SafetyNet JOURNAL
SafetyNet Journal 119
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| Fri 20 Jul 2007 |
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Issue 119 - SafetyNet 119Fri 20 Jul 2007Welcome to SafetyNet 119 – news from the world of OHS. Read about what’s happening in OHS in Victoria, Australia and the world. Union News Research WorkSafe News Worksafe Prosecutions International News Events Union NewsActivities for OHS reps
This week’s FAQ: First Aiders are people who undertake the initial treatment of people suffering injury or illness at work. The
Code of Practice for First Aid in the Workplace specifies that first aiders should not be responsible for on-going medical care. These people are trained to administer first aid only, not to make decisions on what medication should be given, and headache tablets, paracetamol etc. come under the category of medication. If you have any questions or need help with any OHS related issue, Ask Renata. You are guaranteed an answer, usually within a couple of working days.
Victoria suffers cold snap Our current website poll asks workers: What's the temperature like in your workplace in winter? So far, over 70 per cent are saying that it’s too cold. If you haven’t already voted, vote now: on the website poll – go to the homepage Asbestos News
Living with mesotheliona - one day program Newsletter from ADAO The Asbestos Diseases Awareness Organization (ADOA), a US-based non-profit organization, has released its latest (July) Newsletter, which has items on international developments, as well as spotlighting particularly the US, and much more. The current newsletter, and past editions, can be downloaded from its website.
Canada: Cancer society wants asbestos stopped
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) has called for an end to Canada's export of asbestos and believes the federal government should stop blocking international efforts to curb the trade in the dangerous mineral. Although asbestos is internationally recognised as one of the worst cancer-causing materials ever to have been in widespread use, the society's decision is controversial because it undermines the national government's long-standing contention that chrysotile (white) asbestos can be used safely and should be promoted. An estimated 95 per cent of Canada's production, from several mines in Quebec, is exported, virtually all of it to developing countries, where it is used to make cheap building materials despite safer substitutes being available. Health Canada, unlike health authorities in many other Western countries, does not keep national statistics on the domestic toll of asbestos-related diseases, but a paper last month in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health estimated there have been thousands of premature deaths in Ontario alone since 1980 from asbestos-related mesothelioma and lung cancer. Despite the well-known health risks, the federal government has been a strong backer of asbestos. CCS is also urging Canada's federal government to end its bid to block efforts to add chrysotile asbestos to the Prior Informed Consent list of particularly hazardous substances at the Rotterdam Convention's meeting in 2008. It also wants communities and individuals affected by strategies to cut asbestos use to be given financial resources in a 'just transition' package to help cope with the consequences of reduced use of the material. Canadian Cancer Society news release . Source: Risks 314
ABC cancer sufferers call for further testing
Staff at the ABC in Brisbane and their union have called for compensation payments to be fast tracked and further testing conducted following the news that another former staff member has been diagnosed with cancer. The woman is the 15th person to be diagnosed since 1995 who worked at the ABC’s now abandoned Toowong headquarters.
Dave Waters from the MEAA said testing had been cancelled following the evacuation of the centre last year and that it must be resumed and expanded across the seven ABC sites in Brisbane in order to determine the cause. Nine of the women have had compensation claims accepted by Comcare and the other six are likely to have access to payments as well. Comcare used a rare provision to accept the claims even though a direct cause has not been determined for the cancer cluster. Researchers from Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital and Sydney's Garvan Institute are approaching women involved to examine and compare tissue samples. Employers must answer union question: AIRC The AIRC has confirmed that employers covered by WorkChoices must answer questions posed by unions relating to breaches State based OHS laws. Employers must give over relevant information relating to suspected breaches, even data from global positioning systems and other records. The TWU won the ruling in a case brought before the commission after a transport company sought to claim the Federal Workplace Relations Act limited the rights of authorised union OHS inspectors to ask questions and seek documents from employers.
ETU OHS Newsletter available online
Former Hercules workers seek compensation A group of former RAAF maintenance workers are seeking compensation for exposure to toxic chemicals incurred during their work on the C-130 Hercules aircraft in the 1970s. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal is hearing the case, which has been likened to one brought by former F111 workers three years ago. The workers say they were given no safety gear and in fact instructed to remove their boots when working inside the fuel tanks of the aircraft so as not to scratch the interior of the tanks. See the page on Chemical Hazards and the page on Personal Protective Equipment on the OHS Reps website Source: ABC Online Southern Safety Group The Southern Safety Group has convened in Melbourne’s South Eastern suburbs. The group aims to provide quality advice on workplace OHS issues by connecting people and groups in the region. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month and are open to all businesses, unions, associations, organisations, safety professionals and anyone interested in a safer workplace within the south-east suburbs of Melbourne.
Workplace deaths on the rise in 2007
Unions concerned by move to Comcare ResearchSA Unions survey finds bullying increases under WorkChoicesA survey released by SA Unions has found that there was “increased evidence of bullying behaviour as part of quite dramatic cultural change in the workplace”. The survey found that 86.2 per cent of workers received no compenstaion for entitlements they lost under AWAs, 66.7 per cent had no choice in their content and only 29.4 per cent said they "had access to independent advice" when negotiating their AWAs. The major issues identified by the survey included the increased difficulty for union officials to visit a workplace, no access to unfair dismissal arrangements, less flexibility for leave and the loss of overtime penalty rates. Download the report [ pdf ] WorkSafe NewsApprentice seriously injured in yet another fallVictoria’s shocking run of falls has continued with 15 year old apprentice being seriously injured following a five-metre fall through a skylight. The young worker was hospitalised with multiple fractures after the fall.
HWSA releases demolition and asbestos campaign report Useful New Resources
From VWA:
New Guidance Note on Stability
WorkSafe has issued a new guidance note: Stability of buildings during construction. It comes as WorkSafe inspectors report attending a significant number of incidents where inadequate stabilisation of structures including walls and scaffolding has resulted in an injury.
Public comment on Vic OHS regulations released
NICNAS alert on toothpaste
Following concerns about imported toothpastes, NICNAS has released advice:
Alert 7 - Diethylene Glycol in toothpaste [pdf]
Essential Chemical Controls Package for Printers web-based guidance from the ASCC on the control of hazardous substances for the printing industry. The first such workplace health guidance package, it was developed by the ASCC in partnership with unions and industry. The package provides simple step-by-step guidance to assist printing companies with chemical hazard identification, risk assessment and control. It has information on preventing and controlling exposures, and advice on the use of chemicals, equipment, health surveillance and training within the printing industry.
Warning on sourcing electrical supplies Worksafe ProsecutionsCompany fined for woman’s death after worker concerns ignoredAn Eltham company, whose truck's brakes' failure resulted in a woman's death, was fined $150,000 following an incident in 2004. A tipper truck with a trailer attached driven by a company employee was approaching traffic lights when the brakes failed as a result of poor maintenance. The driver swerved off the road to avoid parked cars but the truck struck and fatally injured a woman sitting outside the Eltham Post Office. Workers had previously raised concerns about the safety of the truck and its brakes with management but their concerns were ignored. The company, R & T Tree Services Pty Limited, was convicted of not providing a safe environment for both employees and others. WorkSafe media release International NewsBrazilian air crash an ‘accident waiting to happen’The International Transport Workers Federation, ITF, has said the recent plane crash in São Paolo in Brazil which claimed over 200 lives was avoidable. The Federation has also said the disaster could be repeated if obvious and known problems are not addressed. The ITF has stressed that the problem of runway lengths must be urgently addressed.
Nepalese child workers at risk
Black lung on the rise again in US EventsChinese Activists Tour
Fundraiser for Colombian agricultural workers
Training at Trades Hall
Make sure that you’ve enrolled for your training. If you haven’t done your annual refresher course, check out what we have on offer. It’s important for managers and supervisors, and committee members to also get training. Go to the training section of the website to check the courses scheduled at the VTHC OHS Training Unit. Contact Judith Rodda on 03 9663 5460 for more information either scheduled courses or what we can do for your workplace, and to enrol. |