Regularly Australian OHS authorities announce campaigns in certain regions or for certain industries. To some extent these campaigns are about raising awareness of OHS issues but the fieldwork by inspectors does have some real benefit for some employers and workers. Often these campaigns result in scores of improvement notices being issued. Safety improvements are a major part of this inspectorate … Continue reading “Compliance campaigns not toothless”
Newspapers regularly report of home mechanics being trapped or killed while working under their cars and the jack slips. This type of event is less likely in workplaces because workshops have hoists or pits where work can be undertaken under a fairly stable vehicle. However not all vehicle repair happens in a workshop. On 26 January 2010 a judge in … Continue reading “Inadequate support under a vehicle costs one life and £90,000”
On 25 January 2010, Jalor Tools P/L was convicted of two breaches of the 1985 version of Victoria’s OHS Act following the death of Ekaterini Peripetsakis in the week before Christmas in 2006. Ekaterini was hit in the chest by a piece of the router tool that broke off at very high speed striking killing her. She … Continue reading “Prosecution of manufacturer of plant”
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has come in for a lot of “stick” over the last few years by seemingly over-reacting to OHS hazards. In many cases, these reports have come from a misinterpretation of OHS rules and guidelines or a misunderstanding of the basic principles of safety. In some cases it is simply … Continue reading “Getting safety promotion right”
As safety professionals start to return to work in Australia after their Summer break, speculation for 2010 increases. Many are wondering who will replace John Merritt as the executive Director of WorkSafe Victoria? The appointment process is likely to take a couple of months but there are several possible candidates. One could be Julia Davison of WorkCover … Continue reading “CEO changes in Australian OHS”
John Merritt is leaving WorkSafe Victoria to head up the Environmental Protection Authority. Nothing special in such a move as such progression is part of many senior executive public servant’s career plans. But Victoria’s politicians have started to use this change for political point-scoring on the basis that Merritt is married to Victorian parliamentarian, Maxine … Continue reading “Changing the OHS guard”
Twelve days in 2010 and Victoria has experienced its first workplace death and it was due to the use of a forklift. A 60-year-old man was crushed after a load being removed from a truck by forklift fell. According to WorkSafe Victoria: “…the man was guiding a forklift driver who was to remove the computer … Continue reading “Forklift death and safety posters”