Welcome to SafetyNet 117 – news from the world of OHS. Read about what’s happening in OHS in Victoria, Australia and the world.
Union News
Activities for OHS reps
This week’s FAQ:
What changes should we expect from the consolidated regulations?
Consolidated Health and Safety Regulations come into effect from July 1 2007. We are currently updating our website and materials to reflect these changes.
In the meantime, explanatory notes to the new regulations can be downloaded here.
If you have any questions or need help with any OHS related issue, Ask Renata You are guaranteed an answer.
OHS Reps @ Work website Poll
With the cold weather here, some workers find their workplaces uncomfortable to work in. There are no regulations specifically addressing temperatures in the workplace, and working in cold conditions is a hazard. Read about more about Cold
What's the temperature like in your workplace in winter? Vote now if you haven’t already... Go to the homepage
Annual Transport Industry Safety Seminar
The annual transport industry Safety Seminar will be held at Moonee Valley on Tuesday 24th July 2007. The seminar is being organised by the Transport Workers Union on behalf of the Transport Industry Safety Group.
Following an opening address by the Minister for Roads and Ports, Tim Pallas, there will be expert speakers on Shiftwork and Sleep Disorders, Fatigue related truck crashes, the new National Hours of Work laws, and recent initiatives of the Transport Industry Safety Group.
Read more: TWU website
Asbestos News
Worksafe issues warning on Asbestos Respirator filters
As reported in the last edition of SafetyNet, a potential problem has been identified with used replacement filters for Sundstrom P3 respirators. Now WorkSafe has issued an alert identifying a potential risk to users of particulate filters that may have deteriorated after being exposed to water. The alert states that deteriorated filters pose dangers to workers exposed to asbestos and other airborne hazardous substances.
The supplier of Sundstrom SR510 P3 filters, The S.E.A. Group, is conducting an investigation.
WorkSafe advises that until the investigation by The S.E.A. Group has been completed, users of the Sundstrom SR510 P3 particulate filter are advised to:
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replace these filters if they get wet (e.g. proceeding through a wet (shower) decontamination process);
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replace filters at the end of a shift if, during the shift, they are worn in a wet (shower) decontamination process (even if they don’t appear to be wet);
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regularly inspect the filters for any signs of deterioration; and advise the supplier of any issues related to the filter.
WorkSafe also advises users of other brands of particulate filters who undergo wet (shower) decontamination should contact their supplier to confirm their use, replacement and maintenance requirements.
WorkSafe Alert
OWS investigates WA mine over worker safety fears
A federal investigation has been launched into allegations WA miners are being forced to sign AWAs at the expense of safety conditions.
The Office of Workplace Services (OWS) has begun an investigation into workplace agreements at BHP Billiton’s iron ore mine at Mt Whaleback in WA following the workers' revelations on the ABC's 7.30 Report.
The OWS intends to contact all remaining current employees of BHP Billiton at the site to ensure that each individual has open opportunity to raise any potential issue that they may have regarding the making of their employment agreement.
Source: Workplace OHS
Union slams ‘arrogant’ Testra response to bullying claims
The Communications Union has slammed Telstra as arrogant and having learned nothing from the deaths of the two employees following the company’s response to revelations of a high-pressure culture at the national telecom.
A recent Four Corners feature revealed a culture of pressure and ‘unrealistic performance targets’ which allegedly contributed to the suicide of two workers at the company.
Len Cooper, Victorian Branch Secretary of the CEPU Communications Division, said the company needed to focus on the causes of the pressure and not on shifting blame onto unions for highlighting the problems.
Cooper said Telstra cannot justify one of its top corporate managers, Greg Winn, making ‘inflammatory’ and ‘thuggish’ statements such as:
“If you can’t get people to go there ... (meaning employees), and you try ... twice ... then you just shoot them and get them out of the way!”
The union is calling for a full-scale inquiry into Telstra’s work practises and targets and the impacts upon worker health and safety.
Source: Workplace OHS
VTHC Hails ‘Good Sense’ of Drug and Alcohol Report
The Victorian Trades Hall Council has supported a report that finds drug testing in workplaces has little or no benefit and is often unreliable.
VTHC Secretary, Brian Boyd hailed the release of the national report that stated ‘the advantages of implementing testing regimes for the general working population could be quite minimal’, by saying “this is an overdue piece of common-sense research”. Earlier this year an employer association announced it wanted to be ‘free to attack drug use.” This report now shows up this feudal approach to the very important issue of impairment and workplace health and safety.
VTHC Download Report: [pdf] WorkSafe News
Licensed premises smoke-free from July 1st
Under reforms to the Tobacco Act implemented in the past few years, smoking bans will come into force from 1 July 2007 for all enclosed Victorian licensed premises. Under the new rules, smoking will also be prohibited in outdoor dining or drinking areas (such as balconies or courtyards) substantially enclosed by a roof and walls. This is great news for the many workers in clubs, pubs and bars in Victoria.
Read more: Tobacco Reforms Website – Information for Licensed Premises
Environmental Tobacco Smoke Safety working in SunshineA safety improvement project in Sunshine has been hailed a success with WorkSafe inspectors visiting 109 businesses between 28 May and 1 June.
The visits were part of the Safer Work Zones project in which up to 10 inspectors concentrate on a particular area for one week.
WorkSafe’s Executive Director, John Merritt, said 120 Improvement Notices and one Prohibition Notice were issued. One business received eight Notices.
Unguarded equipment, a range of forklift safety issues, inadequate fire protection and damaged electrical leads were among the major safety issues identified during the campaign.
Manual handling, which represents about 60% of all workers compensation claims, was also a significant problem.
Source: WorkSafe
Worksafe Prosecutions
Company ordered to pay OHS fine to community project
Victorian manufacturer, CJ & MJ Meade Pty Ltd, has become the first company to receive an alternative financial penalty under the 2004 OHS Act, after an incident where a worker became trapped in a machine.
A 24-year-old worker required two operations after he was injured when his legs became trapped in an automated pallet-making machine in November 2005.
He had been with the company nearly three years, but had only begun using the machine a few hours before the incident. Improved guarding and safety signs were installed after the incident.
The company pleaded guilty to the OHS breach and the Colac Magistrate Court ordered they pay $50,000 to the Colac Community Hospice Project within six months. Costs of $6,000 were also imposed.
The proposed centre will provide services to people of all ages, including those injured at work and in motor vehicle crashes.
Source: Workplace OHS
WorkSafe conducts first Enforceable Undertaking under OHS Act 2004
A plumbing company has presented a health and safety lecture to 36 apprentice plumbers at Holmesglen TAFE in the first case of its type under Victoria’s workplace safety laws.
Watsonia company, J Keogh Plumbing Pty Ltd, agreed to the Enforceable Undertaking as an alternative to prosecution.
Enforceable Undertakings are legally binding agreements between WorkSafe and a duty holder made possible under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.
A charge against the company of failing to supervise its employees was withdrawn last week and the lecture was given on Monday.
The presentation covered: the circumstances that led to the charge; the positive duty of employers of apprentices to ensure they are adequately supervised; system upgrades undertaken by the company since the incident; and the benefits to the company gained from those upgrades.
The company has also agreed to be audited by WorkSafe between three and six times over the next six months.
Source: WorkSafe
International News
UK: Smoking banned in taxis
Leaders of England's taxi drivers have welcomed the complete ban on smoking in taxis and private hire vehicles which comes into effect at the end of this month. 'For some years we have promoted the right of drivers to ban smoking in their taxis, and the new law will end any confusion on the issue,' said taxi driver Jim Kelly, who chairs the cab trade committee of Unite's TGWU section. 'For us, this is primarily a workplace health issue. Like other workers, taxi drivers are entitled to do their job without being at risk of cancer and other deadly diseases from cigarette smoke.' He added: 'No-one would expect to be able to blow smoke over a factory or office worker while they are at their posts. Now taxi drivers, together with bar staff and others still at risk from cigarette smoke, will get the same protection and consideration as the rest of the working population.' He said he had just returned from Dublin, where a workplace smoking ban was working well. 'I hope the next generation of taxi drivers will wonder how we ever tolerated smoking in our vehicles, and this measure could mean a lot more of our members will still be around to answer that question,' he said. From July, it will be illegal in England to smoke in virtually all enclosed public places, workplaces and public and work vehicles, including public transport and buildings associated with public transport.
Source: Hazards Number 310
US: Report Says U.S. Misled City on Dust From Ground Zero
US Federal environmental officials misled Lower Manhattan residents about the extent of contamination in their condominiums and apartments after the collapse of the World Trade Center, according to a preliminary report released by the Government Accountability Office.
According to the report, made public during a Senate subcommittee hearing, the Environmental Protection Agency did not accurately report the results of a residential cleanup program in 2002 and 2003. More than 4,000 apartments in Lower Manhattan were professionally decontaminated in that program, and the agency reported that only a “very small” number of air samples taken in those residences showed unsafe levels of asbestos.
But the agency failed to explain that 80 percent of the air samples were taken after the apartments had already been cleaned.
Source: New York Times June 21, 2007
