Issue 147 - SafetyNet Journal 147
Welcome to SafetyNet Journal 147 – your source for the latest news in OHS from Australia and around the world. In this edition you’ll find: ASCC replacement bill introduced to Parliament; Ambos launch hard-hitting fatigue ad; new research linking shift work to car crashes and much more.Please note: As we now include training information in SafetyNet, we are sending it to our entire ‘Training News’ subscriber list as well. If this applies to you, and you do not wish to receive SafetyNet – which comes fortnightly and is free – please let us know. Email ohsinfo@vthc.org.au.
Union News
Research
WorkSafe News
Worksafe Prosecutions
International News
Union News
Activities and news for reps
ACTU OHS petition – have you signed up?
The ACTU has an online petition calling on the government to introduce the highest standards of OHS through the harmonisation process currently under way. The petition calls for amendments to legislation to meet the minimum standards detailed in the ACTU OHS Charter [pdf].
OHS harmonisation is an enormous opportunity to get the best possible health and safety laws for Australian workers. Let the government know that OHS standards are important to you, sign the petition now.
Comcare HSR survey online now
Comcare is asking Commonwealth health and safety representatives to complete an online questionnaire to provide feedback on the challenges and issues that they face in improving OHS in the workplace. Personal information will only be used to verify that the individual is in the Commonwealth jurisdiction and will not be used in the analysis or publication of the results. Comcare HSRs have until 9 September to complete the questionnaire.
Gillard introduces ASCC replacement Bill
Federal IR Minister Julia Gillard has introduced legislation into Parliament to establish the replacement to the ASCC. The new body, Safe Work Australia, is part of the Labor Government’s election promise to deliver a national independent OHS commission to replace the ASCC, to further harmonisation and to tackle workplace health and safety. One of Safe Work Australia’s key tasks will be to develop model OHS legislation to be adopted by all jurisdictions.
Safe Work Australia Bill – Explanatory memorandum [
pdf
],
Julia Gillard media release
,
National Review website
Ask Renata –
When can I register for the VTHC OHS Reps Seminar?
Right now!
The biggest and best event of the year is being held during OHS Week on Thursday October 30. All Victoria’s elected OHS reps are invited – but register quickly (and remember you must give your employer at least 14 days’ notice of your attendance). Do you have an OHS-related query? If so, Ask Renata
Ambos launch fatigue ad as overtime soars
The Ambulance Employees Association has stepped up its campaign on fatigue, launching a hard-hitting ad portraying a fatigued paramedic fatally injured after crashing his ambulance into a power pole. The advertisement includes simulated a phone call between a 000 call-taker and a distressed man who has discovered the fatally injured paramedic and calls on Premier Brumby to take urgent action on paramedic fatigue.
The Victorian Government last month rejected demands for 10 hour rest breaks between shifts. Paramedics say longer rest breaks are vital if they are to do their jobs safely. A recent survey among Victorian paramedics revealed 55 percent had fallen asleep or nodded off while driving. FOI material released by the AEA also reveals paramedics in regional Victoria averaged 55 days of overtime last year — the equivalent of eleven 38 hour weeks. The documents show regional paramedics averaged 16 days sick leave last year, fuelling concerns Victorian paramedics’ extreme workloads are affecting their health.
AEA website OHS Reps page on Fatigue and Shiftwork
See item in this edition: Research - Shift workers more likely to have vehicle accidents
Tasmanian survey reveals lawyers bullied at work
A survey by the Tasmanian Law Society has revealed 21 per cent of respondents were subjected to bullying behaviour at work. The lawyers’ representative body is considering strategies to tackle bullying in Tasmanian workplaces. Of those who had experienced inappropriate behaviours at work, almost half had considered leaving their practice or the industry entirely.
Source: The Mercury
Another fatality in the Pilbara
West Australian unions say the second death of a Pilbara miner in a month will galvanise efforts to reinvigorate a union presence in the region. The AMWU says safety in the remote region is a major issue and one they will pursue in attempting to build membership in the WA industry, well known for its antipathy to unions.
The Australian
AMWU says Qantas too focussed on cutting costs
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has called on CASA to release the full report into Qantas maintenance operations following yet another incident involving a Qantas plane. AMWU National Secretary Dave Oliver said that the union had extreme concerns regarding the impact of cost cutting, outsourcing and off-shoring on maintenance work. The union has previously highlighted concerns with the airlines offshore maintenance program.
AMWU news release
IDSA moves to new city location
Industrial Deaths Support & Advocacy Inc (IDSA) has moved from Glenroy to the centre of Melbourne. The organisation, which provides support and advice to families following a workplace fatality and has an important lobbying role as well, is now situated at Ross House, 247 Flinders Lane. Its phone/fax numbers are 03) 9654 3353 or 03) 9309 4453.
Read more about IDSA. IDSA website
Asbestos news
Tasmanian unions campaign to reduce asbestos deaths
Tasmanian unions are stepping up their campaign to reduce the number of asbestos-related deaths in the state. Unions Tasmania has called on the State Government to undertake a state-wide audit of buildings and challenged the “conventional wisdom” that asbestos was safe if left undisturbed. Unions Tasmania Secretary Simon Crocker said the government needed to act immediately to improve asbestos compliance regulations in the state.
The Mercury
Canada killing the Rotterdam Convention (and thousands in impoverished nations)
Canada’s support for its asbestos industry is destroying the Rotterdam Convention, the international treaty to control the trade in the world’s most hazardous chemicals and pesticides. Canada has blocked attempts to have chrysotile asbestos added to the list of extremely hazardous materials for over two years, bringing the convention to its knees. Asbestos is banned for use in Canada but it cynically exports it to impoverished nations which do not have the same safety standards.
From Risks 370 Article in Toronto Star Right On Canada
Tragic story of Leigh, face of international ZOCC
Leigh Carlisle was one of the human faces of the global trade union Zero Occupational Cancer Campaign. She died last week, aged 28, of mesothelioma, the youngest person in Britain to be struck down by the asbestos-related cancer. It is thought she may have been exposed to asbestos used in a construction yard she passed on her way to school or in the school itself. Due to difficulties establishing who was responsible for the exposures that led to her death, she received no compensation, so suffered both considerable pain and hardship as a result of the condition. In the weeks before her death, after pressure from campaigners including Leigh, tradeunions and asbestos disease victims’ organisations, the UK government changed Industrial Injuries Benefits rules so people with mesothelioma caused by these non-occupational exposures could now qualify for a government compensation payment. The change came too late for Leigh.
Manchester Evening News Hazards Zero Occupational Cancer OHS Reps - Occupational Cancer campaign
Nanotech news
New report from Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth has released a new report on carbon nanotubes and mesothelioma which summarises recent research. The report itself is only five pages long, but there are detailed appendixes that give: 1) evidence that addresses knowledge needs identified by the UK Royal Society in 2004 as essential to evaluate whether nanotubes posed comparable risks to asbestos and 2) detailed summaries of key studies done in the past few years. The report can be downloaded from the FoE website. OHS Reps page on nanotechnology
Other News
Beaconsfield expert advised closure
More revelations of safety concerns have emerged at the inquest into the death of miner Larry Knight during the Beaconsfield mine disaster. Five months before the Beaconsfield Gold Mine rockfall a geologist warned that nearby areas could not be made safe and should be abandoned. The mine also did not use more suitable ground support bolts due to the increased costs and managers had observed a number of seismic events in the week leading up to the incident, it was reported.
The Australian reports - Expert advised closure; Seismic events
International Union News
Colombian unionist killing is 38th this year
The number of trade unionists killed in Colombia for this year has almost reached the total number killed in 2007. On 23 August, José Omar Galeano Martínez, President of the Colombian Lottery Workers' Federation (FECOLOC), was the 38th trade unionist assassinated this year. The total number of murders last year was 39. International trade unions have condemned the attitude of the Colombian authorities to the killings. Very few of the murders have been fully investigated and those responsible are rarely brought to justice.
Public Services International media release [pdf]
China releases labour rights activist after 16 years in prison
Hu Shigen, one of China’s foremost labour rights and pro-democracy activists, has been freed from prison after serving 16 years of a 20-year sentence for attempting to form an independent trade union and political party in the early 1990s. Attempting to form independent trade unions in China remains a strictly criminalised activity. Hu Shigen’s case attracted attention from international trade unionists and human rights groups who have advocated for his release.
China Labour Bulletin
South Africa: Mine union protest at spate of deaths
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa has said a rash of deaths at mining giants AngloGold and AngloPlatinum are pivotal proof that the country is in need of rigid safety regulations. The deaths of four workers in a week and the insistence of the companies that colleagues would be docked for partaking in a Day of Mourning has angered local mining unions. The NUM is calling for more stringent regulations to govern the notoriously unsafe mining sector in the country.
Risks 371 NUM news release
UK News:
TUC Organising at Work guide
The UK’s TUC has produced a guide to organising in workplaces. 'Organising at work - Building stronger unions in the workplace' [pdf] is a comprehensive guide to strategically organising workplaces, to assist workplace union reps and activists. It contains ideas to help union reps build union strength and increase the effectiveness of the union and participation in union activity by members
It's unions that brought you the weekend, shorter hours, better wages and leave entitlements and greater equality at work. But winning and maintaining better working conditions is only a possibility if people are organised - and that means unions recruiting new members and increasing the effectiveness of organised workplaces.
Hazards magazine online now
The latest edition of Hazards magazine, from the UK’s TUC, is online now. Features articles on how workplace deaths outnumber murders by two to one and on the efforts of industry-backed scientists to dispute findings on toxic chemicals.
Hazards Issue 103
Guide to safe footwear
Another new TUC guide Working feet and footwear [pdf] found that while many UK employers allow employees to wear healthy and safe footwear, some big city institutions and upmarket shops insist female staff who deal with the public wear slip-on shoes or high heels as part of a dress code. This can lead to long-term foot problems, especially when combined with prolonged standing.
TUC media release
3.5 million workers bullied
A survey conducted for the TUC finds that three-and-a-half million people, or 14 per cent of the workforce, say they have been bullied in their current job. According to the YourGov poll 21 per cent (one in five) say that bullying is an issue where they work. There are also just under two-and-a-half million people who say they work in an unsafe environment.
TUC news release OHS Reps – Bullying pages
Research
Shift workers more likely to have vehicle accidents
New Australian research highlights the link between shift work and driver fatigue. A study published in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Internal Medical Journal looked at road trauma patients at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne.
The study of 40 seriously injured Victorian drivers excluded those with blood-alcohol readings over 0.05 or with psychiatric conditions. It found 48 per cent were regular shift workers, with a third finishing a shift immediately before their crash.
Prevalence of sleepiness in surviving drivers of motor vehicle collisions; F. Crummy, P. A. Cameron, P.Swann, T. Kossmann, M.T. Naughton; Internal Medicine Journal; Published Online 19 May 2008; Abstract
Herald Sun article
S*xual harassment widespread in Australian workplaces
A new Australian study shows women continue to be subjected to unwanted s*xual conduct in the workplace. The Queensland University of Technology study of 632 cases of harassment found some women were exposed to p*rnography at work, while others had male colleagues attempting to k*ss them and touch them inappropriately. The study found 99% of harassers are men and 96% of harassment occurred at work. One-quarter of harassers were superiors, one-third employers and one-third co-workers. The study also found that complainants encountered long delays and received small settlements incommensurate with harm.
Reporting s*xual harassment: Claims and remedies; Paula McDonald, Sandra Backstrom, and Kerriann Dear; Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources 2008 46: 173-195 News report
More safety concerns over nanoparticles
Research from the North Carolina State University has demonstrated further risks associated with nanoparticles – specifically for those who work in researching the tiny materials. Researchers found that quantum dot nanoparticles can penetrate the skin through an abrasion, a potential concern for healthcare workers or individuals involved in the manufacturing or research of the potential biomedical applications of the materials. Dr Nancy Monteiro-Riviere tested the ability of quantum dots to penetrate the skin of rats. She found that abrasions, scrapes or even dermatitis conditions allowed the particles to enter the body during a short-term, acute exposure.
Source: SafetySolutions
WorkSafe News
Mechanic crushed to death under bus
WorkSafe is investigating the death of a mechanic who died when the bus he was repairing on a suburban street rolled over him on 26 August. The 46-year-old man was attempting to repair the brakes on the bus which had reportedly seized up in North Altona. At some point the bus rolled forward, crushing the man. There were no passengers on the bus at the time. The man’s colleague raised the alarm.
VWA Media Release Herald Sun report
Power worker dies after electric shock
An electrical linesman died in hospital four days after being electrocuted while working in Croydon. WorkSafe believes the man came into contact with live infrastructure. He is the second linesman to die this year after another incident in April at Mornington. In addition to this there have been several other serious shock injuries in other industry sectors.
VWA Media Release
Useful materials:
VWA: Guidance on unguarded pile holes
this document provides a solution for reducing the risk of workers falling down pile holes.
Health and safety solution - Aggression in emergency departments
Provides a solution for reducing the risk of health service workers being threatened or attacked in emergency departments.
Safety Alert - Do not use outdoor gas appliances indoors [pdf] Gas safety regulator, Energy Safe Victoria (ESV) stresses the importance of never using outdoor gas appliances, such as patio heaters and BBQs, indoors. The warning follows the death of a 33-year-old man in a unit at Altona Meadows in July 2008. ESV is assisting Victoria Police with inquiries into the death, which is not believed to be suspicious.
WorkCover NSW: a new industry standard for erecting, altering and dismantling scaffold [pdf] The purpose of this standard is to provide guidance to scaffolders to safely erect, alter and dismantle prefabricated steel modular scaffolding where this information is not available from the manufacturer or supplier and the scaffold is of a basic configuration.
Worksafe Prosecutions
Paper mill fined after fatality
A County Court judge has condemned Paper Australia in bringing down a $230,000 fine against the company over the death of a worker at its Maryvale mill in 2005. Judge Tony Howard said, “On behalf of the community I denounce Paper Australia’s offending. Given its history, I consider Paper Australia has only reasonable prospects of rehabilitation. It needs to reassess its commitment to total workplace safety so as to guard against the possibility of another workplace fatality or serious injury throughout all of its mills and operations.”
The company (eventually) pleaded guilty to failing to provide a safe workplace - it had been convicted of the same offence after another fatality in 2002. The company operates four mills in the Latrobe Valley. The 31-yr old man, and father of a six-week-old baby, died after being crushed by part of a five ton roller he had been directed to repair. The machine had numerous safety failings. The judge fined the company $160,000 for the offence and an extra fine of $70,000 for its poor safety record. Only a month after the fatality the maximum possible fine for a workplace fatality was increased from $255,625 to $920,000.
VWA media release Herald Sun reportThe Age report
McCain Foods fined again
McCain Foods has again been fined for safety breaches, this time at the company’s Ballarat plant. The company pleaded guilty to one charge in the Ballarat Magistrate’s Court and was fined $75,000 plus costs over a 2006 incident in which a worker had part of his finger removed while attempting to repair a pizza crust shredder.
McCain’s was prosecuted for workplace health and safety failings in 1983, 1986, 1991, 2002 and 2003. WorkSafe said it was crucial that all machinery in Victorian workplaces was adequately guarded to protect against incidents like this.
VWA media release
International News
Inequities are killing people on a "grand scale" – WHO Report
An Indigenous Australian man can expect to live 17 years less than all other Australian males. A girl in Lesotho is likely to live 42 years less than another in Japan. In Sweden, the risk of a woman dying during pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 17 400; in Afghanistan, the odds are 1 in 8. These are some of the stark examples from a report from the World Health Organisation drawing the link between social inequities and life expectancy. The report, Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health, is a three-year study into social determinants of health. It finds that social injustice is killing people on a grand scale.The report makes a series of recommendations to tackle the issue. Firstly, to improve daily living conditions, including the circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. Secondly, to tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money and resources – the structural drivers of those conditions – globally, nationally and locally. And finally to undertake programs to measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action.
WHO media release