Principal contractor convicted and fined after concrete pumping truck tips over

Earlier this month a construction company was convicted and fined $50,000 on one charge of breaching the OH&S Act (2004). Further, the company was ordered to pay $20,000 in court costs.
The company had failed to ensure a safe workplace resulting in a concrete truck tipping over and crashing into nearby scaffolding carrying a worker, on April 5, 2012. The worker suffered a fractured spine, crushed right hand, broken right ankle and foot. He also required skin grafting.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, Marnie Williams, said the company had failed to visually identify or barricade the location of the ventilation shaft at the construction site.
“Covering a shaft with a thin layer of concrete, presumably to prevent people from falling into it, created a new hazard because it actually looked like part of a capping beam,” Ms Williams said.
“There was an obvious risk of serious injury or death. The company failed to ensure that the workplace was safe by not clearly identifying this to workers at the site.”
Ms Williams said construction site safety was a priority for WorkSafe.
“Construction is a high-risk industry and employers must do everything they can to ensure construction sites are managed with the health and safety of all employees in mind,” she said.
“We are planning to conduct more than 13,000 site inspections across the state this year and we will continue to drive home to employers that the safety of every worker must be their number one priority.”
With regulatory bodies on the lookout, can you afford to get caught? 
Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business from costly reputational damage. We will conduct workplace safety assessments, prepare site safety management plans and provide training to your workers ensuring compliance and peace of mind. Call us now 1300 789 132 to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners

How to protect your business from E. coli

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are bacteria that normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals, primarily cattle. Most strains of this bacteria are harmless. E. coli 0157:H7 is a specific strain of E. coli that causes illness. In milder cases it causes bloody diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps. Unfortunately, it can also lead to more severe conditions that result in kidney failure and death.

The total number of reported cases of E. coli poisoning varies each year, ranging between 700-1000. It is important to note here, that many cases go unreported.

E. coli is spread by coming into contact with a source of contamination. This is usually raw meat or animal faeces, hence the food industry is particularly at risk. However there have also been a number of outbreaks at open farms and petting zoos where the general public are able to handle animals. E. coli can also be spread from person to person, so other family members can be infected even if they have not been in contact with the primary source of contamination. A significant association has also been made between sufferers who have handled raw leeks and potatoes from sacks!

Below are some simple steps you can take to prevent an outbreak from affecting your business.

There are several ways in which people become infected with E. coli 0157:H7, these include, but are not limited to:
•   Eating raw meat, unpasteurised milk or cheese
•   Eating unwashed vegetables that have been fertilised with infected animal manure
•   Not washing hands after touching animals
•   Infected water supply
•   Contact with infected people

The good news is that much of the risk can be reduced simply by practising good personal hygiene. You should ensure that your employees wash their hands thoroughly with soap and hot water:
•   after using the toilet
•   after contact with animals or animal environments
•   before taking meals
•   before handling ready to eat food
•   after handling raw meat and unwashed vegetables

What your employees need to do when preparing food:
•   remove any loose soil before storing vegetables and salads
•   thoroughly wash all vegetables (including salads) that will be eaten raw
•   do not prepare raw vegetables with utensils that have also been used for raw meat
•   keep raw meat and unwashed vegetables away from ready-to-eat foods during storage and preparation
•   use different chopping boards, knives and utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods, or ensure they are washed thoroughly between uses
•   cook all minced meat products (e.g. burgers, meatloaf, meat balls) thoroughly, until steaming hot throughout and no pinkness or red meat is visible when you cut into them
•   only leave cooked foods, meat and dairy products out at room temperature for a maximum of 2 hours
•   store uncooked meats below cooked meats, salad, fruit or vegetables that might be eaten raw to avoid dripping meat juices onto ready to eat food
•   store uncooked and cooked meats on different plates. Avoid all contact between raw and cooked meats
•   people who have been ill should not prepare food for others for at least 48 hours after they have recovered 

If you run a kitchen, then think about how your equipment is used and the cleanliness of your storage and preparation areas. Separate equipment must be used for raw and ready to eat foods. 

ISOsafe offer a variety of food safety courses, all of which include guidance on E.coli. For further details on any of our food safety courses, simply call us on 1300 789 132

Demolition and public safety

Demolition isn’t exactly on the low risk end of the spectrum – so, it goes without saying that health and safety measures need to be stepped up when you’re engaging in this type of work.

One story that springs to mind, is that of the rubbish removal company prosecuted after an 87 year-old suffered debilitating injuries when she was hit by a skip truck.

The rubbish removal company was convicted and fined $20,000 in the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court on Monday 21 February 2011. The company pleaded guilty to one charge under section 23(1) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 – for failing to ensure that members of the public are not exposed to health or safety risks.

The incident occurred while a skip truck was being used to remove debris from an Essendon North demolition site. The truck, which had been reversed into the site, was being driven out when it struck a pedestrian walking across the driveway. The woman was dragged under one of the truck’s front tyres and pulled onto the road. Her right arm was de-gloved from the upper arm to the fingers, and she suffered a heart attack on the way to hospital.

Could it have been avoided? Of course! The company in concern had identified risk factors, but had failed to implement control measures.

So if you’re demolishing or dismantling, what risk factors should you be on the look out for? And what should you do to avoid costly penalties?
•   Identify the risks
The risks that you could be facing really depend on the kind of work taking place, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. That means you need to stay alert and pay attention.
Are there likely to be building openings, or partially demolished floors? There could be a risk of falling from height.
Demolishing produces a lot of debris and material falling – which can pose another serious risk to both workers and passers-by. Keep exclusion zones and hard hat areas where there’s the greatest risk of debris, and try to keep walkways covered up.
•   Make sure you carry out a structural survey
You’ll need to be aware of the building or structure’s own possible risk factors, so a survey is essential.
This will help you answer some important questions and identify possible risks – how old is the building and how was it constructed? Are there other buildings nearby? What’s the weight of the material or machinery on any floors above the ground floor?
Based on this information, you can decide on the safest way to carry out the demolition process.
•   Be wary of hazardous materials
As well as larger pieces of debris, there’s likely to be some hazardous material that could be airborne. This can cause serious health damage. Some of the biggest culprits are dust, asbestos and respirable crystalline silica.
Then there are the materials that might not have been cleared fully from the old building, such as paints and flammable liquids, or chemicals from industrial processes.
•   Be alert when it comes to noise and vibration
Damage from intense vibration and loud noises may not be as obvious as some of the other risk factors around – but they’re no less serious!
Frequent exposure to loud noises can permanently damage a person’s hearing – and using vibrating hand tools can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome. So make sure that anyone at risk of these issues has been properly trained, and given adequate respite from exposure.
•   Engage the right contractor
Selecting the right contractor to do the job is key. So make sure that you engage a company with knowledge and experience for the job, you don’t want to employ a contractor without checking their competency. Getting that right will help avoid problems further down the line.

Are you involved in demolition? Get in touch with ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 to learn more about how we can help protect your business.

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.

Keeping safe in construction

Think health and safety is some other lucky bugger’s responsibility?

Think again.

In construction, everyone gets to have a slice of the pie, from clients to workers on the ground.

Whatever hat you wear, there’s always something you can do. Here are some of the ways you can demonstrate due diligence:

If you’re a client:

•   Clients don’t get to wash their hands of Health and Safety – you’re just as important as the rest of the team. If you’re having work done, you’ve got responsibilities under the regulations
•   Make sure everyone you employ is competent. Don’t be afraid to ask for evidence to confirm this
•   Give pre-construction info promptly
•   Make sure there are arrangements in place to cover all safety and environmental legislation requirements

If you’re a designer:

•   Your client’s paying you a pretty penny to make sure you do your job right. You need to make them aware of their duties too – before you start work
•   Avoid risk. As the designer, you’ve got the crystal ball to spot any hazards before they happen. It’s called risk management – do it!

If you’re a principal contractor:

•   Project management is about making sure you plan, implement and review everything properly
•   Draw up the rules – make sure you’ve got appropriate site rules for the area set up
•   Notification – you’ve got to have all the correct formal notices on display on site, no exceptions!

If you’re a small builder:

•   Set realistic lead times, and allow lots of extra time for planning and preparation
•   Restrict site access
•   Provide information and training – your workers need to have task specific training. ISOsafe can help with this!

If you’re a construction worker:

•   Stay competent – always refresh your training and make sure you know how to do things safely
•   Remove hazards – spotted something dangerous? Don’t be a plonker – get it out of the way! Or at least tell someone about it
•   Follow the rules
•   Report any problems

Partner with ISOsafe to manage your workers health and safety. Get in touch with one of our team members to learn about our services for businesses.