Posts tagged #ohs

Free Blank SWMS Template

ISOsafe are offering a free SWMS Template that helps you better manage onsite Health and Safety. We believe Safety at work is everyone's responsibility! Our Free Blank SWMS Template will guide you through the key considerations when conducting a Risk Assessment so you can get a real handle on hazards associated with your onsite activities and better plan preventive controls.

This Free Blank SWMS Template can be used for any work such as Cleaning and Security Work to Plumbing, Electrical and Construction related works.


Write your own SWMS using our free blank template

Find Your Free Blank SWMS Template below

SWMS Tailor Made For Your Work

SWMS Tailor Made For Your Work

Ask ISOsafe - Call Now 1300 789 132

〰️

Ask ISOsafe - Call Now 1300 789 132 〰️

Benefits of using our Free Blank SWMS Template

✅ Free DIY solution

✅ This blank SWMS template has been reviewed by industry experts and will help you comply with onsite OHS/WHS regulations – in particular it breaks down any activity into tasks and helps you identify responsibilities

✅ Includes easy checkboxes for identifying applicable High Risk Construction Works

✅ The Free SWMS Template can be used in every State and Territory within Australia

 

Why are SWMS necessary?

A well documented SWMS can protect your clients, business and above all your workers as it offers an opportunity to consult and communicate any risks.


Are you too busy, or unsure how to correctly fill the blank SWMS? Call ISOsafe - 1300 789 132

Posted on July 30, 2020 .

New Zealand construction firm fined after worker injured in 2.9m fall

The construction company was fined $34,000 and ordered to pay reparations of $16,000 after pleading guilty to one charge under sections 6 and 50 (1) (a) of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.
On 22 October 2015, the worker was installing a flooring system on the second storey of a house in Timaru in the southern Canterbury region of New Zealand. The system is a composite steel flooring system made of lightweight, pre-formed steel sheets.
While drilling timber fascia boards to a steel beam, the steel sheets, which the worker was using as a work platform, moved and the worker fell 2.9m onto the concrete floor. He was knocked unconscious, sustained fractures, and suffers fatigue and headaches as a result of his head injury.
A WorkSafe investigation revealed the company had failed to complete adequate planning and hazard assessment in relation to the work, which would have included assessing whether the sheets made a safe work platform and making sure that the sheets were installed in line with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The worker was unfamiliar with the installation process and had received no training on how to do so. No one had checked that the worker installed the sheets correctly.
WorkSafe’s Construction Programme Manager Marcus Nalter said “working from height is a well-known risk in the construction industry and it must be managed appropriately at all times.”
Nalter added, “The company should have ensured that the fitting of the flooring system was being done correctly and appropriate controls were in place to prevent a fall from height, such as providing a safe working platform.”
“People working in high risk industries such as construction should be able to trust that the employer has their workers’ safety at the front of their mind. In this instance, The company’s inattention to safety has resulted in injury and ongoing health impacts for the worker,” said Mr Nalter.
The importance of training and hazard management while working at height has been reinforced here. Don’t risk non-compliance contact ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 

RM Williams convicted and penalised after safety breach

A South Australian Industrial Court has prosecuted RM Williams following an incident, in 2015, which left a worker with serious burns and permanent injuries.
The court convicted the manufacturer of leather boots, accessories and clothing, and imposed a penalty of $90 000 plus court costs in recognition of an early guilty plea.
On 29 June 2015, a worker was operating a heated logo stamping machine for the first time in the absence of an interlocked guard, which subsequently crushed some of her fingers and left her with third degree burns.
Following investigation by the South Australian safety regulator, SafeWork, RM Williams Pty Ltd was charged with failing to comply with a health and safety duty and exposing an employee to the risk of serious injury.
Presiding Magistrate Ardlie noted, “It is a matter for grave concern that the worker being a ‘new’ worker on the plant was being instructed in a practice which was positively dangerous and sought to defeat the machines safety measures.”
“This conviction highlights the importance of guarding moving parts on machinery which pose a serious risk to the health and safety of workers,” said SafeWork SA Executive Director, Ms Marie Boland.
Industrial plant can cause serious harm to workers. This conviction reinforces the importance of managing the risks through the development of clear procedures and the provision of training and supervision. Don’t risk non-compliance, contact ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 to find out how we can assist you in providing a safe and legally compliant workplace.

Victorian courts order local businesses to pay record $6.2 million in penalties over health and safety breaches in 2015-16

WorkSafe Victoria have revealed that over the 2015-16 financial year, 108 businesses and 21 individuals were fined totalling more than $6.2 million.

Of the 108 businesses, almost 40 were from construction sector. The worst offenders included:
A piling, foundations and ground engineering company which was convicted and fined $750,000 over the death of a worker who fell more than 40 metres when the mast of a piling rig collapsed at Southbank in 2011.
A mining services provider, which was convicted and fined a total of $600,000 following two incidents involving an overloaded barge working on the Patterson River. One of the incidents involved the barge capsizing, throwing three workers into the water and trapping one in the excavator in the water, seriously injuring him.
A residential builder, which was convicted and fined $300,000 over an incident in which a carpenter died after being crushed by a brick wall on a construction site at Brighton East in 2014.
A sign company, which was convicted and fined $250,000 over its involvement in the attachment of a timber hoarding to a wall which increased the risk of the wall collapsing at Carlton. The wall collapsed and killed three people in 2013.

A significant number of businesses in the manufacturing sector were also prosecuted. They included:
A conveyer belt manufacturer, which was fined $90,000 over an incident in 2014 in which an employee suffered serious arm injuries when he became caught in machinery beneath a moving conveyer belt.
A caravan manufacturer, which was convicted and fined $80,000 over an incident in 2014 in which an employee had two fingers severed while using an unguarded router.
A Chicken processer, which was convicted and fined $60,000 over an incident in 2014 where an employee suffered serious hand and arm injuries when she became caught in a giblet processor.

WorkSafe Chief Executive, Clare Amies, said the record amount of fines imposed by the courts in 2015-16 was a reminder to businesses and individuals of the significant penalties they faced if they did not comply with their health and safety obligations.

“WorkSafe is committed to improving workplace health and safety and, if it is found that employers have failed to provide a safe working environment for their workers, they can expect to face large fines and significant damage to their reputation,” Ms Amies said.

Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare all safety documentation to demonstrate compliance. 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.

Court imposes $150, 000+ fine on labour hire company

The South Australian Industrial Court recently imposed a penalty of $150 000 plus court costs to a Queensland based labour hire company for failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment.
On 22nd October 2012, a contracted employee of the labour hire company was working on the South Road Superway project, when his head was crushed between a lifting arm and welding table, suffering life threatening injuries.
Following investigation by SafeWork SA, the labour hire company was charged with offences under the then Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Act 1986 (SA), for failure to ensure its employee was safe from injury and risk to health whist at work, as far as was reasonably practicable.
SafeWork SA executive director, Marie Boland said it is the responsibility of the labour hire company to ensure hazard identification and risk assessments are completed at the host workplace before employees commence work. Boland added “this conviction reinforces that a labour hire company has a work health and safety duty to employees which cannot be delegated to others including joint venture partners”.
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your labour hire business. We will prepare all safety documentation, including risk assessments on your behalf, to demonstrate compliance. 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.