Queensland employer fined 180,000 after death of young worker

A Queensland transport company has been fined $180,000 for failing to comply with health and safety laws after a teenager was crushed to death operating a vehicle loading crane at Westside Christian College in 2012.

Head of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) Dr Simon Blackwood said this was a tragic example of a young employee desperately trying to please his boss, but way out of his depth – a situation the company could’ve easily avoided.

“Around 50 young Queenslanders a day – mostly young men suffer a compensable work injury, and one a day is permanently impaired,” Dr Blackwood said.

Since the tragedy, the company has stopped similar jobs and no longer uses the vehicle involved in the incident.

Magistrate David Shepherd said the young man died trying to do his best for his employer and had no doubt company bosses feel this matter very deeply and personally.

Dr Blackwood said for his family, this is closure. For everyone else, it’s a timely reminder to put measures in place to ensure safe working environments so that employees go home to their families every day.

"Young workers have a unique risk profile and it’s up to employers to consider this when managing them. A proper induction, plenty of support and much needed training are vital," he said.

Work health and safety laws require employers to:
•  identify the health and safety risks of particular work tasks and adopt procedures to eliminate or control them;
•  train workers in the procedures and provide them with any safety equipment they need;
•  ensure workers perform their tasks safely by providing training, supervision and support; and
•  encourage workers to speak to supervisors about any health and safety concerns.

Since July 2016, the Office of Industrial Relations has successfully completed 21 prosecutions in the courts, leading to fines totaling three quarters of a million dollars.

Over the same period, WHSQ issued 37 infringement notices with fines totaling more than $94,000, as well as 921 improvement notices and 265 prohibition notices.

For more information on managing young workers, contact ISOsafe at enquiries@isosafe.com.au. We support business owners; helping create safe and compliant workplaces.

10 good things ISO 9001 standards can do for small business

•    help you compete on a level playing field with bigger enterprises
•    open up export markets for your products and services
•    help you discover best business practices
•    will drive efficiency in your business operations
•    add credibility and confidence for your customers
•    open new business opportunities and sales
•    give you the competitive edge
•    make your brand name internationally recognized
•    help your company grow
•    enable a common “language” to be used across an industry sector
ISOsafe make ISO 9001 simple for business owners and employers. Contact us today for a fast free quote on 1300 789 132

ISO 9001:2015—An Introduction

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised quality management system (QMS) standard. It comprises fundamental quality assurance practices that can be applied by any business. In the past ISO9001 has been hugely successful within the manufacturing sector, however, the latest iteration (version 5) has seen the standard heavily revised to appeal to businesses in all sectors.

Without a QMS, businesses have little chance of sustaining any improvements or innovations they might realise. ISO 9001:2015 helps organisations standardise operational functions from input, through to output whether a good or service is being delivered. With the inclusion of risk based thinking, it takes into consideration exogenous and isolated events that many businesses would not usually plan for.

The ISO 9001 standard leaves a great deal of discretion to the business in terms of how it will design its processes and procedures. This enables businesses to customize it to ensure individual success, instead of just blindly following a rigid set of rules.

If you are looking for better overall performance in your business, ISO 9001 is the key. Contact ISOsafe today at enquiries@isosafe.com.au to unlock your business’ true potential.

How to choose the right ISO 9001 consultant

To help you choose the right ISO 9001 consultant for your business, we’ve collated the top ten questions to ask at your next riders and runners meeting

✔ What is their experience in your particular industry? 

✔ What is their business experience beyond ISO 9001?

✔ What is their experience in other ISO standards?

✔ How many ISO 9001 implementation projects has the consultant finished successfully in the last two years?

✔ How many of their customers applied for certification, and how many were successfully ISO 9001 certified in their first attempt?

✔ What is their educational path in ISO 9001?

✔ Do they deliver ISO 9001 training?

✔ Can they show you examples of Quality Management System documentation that they have created for other customers?

✔ What is the total price of their services (make sure this includes everything: analysis, interviews, documentation development, training, transportation costs, etc.)?

✔ What are additional services that may become an added cost, from other providers?

Trust ISOsafe to provide your business with all the support and materials needed to gain ISO9001 accreditation. We work closely with Australia’s most recognisable names, including SAI Global, BSI, DNV GL, Lloyd's Register and Bureau Veritas Australia and New Zealand. To get a fast free quote call us today on 1300 789 132

Toll Transport handed down $1 Million in fines after death of stevedore

Earlier this month, Toll Transport Pty Ltd was convicted and fined $1 million over the death of an employee who was crushed to death while helping load the Tasmanian Achiever at Webb Dock in 2014. The shipping operator pleaded guilty in the Melbourne County Court to one charge under section 21 of the 2004 OHS Act in that it failed to maintain a safe system of work.

The court heard that the company operated a shipping service between Webb Dock in Port Melbourne and Burnie in Tasmania using two ships, the Tasmanian Achiever and the Victorian Alliance.

When loading and unloading ships Toll used a roll on, roll off procedure. This process involves shipping containers being placed onto low flat trailers called MAFIs which are capable of carrying up to 4 x 20 foot shipping containers. When fully loaded, a MAFI can weigh up to 90 tonnes. 

In this instance, a 42-year-old stevedore was working on the deck of the Tasmanian Achiever placing rubber mats for the MAFIs to rest on during transit. He was wearing a high visibility vest and using earplugs. As he worked, a MAFI was pushed up the ramp and positioned by a prime mover operated by a driver. However, the driver did not see the stevedore and ran over him, crushing him under the wheels.

The court heard that Toll had a number of procedures in place to ensure the safety of employees during the moving of MAFIs on to the ships. However, WorkSafe’s investigation found that these were inadequate.

In particular a key component of Tolls safety procedures identified that a fellow stevedore be positioned on the deck to assist with moving mats, directing the prime movers and watching for pedestrians. Evidently, there was no stevedore in said position at the time of the incident.

The injured worker had his left leg amputated by the MAFI and suffered other severe injuries. Colleagues used a forklift to lift the MAFI off him but he died at the scene. 

The $1 million fine is the largest ever handed down by a court in Victoria for a single offence under occupational health and safety laws. 

Don’t risk non-compliance. Contact ISOsafe today to avoid penalties and heavy court costs, call us on: 1300 789 132 or email us at: enquiries@isosafe.com.au.