an honest look at how things are done and involve their workforce in identifying problems and improvements."
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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-sw-arjowiggins.htm?eban=rss-
There had been significant production problems with paper breaks and waste material affecting the process. The 45-year-old worker gained access to the large rollers by opening an unlocked gate, & used a long-handled tool to clear waste material. The rollers were running at 131 metres a minute. He was drawn into the rollers and suffered severe crush injuries.
HSE found significant failings by the company in guarding the rollers and in training given to workers. The company was fined £200,000.
His widow said: "Words cannot describe the gap left in our lives by his death. Today's court decision can never bring him back but does give us a sense of justice.”
HSE Inspector, Jo Fitzgerald, said: "Fast moving machinery is a well-known hazard and must be properly guarded. Managers must take an honest look at how things are done and involve their workforce in identifying problems and improvements."
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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-sw-arjowiggins.htm?eban=rss-
Young construction worker suffers near-death fall
A 21-year old construction worker started his work day like any other on Monday but it finished with him flat on his back in hospital, with a near-death tale to tell.
He fell more than 5m down a ventilation shaft at his workplace. He is recovering in hospital, with spinal injuries, broken ribs, slight bleeding on the brain & an air bubble trapped in his chest cavity.
The young worker's father was told over the phone his boy had been involved in a ''serious incident'' and was being rushed to Hospital. It is the type of phone call that too many families have taken, work safety authorities said.
The worker found himself at the bottom of the shaft after being knocked unconscious by the fall. ''The first thing he thought was either I'm dead or I'm blind because when he opened his eyes up, there was nothing,'' his father said.
''He couldn't cry out because he couldn't get any air into his lungs and he couldn't call triple 0 because he couldn't get any phone reception. So you can imagine the terror - with the pain he was in and the injuries that he's got.”
Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe said bosses were required to report serious workplace accidents and injuries. ''If WorkSafe becomes aware of serious incidents through some other means, often the scene of the accident will have been disturbed and any investigation by the regulator will be compromised.''
Employers who failed to comply with the law faced fines of up to $50,000.
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Source: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/how-a-work-day-ended-in-emergency-20121023-283z7.html#ixzz2AFx3Xm5i
He fell more than 5m down a ventilation shaft at his workplace. He is recovering in hospital, with spinal injuries, broken ribs, slight bleeding on the brain & an air bubble trapped in his chest cavity.
The young worker's father was told over the phone his boy had been involved in a ''serious incident'' and was being rushed to Hospital. It is the type of phone call that too many families have taken, work safety authorities said.
The worker found himself at the bottom of the shaft after being knocked unconscious by the fall. ''The first thing he thought was either I'm dead or I'm blind because when he opened his eyes up, there was nothing,'' his father said.
''He couldn't cry out because he couldn't get any air into his lungs and he couldn't call triple 0 because he couldn't get any phone reception. So you can imagine the terror - with the pain he was in and the injuries that he's got.”
Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe said bosses were required to report serious workplace accidents and injuries. ''If WorkSafe becomes aware of serious incidents through some other means, often the scene of the accident will have been disturbed and any investigation by the regulator will be compromised.''
Employers who failed to comply with the law faced fines of up to $50,000.
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Construction: Fundamentals for Safety
Construction: Managing Hazards and Risks
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Source: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/how-a-work-day-ended-in-emergency-20121023-283z7.html#ixzz2AFx3Xm5i
Monday, October 22, 2012
Waste management firm fined after 2 workers injured within a week
A waste management firm has admitted neglecting the safety of its workforce after 2 men were injured within just a week.
The first incident happened when site workers were setting up a waste sorting machine for use. One worker climbed on to its front conveyor belt and kneeled down to clear a blockage, while his co-worker thought he had gone to fetch something and started up the machine. He was propelled along the belt and dropped ten feet. He suffered fractures to his foot and skin and nerve damage.
The second incident occurred when a worker was helping to restart a Jaw Crusher machine. He saw some wire tangled in a magnetic belt roller and went to pull it free. The machine suddenly restarted and the wire was pulled back into the rollers along with the worker’s left forearm. He sustained crush injuries to his forearm.
The company had failed to implement simple measures that would have prevented both incidents and had ignored earlier warnings by the Health and Safety Executive about the lack of a safe system of work.
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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-yh-19212.htm?eban=rss-
The first incident happened when site workers were setting up a waste sorting machine for use. One worker climbed on to its front conveyor belt and kneeled down to clear a blockage, while his co-worker thought he had gone to fetch something and started up the machine. He was propelled along the belt and dropped ten feet. He suffered fractures to his foot and skin and nerve damage.
The second incident occurred when a worker was helping to restart a Jaw Crusher machine. He saw some wire tangled in a magnetic belt roller and went to pull it free. The machine suddenly restarted and the wire was pulled back into the rollers along with the worker’s left forearm. He sustained crush injuries to his forearm.
The company had failed to implement simple measures that would have prevented both incidents and had ignored earlier warnings by the Health and Safety Executive about the lack of a safe system of work.
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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-yh-19212.htm?eban=rss-
Man buried alive in a sand silo in a tragic workplace accident
In a tragic workplace accident, a worker at a building and mining company died when he was buried alive in a sand silo. He was moving sand from a pile when it collapsed on him.
The company’s owner told ABC today that the incident was an “unmitigated disaster”. Six FESA crews, including fire and rescue officers rushed to the worksite amid reports a man had been crushed. Attempts to extricate him were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.
WorkSafe is now investigating the incident and a spokeswoman said the man, in his 20s, was working underneath a pile of fine sand used in concrete production when it collapsed on top of him. How the mound collapsed was still being investigated.
After being told someone had been crushed, a co-worker said “it shouldn't happen to anybody at any time. Things go wrong. Mistakes happen.”
Unions WA secretary Meredith Hammat said it was concerning work injuries were on the rise after some years of decline. “Any fatality is a tragedy and for co-workers and family... I extend to them my sympathy,” she said.
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Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/man-buried-alive-in-sand/story-e6frf7jo-1226499886001
The company’s owner told ABC today that the incident was an “unmitigated disaster”. Six FESA crews, including fire and rescue officers rushed to the worksite amid reports a man had been crushed. Attempts to extricate him were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.
WorkSafe is now investigating the incident and a spokeswoman said the man, in his 20s, was working underneath a pile of fine sand used in concrete production when it collapsed on top of him. How the mound collapsed was still being investigated.
After being told someone had been crushed, a co-worker said “it shouldn't happen to anybody at any time. Things go wrong. Mistakes happen.”
Unions WA secretary Meredith Hammat said it was concerning work injuries were on the rise after some years of decline. “Any fatality is a tragedy and for co-workers and family... I extend to them my sympathy,” she said.
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Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/man-buried-alive-in-sand/story-e6frf7jo-1226499886001
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Company fined for exposing workers to amputation hazards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an auto parts supplier with 13 safety violations at the company's auto parts manufacturing facility. The violations include a lack of machine guarding and allowing workers to perform maintenance on machinery without first isolating the equipment's energy source. Proposed fines total $51,000.
"OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so" said Bill Wilkerson, OSHA's area director.
Twelve serious violations involve a lack of guarding for the points of operation on automated mechanical forging presses, not having machine-specific lockout/tagout procedures, a damaged metal guard on a conveyor, inadequate strain relief and insulation for electrical cords, a lack of periodic inspections, unguarded floor openings, failing to train workers, and failing to lock out the energy sources of machinery during servicing and maintenance.
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Source: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=23142
"OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so" said Bill Wilkerson, OSHA's area director.
Twelve serious violations involve a lack of guarding for the points of operation on automated mechanical forging presses, not having machine-specific lockout/tagout procedures, a damaged metal guard on a conveyor, inadequate strain relief and insulation for electrical cords, a lack of periodic inspections, unguarded floor openings, failing to train workers, and failing to lock out the energy sources of machinery during servicing and maintenance.
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Lockout Tagout - Making it Safe
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Source: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=23142
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