Young workers have a much higher workplace injury rate than over 25s

A recent report has revealed that around 20% of workplace accidents are incurred by workers aged 25 and under. The report was compiled by Safe Work Australia and is titled Work-related injuries experienced by young workers 2009-2010.

Key findings on work health and safety

• The injury rate of young workers was 18% higher than for workers aged 26 and over. The rate of work-related injuries per 1000 workers is around 66.1 for young people, compared to 56.2 for workers aged 26 and over.
• The difference in work-related injury rates is highest in the manufacturing, accommodation and food services, health care and social assistance and construction industries
• Nearly 2/3 injured young workers did not apply for workers’ compensation after their work-related injury
• 2/3 traumatic injury fatalities to young workers involved a vehicle

Work health and safety regulators are finding practical ways to raise young people’s awareness of workplace hazards, and are working to improve work health and safety for young people and support employers to reduce these statistics.

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Source: Safe Work Australia media releases
The report can be accesed at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au

Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention - New release training programme

The most up-to-date training resource on Hazardous Noise in the Workplace has just been released… “Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention”.

Noise in the workplace accounts for the vast majority of noise induced hearing loss in the community.

Hearing loss usually occurs gradually, over years, and it’s mostly painless, so by the time the damage is done, it is too late. While there is no cure for hearing loss, it can be prevented by proactively managing exposure to hazardous noise levels.


Topics covered:
- Understanding How Sound Works
- Hearing Loss and Health Effects
- Hazardous Noise
- Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
- Reducing Noise
- Personal Hearing Protection
- Proper Use of PPE
- Audiometric Testing

The Australian Version

Based on the harmonised Work Health and Safety Regulations and Codes of Practice, this training resource is suitable for personnel at all levels and reinforces the fundamental concepts that underpin all successful noise management programmes.

The UK Version

Based on The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2006, this training resource is suitable for personnel at all levels and reinforces the fundamental concepts that underpin all successful noise management programmes.

Click here for more information or to preview 'Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention'.
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Studies show up to half of all heavy-truck drivers suffer from sleep apnoea

An inquest has heard that up to half of all heavy-truck drivers suffer from sleep apnoea, a condition blamed for causing a Victorian truckie to fall asleep at the wheel before a fatal head-on collision.

The 52-year-old truck driver was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnoea after the collision. He pleaded guilty to negligent driving causing death and was given a suspended 10-month jail sentence.

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital sleep specialist Anup Desai said that the disorder was prevalent but under-reported, and even though GPs detected symptoms, they didn't necessarily refer truck drivers for further assessment and diagnosis by a sleep specialist.

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Source: The Australian

Worker suffers severe burns in workplace accident

A garage has been fined after a mechanic was badly burned while trying to cut the top off an empty oil drum.

The 26-year-old was using a propane torch to remove the lid when the remaining oil inside the drum set alight, causing an explosion. He suffered burns to his hands and arms, and was kept in hospital for five days.

The employees at the garage cut the tops off empty oil drums approximately once every three months so that they could be used to store scrap metal. However, the company failed to consider the risk of the propane torch creating and igniting a vapour from the small amount of oil remaining in the drums.

The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £4,746 in prosecution costs.

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-nw-kankkultd.htm?eban=rss-

Employee injured after being flipped around a rotating roller

A fabric firm has been fined after an employee was badly injured when he was flipped around a large rotating roller.

The 39-year-old was trying to straighten a crease on a roll of fabric as it was being wound up when his clothes became caught in the mechanism. He was dragged around the roller three times, suffering cracked ribs and bruising to the side of his body.

There were no guards on the machine to prevent workers from accessing dangerous moving parts, and the emergency stop button nearest to where the employee was working was defective. The company had carried out an assessment which identified the risk of workers' clothes becoming entangled as a hazard, but it failed to act on this.

The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £3,600 in prosecution costs.

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-nw-flameproofingsltd.htm

2 construction companies cited after 1 worker died, another injured

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited 2 construction companies with a total of 10 safety citations after a truck driver was killed and another worker was seriously injured.

The incident occurred when a crane collapsed at a bridge construction site. A truck driver died when he was struck by the boom of a crane that overturned while bridge girders were being erected with a multiple crane lift.

An employee who was operating the crane was seriously injured when he was thrown from the cab as the crane fell. Proposed penalties for the employing company total $105,000.

The other company was contracted to provide manpower for erecting the girders and faces penalties of $13,220.

"Employers have a responsibility to take all necessary steps to eliminate hazards from the workplace and to ensure that workers are given the proper training to conduct required tasks, such as operating cranes and performing multiple crane lifts," said Nick Walters, OSHA's regional administrator in Chicago.

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Source: OSHA

192 Australian workplace deaths in 2012

As at December 31, 192 Australian workers were killed at work in 2012 according to the latest data gathered by Safe Work Australia. During the same period in 2011, 166 deaths had occurred.

Safe Work Australia records cases of work fatality and injury, updates statistics and prepares several reports. The data is an initial estimate for the number of people killed and is based on initial media reports.

Worker deaths by industry of workplace as of December 2012:
Transport, postal & warehousing 66
Agriculture, forestry & fishing 45
Construction 21
Manufacturing 14
Administrative & support services 7
Public administration & safety 6
Arts & recreation services 5
Mining 5
Electricity, gas, water & waste services 4
Wholesale trade 2
Retail trade 2
Education & training 3
Other services 2
Financial & insurance services 1
Health care & social assistance 2
Professional, scientific & technical services 1
Accommodation & food services 1
Government administration & defence 1
Industry unknown 4
Total worker deaths 192

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Source: Safety Culture.

Food processing company fined after worker's finger amputated

A food processing company has been fined $10,000 over an incident which led to the amputation of a worker’s finger.

The worker was operating a mincing machine that had a hopper at the top where meat was fed to be minced. He started the machine and climbed onto a stepladder to check the amount of meat going down the hopper. Upon noticing that the meat was only going half way down he pushed the meat down using his hand. His finger got stuck in the mincing area and was injured, requiring amputation.

WorkSafe Acting Director Ian Munns said the case was a disappointing example of an employer’s failure to provide workers with sufficient protection from moving parts of machinery.

“Subsequent to this incident, the employer installed a safe system of work for this mincer that cost less than $3000 – far less than the total $11,548 the company ended up paying in a fine and costs.

“Many workers have been seriously injured when machinery they were working on has been activated. Guarding of the dangerous moving parts of machinery is such a basic and easy precaution to take, and it’s disappointing that we continue to see cases where these simple measures are not taken.”

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Source: Safety Culture - OHS news

Workplace accidents can happen to anybody - WHSQ film warns of safety risks

‘Workplace accidents can happen to anybody, not just middle-aged men’ is the message of the new film by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

'In it for the long haul: The Tiffany Ward story' is about making sure that young workers are able to return home safely to family and friends at the end of their working day. All workers and employers need to be aware of the unique risk profile young people have which makes them vulnerable in the workplace.

At 18, Tiffany Ward was severely injured at work when both of her arms were caught in a potato processing auger. It took emergency crews more than 40 minutes to free her and led to more than 30 hours of surgery to save her life and arms.

Now 22 and married with two children, Tiffany has shared her story to make workers more aware that a workplace incident can have life-long consequences. The film describes Tiffany's battle to live with the financial, physical and emotional consequences of her injury.

To view WHSQ’s video or for more information, visit In it for the long haul: The Tiffany Ward story

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Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/tiffany/index.htm

$97,500 fine for rat and cockroach infested take-away restaurant

A takeaway restaurant in Sydney was fined $97,500 after health inspectors found dead rats in the kitchen, a cockroach infestation and "accumulated grime".

The owners of the business pleaded guilty to 13 counts of failing to comply with the Food Standards Code. The council asked the Magistrate to hand down a strong penalty against the operators that would deter other food business owners who put public health at risk.

“The defendant company has placed members of the public at a greater risk of injury, illness, serious disease or death purely for commercial gain” The City said in documents handed to the court.

"The outcome of this case should serve as a warning to food businesses who don’t follow the rules and who put people’s health at risk" City of Sydney chief executive officer Monica Barone said.

For more information on this hospitality and food safety news, visit: Hospitality Magazine - $97,500 fine for rat and roach-infested Sydney take-away

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Source: http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/food/news/$97-500-fine-for-rat-and-roach-infested-sydney-tak

National Safe Work Australia Week 2012

Safety begins with ‘S’ but starts with ‘YOU’ is the theme of this year’s National Safe Work Australia Week. It reminds Australian workers that anyone can be a health and safety leader in the workplace.
• The week will be celebrated from the 21st - 27th of October 2012.
• The Safe Work Australia Chair recommends “Every workplace in Australia should be planning to use the week to make improvements to health and safety. It reminds us all that safety should be a priority all year round.”
• Safe Work Australia is seeking Safety Ambassadors; workers at any level with a passion for WHS who are dedicated to making their workplace safer.

For more information on this workplace safety news, visit: http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/aboutsafeworkaustralia/nationalactivities/safeworkaustraliaweek/swaw-12/pages/national-safe-work-australia-week.aspx

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Electric shock sparks $10,000 fine

An electrical contractor has copped a $10,000 fine after a worker suffered an electric shock and was thrown backwards while working on a drilling rig in Eneabba.

The drilling contractor received the electric shock when a drilling rig mast came into contact with high voltage power lines on a site in the State's north in May 2006.

Earlier this week, Jeremy Paul Blakiston Fowler (who was then trading as Electro Power Services) was fined in the Perth Magistrate's Court after he pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the workplace was safe.

In May 2006, Western Power had contacted Outback Power Services to perform works and build a voltage regulator at Eneabba.

Electro Power Services had then been contracted by Outback Power to supervise drilling works to be performed by a drilling contractor.

On May 17, Mr Fowler and the drilling contractor were engaged in drilling holes with a drilling rig underneath power lines.

The position in which the drilling contractor chose to place the rig required him to raise the mast very close to the power lines.

In repositioning the rig, the left-hand outrigger was raised and the mast tilted towards the power lines.

The then mast touched the power lines and the drilling contractor received an electric shock and was thrown backwards from the drilling rig.

The court was told that no formal pre-start meeting had been held before the work started, and that the drilling contractor was not given any directions for the work - with the exception of where the holes were required to be placed.

Mr Fowler also had not checked whether the power lines were live.

The court ruled he was the person in control of the workplace, and was responsible for the drilling contractor's safety.

"Over the past five years, 17 Western Australians have died as a result of electrocution," WorkSafe WA commissioner Nina Lyhne said.

"Electricity is one of WorkSafe's operational priority areas, and a lot of time and resources are directed towards lessening the toll and educating people on how to work safely with electricity."

March 6, 2009

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/electric-shock-sparks-10000-fine-20090305-8per.html

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