Posts tagged #NOHSC

Sydney car auction company fined more than $250,000 after death of forklift operator

A Sydney car auction company has been fined more than a quarter of a million dollars after a forklift operator was killed while unloading a truck at Milperra, NSW in 2013.
A 36 year old forklift operator and a 19 year old labourer were moving a cabinet from a truck onto a forklift at the company’s motor vehicle storage and auction site, when they both lost control of the load. The incident resulted in the death of the forklift operator and the labourer was left with fractured ribs and an injured knee.
SafeWork NSW charged the company with a breach of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for failing to ensure the health and safety of workers.
The company were found guilty by the District Court in June this year and fined $255,000.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said the incident highlighted the risks of working with forklifts and need to provide effective supervision and support to young workers.
“Forklifts continue to be a major factor in workplace deaths and injuries,” Mr Dunphy said.
“Between July 2012 and July 2014, 1,360 workers were injured in forklift incidents, including five fatalities.
“The social and economic impact is also significant, including a cost of $15.8 million to the NSW workers compensation scheme.
“Young workers make up approximately 12 per cent of all employment injuries and occupational diseases across the State, and are more vulnerable to workplace safety risks because of their inexperience or reluctance to speak up about safety concerns.
“Our investigation found that a lack of safety systems, instruction and supervision were major contributors to this incident.
“The company failed to train and instruct the workers how to safely remove the cabinet from the truck and did not tell them which forklift could safely carry the cabinet."
“This resulted in the workers selecting the wrong sized forklift with tragic results.”
“This incident highlights the need for employers to have appropriate systems in place to ensure that all workers, particularly young workers, receive sufficient training and support to work safely.”
Failure to manage health and safety can result in serious incidents. So, as well as putting staff wellbeing at risk, businesses can be left exposed to substantial financial penalties, criminal and civil prosecution and loss of reputation.
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare safe systems of work, safety instructions and all other documentation you require. Call us now 1300 789 132 or email us at enquiries@isosafe.com.au, to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners.

Posted on June 27, 2016 by ISOsafe Team and tagged forklift warehouse safety load shift load safety removlaist forklift safety OHS OHSMS ohs OH&S safety plant lf safety lf licence lf license pallet jack safety pallet lifter pallet racking pallet pallet rack depot safety safety signage safety case whs Workplace health and safety (WHS) WH&S WHSMS WHS Management System whs tradie WHS whsas ohsas OHSAS18001 overuse injury labourer safety auction house sydney nsw safety nsw work safe safe work safe at work sop safety systenm safety system occupational hazard site manager safety health labour safety induction safety Culture safe farm work demolition safety safe work method safety safe Safe Work Australia safework NSW nzs4801 ASNZS4804 ASNZS4801 as4801 4801 18001 NOHSC Absenteeism apprentices work platform wellbeing welder safety workplace induction worksafe working at heights Workers Compensation workplace training work at height Workcover worksafe VIC Work Workplace training workcover workers compensation injury Work Workplace training workcover SWMS JSA Risk Assessment ewp swp swms raw material production procurement exercise physiology ergonomic assessments quality management system quality control QMS qc qa quality assurance fire equipment Health & Safety heavy vehicle operator safety health risks hvnl non-government disability service NDS NDIA nhvr NHVR NHVL heavy vehicle national law national heavy vehicle regulator management system managing environmental impacts Miners' claims volunteer safety UV Radiation contractor safety extinguisher demolition Glazier Hazards home entertainment safety yellow card young worker young employee safety supervision farm worker Sun Safety build o&hs skip bin sick days risk assessment risk Risks Risk Management governance google jsa job safety analysis on the job training safety picking safety ISO ISO 14001:2015 iso4801 ISO 14001 ISO14001 iso 9001:28015 ISO9001 ISO45001 iso iso4804 Occupational Cancer Heavy equipment operator SRG Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points HRM hazard incident report workplace death workplace injury workers comp compo forklift checklist forlift safety inspection.

Nearly a million dollars in safety fines after bricklayer almost killed

A Granville bricklaying company and its director have been fined nearly three quarters of a million dollars after a worker almost died from electric shock on a Hammondville construction site in 2012.
The worker had been installing vertical metal bars into brickwork at a residential and commercial construction when he made contact with overhead power lines, suffering electrical burns to his hands, arms and torso. After being pronounced dead at the scene, he was revived by the Director.
SafeWork NSW charged the bricklaying company and its director for failing to comply with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW). The judge found that the Director of the company failed to exercise due diligence by not checking that the scaffold was a safe distance from power lines and verifying that a risk assessment had been conducted.
Two other companies, at the same site, were fined $500,000 in 2014 and $75,000 in 2015 respectively, over the incident.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Peter Dunphy said the incident could have been prevented if the business had a few simple safe work systems in place.
“There was a clear risk that the bricklayer could receive a potentially deadly electric shock if they came into contract with the power lines while working from the scaffolding,” Mr Dunphy said.
“The Director should have verified that a safety assessment had been conducted, ensured the scaffolding was a safe distance from power lines and advised the bricklayer of the risk.
“Unfortunately, this did not occur and the bricklayer almost died in an incident that was completely preventable.
“Fines from this incident now total almost three quarters of a million dollars, serving as a strong deterrent to those in the construction industry thinking about ignoring safety laws.”
Failure to manage health and safety can result in serious incidents. So, as well as putting staff wellbeing at risk, businesses can be left exposed to substantial financial penalties, criminal and civil prosecution and loss of reputation.
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare safe systems of work, safety instructions and all other documentation you require. Call us now 1300 789 132 or email us at enquiries@isosafe.com.au, to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners.

Posted on June 12, 2016 by ISOsafe Team and tagged ohs OHSAS18001 occupational hazard safety sparkie safety health labour brickie safety bricky bricklayer safety quality management system qa QMS qc quality control quality assurance electrical safety electrician safety whs tradie Workplace health and safety (WHS) Workers Compensation workplace training WHS whsas WHSMS WH&S WHS Management System Heavy equipment operator ASNZS4804 ASNZS4801 blast ohs sparks electrical safety construction contractor safety construct COR chain of responsibility rms roads and maritime services SafeWork safework safe swms workplace induction work at height work platform Workcover working at heights Work Workplace training workcover SWMS JSA Risk Assessment safe work method Safe Work Australia worksafe worksafe VIC safework NSW management system nhvr NOHSC build builder evacuation diagram construction safety construction Contractor Management excavate extinguisher explosion at work nzs4801 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points hazard Hazards hazop asbestos safety Culture safety induction demolition safety fire awareness fire safety google governance ergonomic assessments ERM health risks Health & Safety heavy vehicle operator safety hvnl H&S jsa job safety analysis Injury Management project manager skip bin risk assessment Risk Management Risks risk Work Workplace training workcover workers compensation injury labour hire workers ladder safety Landscaper labour hire safety Laborer labor hire safe platform ladder ladder ladder training ladder safety training public safety Plasterer plumber safety employee enagagement employee safe employee safety young employee safety young worker pneumatic tools hand tools blasting smaller heavy equipmentx office safety OH&S OHS ohsas OHSMS ISO 14001:2015 Integrated Management System incident iso4804 iso ISO45001 ISO iso4801 iso 9001:28015 ISO14001 ISO9001 ISO 14001 IMS customer feedback yellow card truck safety tradie safety electrical clearance overhead powerline safety bricklayer safety checklist brickie OHS policy bricklayer WHS policy.

The training and compliance paradigm

Well-trained staff and qualified professionals are essential in making sure the business is safe. Companies that provide health and safety information and training, not only meet their legal responsibilities, but also ensure staff know how to work safely and without risks to themselves or others.

Effective training will contribute towards making your employees competent in health and safety and it can help businesses avoid the distress and costs that accidents and ill-health can cause.

Training can be on the job, online or in a classroom setting. In-company training can be useful as the course can be designed to fit the organisations exact needs.

ISOsafe’s fully tailored training solutions will consider your organisations health and safety documentation, general operational policies and procedures, site specific needs, and include organisational branding.

Our training solutions are pragmatic, focusing on environments and situations that the learners are familiar with, thereby making the training more engaging. An example of this is our sought-after Risk Assessment in Practice training. By using the organisations scenarios for hazard identification and risk assessment, it makes the learning readily applicable to learners.

Many clients have found our training to be particularly effective in ensuring company processes are adhered to, resulting in operational efficiencies and greater customer satisfaction.

To learn more about our training solutions, contact us today.

Posted on April 30, 2016 by ISOsafe Team and tagged ISO Injury Management ISO9001 IMS ISO 14001:2015 incident ISO45001 ISO14001 ISO 14001 Integrated Management System iso iso 9001:28015 fire drill food manufacture food safety office safety NHVR NHVL heavy vehicle national law national heavy vehicle regulator NOHSC National Health and Safety Commission management system muster point mental health emergency lighting emergency assembly point managing environmental impacts QMS EMS HRM ERM emergency preparedness employee enagagement WHSMS NDS NDIS bacterial food poison Boilermaker business continuity best practices Absenteeism Disability worker wellbeing Disability safe Contractor Management x Hazards ASNZS4804 stairbuilding safety safety Culture Strategic Plan SafeWork ASNZS4801 avoid food complaints ladder safety Linemen Risk Management ladder training ladder Laborer Landscaper Glazier platform ladder Plasterer fire awareness food hygiene risk RSI repetitive strain injury health risks quality management system qa WHS quality assurance qc work at height quality control quality fire warden fire equipment food safety awareness course governance height Heavy equipment operator ergonomics google plumber safety postures electrical safety Fencer fire safety restaurant Terrazzo TilexMarble Setter tradie safe office wellbeing.

Managing work related stress and anxiety

Work related stress is the misfit between a worker's needs and capabilities, and what the workplace offers and demands. 

The National Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) identified stress as the most significant psychological hazard in the workplace, affecting both the mental and physical wellbeing of employees.

In 2013, Safe Work Australia (SWA) released its first report on work-related mental stress and its associated costs based on an analysis of Australian workers' compensation claims data from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The report, which can be downloaded from the SWA website, revealed that mental stress is costing Australian businesses over $10 billion dollars per year. 

Despite this, and the fact that stress has been recognised as a major occupational hazard by unions and government authorities world wide, many Australian employers still do little about the issue.

Employers can help reduce work related stress by:

•   Offering company wide extracurricular activities, such as a company football team. This can be used in team building/strengthening, as well as, assisting in general health & wellbeing of workers. 

•   Providing cool drinking water and promoting healthy eating decisions. Eating well (less sugary, salty and processed foods) will help clear the body of toxins, decreasing fatigue and improving alertness to manage stress.

•   Minimising interruptions. Interruptions at work can cause stress, impacting on productivity. Workers should be trained in prioritising tasks such as answering phone calls and emails at a set time.

ISOsafe can assist in the development of stress management policies, initiatives & training programs for your business - contact us today

Posted on January 17, 2016 by ISOsafe Team and tagged stress Workcover anxiety mental health NOHSC National Health and Safety Commission Safe Work Australia OHS OH&S WHS WH&S wellbeing occupational hazard.