SafetyNet JOURNAL
SafetyNet Journal 141
Issue 141 - SafetyNet Journal 141
Welcome to SafetyNet Journal 141, your source of the latest news in OHS from Australia and around the world.
Union News
Research
WorkSafe News
Worksafe Prosecutions
International News
Events
Union News
Activities and news for reps
New look for OHS Rep site
As part of our commitment to bringing you the highest quality OHS information available we have made a few cosmetic changes to the site – primarily to the font and backgrounds. We hope this makes the site easier to read and enjoy. Let us know if you have any feedback.
National OHS Review – have your say on model laws
The National Review into Model Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Laws has called for written submissions on the model laws and has released an issues paper to assist anyone wishing to contribute. The deadline for submissions is 11 July 2008 and the review panel is seeking submissions that provide evidence and reasoning to support the proposals that they contain.
National OHS Review media release
Public submissions resources (including the issues paper)
Ask Renata
The manager at my workplace has decided to lock the first aid kit as he says people are ‘pilfering’. Is this right?
No, this is not an acceptable situation. Advice from the VWA website is: "First aid facilities should be available at all times where there are people at work."
This means that if someone sustains a minor injury at work, then they (or the designated First Aider) should be immediately be able to access the first aid kit.
Do you have an OHS-related query? If so, Ask Renata
Complete our latest poll online
Take a moment to answer the poll on the website – As an OHS Rep, have you ever issued a PIN?
New pages on OHS Reps website
The new regulations covering the construction industry come into effect from July 1 – this is Chapter 5.1 of the consolidated OHS Regulations 2007. Check out the summary of this chapter on the website. Also new is the summary of Chapter 5.3: Major Hazard Facilities. Summaries for the other chapters will be coming soon.
Also be sure to have a look at our updated Occupational Cancer Resources with a range of great new resources, including papers from the international Occupational and Environmental Cancer Prevention conference, held in April in Stirling, Scotland and a free online course on recognition and prevention of occupational and environmental cancers from Canada.
Stay tuned as more will be happening over the next few months regarding the International union campaign on occupational cancer.
Asbestos news
Brisbane research group to examine asbestos
Karen Banton, widow of Bernie Banton, has officially launched the Asbestos Research Group and declared it part of the legacy of her husband who campaigned tirelessly on asbestos even as he was stricken by asbestosis and mesothelioma. The research group, based at the Wesley Research Institute in Brisbane, will examine the progression of asbestosis and mesothelioma. Doctors will seek to improve quality of life for asbestos disease sufferers and hope to find a cure for the disease which is forecast to claim up to 27,000 Australians over the next 40 years.
ARG website ABC online
Canadian unions back asbestos ban
The Canadian Labour Congress has past a resolution calling on the government to end the export of asbestos. It marks an historic moment which will hopefully lead to the end of the Canadian industry, which remains one of the largest exporters of asbestos to the developing world.
The resolution calls on the federal government to:
1. Adopt a comprehensive asbestos strategy, phasing out both the use and export of asbestos as communities are transitioned; 2. Ensure there is a fair and just transition plan developed in consultation with the United Steelworkers and the Quebec Federation of Labour for communities affected by changes; 3. Ensure that workers and communities affected have resources to ensure ongoing financial stability; 4. Work with individual Canadians, labour unions, producers, manufacturers, and other levels of government to ensure that solutions meet local needs.
Other union news
Update on Melbourne Uni EWP fall
Further to the story in the last edition of SafetyNet on a crane collapse at Melbourne University we’ve learned that the situation was potentially far more serious than initially reported. The incident actually involved cherry picker which collapsed with a 27-year-old operator escaping serious injury only due to sheer luck. A witness to the incident says the EWP was only stopped from crashing into a neighbouring building as it was deflected by a crane.
The manufacturer, Genie, has sent a letter to all owners of the Z135.70 boom lifts. Genie has advised the owners of these EWPs of the cause of the incident and is in the process of carrying out inspections and repairs to all these machines in Australia. Owners are advised to remove these booms from service until the repairs are completed. WorkSafe is investigating the incident.
You can read the letter on the VWA website [pdf]. The incident took on added significance in light of a catastrophic crane collapse in New York on May 30. Two workers died and others injured when the crane collapsed into the street. Nine workers in New York have died in crane mishaps this year.
Associated Press report
Sunsmart – Secondary School Sun Protection Program
The Secondary School Sun Protection Program has been developed by The Cancer Council Victoria to assist Victorian secondary schools to implement an effective sun protection policy. Evidence shows that schools with a sun protection policy implement and promote practices that better protect their students.
The seven strategies outlined in the Sun Protection Program also assist schools to address the important responsibility they have as educators and role models in ensuring a safe school environment. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OH&S) 2004, schools have a duty of care to provide a safe environment that minimises health risks for staff and students, including reducing the known foreseeable harms associated with overexposure to UV radiation. By implementing the strategies outlined in the program, schools can be proactive in minimising harmful exposure to UV radiation and addressing their responsibilities under the OH&S Act.
The Sun Protection Program and its policy template are available from the SunSmart website – click on Schools and Students.
NTEU seeks regulation of workloads in log of claim
The NTEU has served universities across the country with a log of claim which seeks a 27% pay rise over three years, the restoration of rights lost under WorkChoices and interestingly from an OHS angle, the regulation of workloads. The union argues that workloads have increased dramatically in universities over the past ten years citing tutorial class sizes of 25 students as an example.
In the last SafetyNet we reported on a SA teacher who received a $390,000 payout based partly on his being overworked.
Workplace Express
Mt Isa lead levels a long time concern
A report has emerged detailing the contamination of soil, air and water in Mt Isa with lead from the Xstrata mine. The report was tabled over a decade ago but was only released this month after the mining giant said it had been “lost” some time ago. The report details significantly higher levels of lead contamination within 20 kilometres of the city centre.
A recent Queensland Health report found 11% of children in the town had high levels of lead in their blood. Lawyers for the family of a six-year-old girl who is suing Xstrata, the Queensland Government and Mt Isa Council say the mine map supports their argument that the contamination was known about and not acted upon. A number of children in the town are reported to have lead blood levels that could damage intellectual and behavioural development.
ABC online
International Union news
Global education unions’ guidance on mental health
Unions representing workers in education have issued guidance designed to remedy work-related mental health problems in the sector. A joint letter to head teachers from the unions GMB, NUT, UNISON and Unite says their new guide aims to provide head teachers with valuable information, both on how to prevent the development of mental health conditions and on how to support staff who do fall ill.
NUT news release and joint union guide, Preventing work-related mental health conditions by tackling stress: Guidance for head teachers [pdf].
12 June - World Day Against Child Labour
Global unions have called for the abolition of child labour and highlighted the importance of education in combating the global scourge. The ILO estimates there are more than 200 million child labourers forced to work each day. Global teachers union, Education International, has released a documentary on a successful program implemented by the National Teachers Union of Morrocco. View the video online or read more about the campaign on the ILO site .
Changing Times online now
Changing Times newsletter is online now. This edition features interesting items on the economic arguments for increased workplace flexibility and the recent broadening of UK provisions on flexible work. Read it online now.
Research
Depression link to job stress
New research suggests that job stress is the cause of one in six cases of depression in workers and that women are more likely to experience work related stress. The study from the University of Melbourne also suggests that there are 21,000 cases of preventable depression caused by job stress annually. Stressful working conditions in the study were defined as a combination of high job demands and low control over how the job is done.
Led by associate professor Tony LaMontagne, the study looked at job stress data from a 2003 survey of 1100 Victorian workers and compared it to national compensation and mental health statistics. Among its findings were that more women than men experience job stress, and that lower-skilled occupations experience a higher rate of job stress and consequent higher risk of depression.
The study also found that workers compensation claims for stress-related mental disorders grossly under-represent the extent of the issue.
Job strain — Attributable depression in a sample of working Australians: Assessing the contribution to health inequalities; Anthony D LaMontagne, Tessa Keegel, Deborah Vallance, Aleck Ostry and Rory Wolfe [pdf]
Commonly used solvents threaten male fertility
Men regularly exposed to chemicals found in paint and other common products may be more prone to fertility problems, UK research has indicated. Men working as painters and decorators, who are routinely exposed to a family of solvents called glycol ethers, are two-and-a-half times more likely to produce fewer 'normal' sperm. The findings reinforce warnings issued in 1983 by the US authorities about reproductive hazards to both male and female workers from occupational exposure to certain glycol ethers
The new study of 2,118 men attending 14 fertility clinics in 11 cities across the UK was a joint research project between the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield. It examined two groups of men attending fertility clinics - those with sperm motility problems, and those without them. The men were questioned about their jobs, lifestyles, and potential exposure to chemicals, revealing greatly reduced sperm motility among those exposed to glycol ethers. These chemicals are widely used as solvents in water-based paints, graffiti removers and other commonly available products. The researchers, whose findings were published online in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, concluded that, apart from glycol ethers, there are currently few workplace chemical threats to male fertility.
Sheffield University news release Science Daily news release
Risks 358
Shift work linked to organ disease
A new study from the University of Toronto has found that the disruption of natural sleep patterns is a contributing factor in developing organ disease. The body operates according to its circadian rhythm, a natural 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. This controls body temperature, sleep/wake timing, and the way organs function. Prior research has demonstrated that irregular sleep patterns have a variety of health tolls, but this is the first time research shows that organ damage can be caused by disruption to normal sleep patterns.
Researchers found that coordination of the many circadian clocks throughout the body is critical for normal healthy organs and that long-term disruption of normal circadian rhythms can ultimately result in heart and kidney disease.
Science Daily report
Study links childhood lead exposure to adult violent crime
A study just published in the journal PLoS Medicine suggests a link between childhood lead exposure and adult arrests for violent crimes. Studying 250 adults for whom they had prenatal and childhood blood lead level measurements, University of Cincinnati researchers found that each 5-microgram-per-deciliter increase in blood lead levels at age 6 was associated with a nearly 50% increased risk of arrest as a young adult (the risk ratio was 1.48). This is the first study to demonstrate an association between developmental exposure to lead and adult criminal behaviour.
Association of Prenatal and Childhood Blood Lead Concentrations with Criminal Arrests in Early Adulthood, John Paul Wright, Kim N. Dietrich, M. Douglas Ris, Richard W. Hornung, Stephanie D. Wessel, Bruce P. Lanphear, Mona Ho, Mary N. Rae
Source – the Pump Handle
WorkSafe News
Inspectors obstructed from doing their job
WorkSafe has warned that obstructing inspectors, verbal or physical assaults will not be tolerated and that preventing inspectors from doing their job will be followed by investigation or possible prosecution. The warning comes after four inspectors were allegedly obstructed in three separate incidents recently and police were called to one matter at a Pascoe Vale South building site.
WorkSafe inspectors have the right to enter workplaces at any time to ensure safety standards are maintained and WorkSafe has warned that there are significant penalties for preventing them from doing their job.
The courts can impose large fines and even prison terms for such offences. VWA media release
Victorian builders failing working at height test
A campaign targeting fall prevention in the construction industry has found greater efforts are needed to reduce the high rate of fatalities and serious injuries. The program ran through February and March and in visits to 185 Victorian building sites, inspectors issued 37 Prohibition Notices and 26 Improvement Notices. Another 88 fall prevention issues were rectified while inspectors were present. On 13 occasions, they saw situations so dangerous that they ordered work to immediately stop.
While a general requirement to provide and maintain a safe workplace has been in place since 1985 and construction-specific regulations for working at height have been in place for several years, both are frequently flouted.
VWA media release
Deadly tractors still out there
Dangerous tractors without rollover protection are still to be found on Victorian farms a decade after a push to have them made a thing of the past.
ROPS have been required on most tractors since the 1990s. In the past WorkSafe ran a rebate program to assist fitting ROPS.
The Director of WorkSafe’s Manufacturing Logistics and Agriculture Division, Trevor Martin said the onus was now on tractor operators to ensure their machines were as safe as practicable. “Deaths from tractor rollovers are now uncommon but with WorkSafe inspectors still finding them without rollover protection, the risk remains.”
VWA media release
NSW Workcover announces manual handling safety crackdown
WorkCover NSW has announced a major joint WorkCover/ industry initiative to reduce the 17,000 workplace injuries caused by manual handling incidents in New South Wales every year.
WorkCover NSW says manual handling injuries account for almost 37 per cent of all workplace injuries in NSW, which with an average tab of $22,000 per injury, cost employers more than $370million a year.
WorkCover’s inaugural Safe Manual Handling - Smart Move Week commenced on 26 May and during that week WorkCover inspectors visited businesses across the state to assist employers in getting the most from its new Manual Handling Risk Guide. WorkCover NSW also launched a new website on manual handling called Smart Move .
ASCC Newsletter online
The latest edition of Advancing National Safety [pdf] is online now. It features topical articles on the outcomes of the latest ASCC and WRMC meetings and looks at the road ahead in the harmonisation process.
Resources
Safety guide for farm ATVs
WorkSafe has launched a new farm safety guide at the Country Womens’ Association’s State Conference in Melbourne urging members to help make the state’s farms safer. The guide targets the safety of All Terrain Vehicles which are responsible for around 10 deaths each year around Australia. Media Release
Worksafe Prosecutions
Construction firm cops fines for multiple safety breaches
A Melbourne construction company, Behmer & Wright Pty. Ltd, has been fined a total of $75,000 for a multiple OHS failings detected over several years at different work sites. The safety breaches included a lack of adequate fall protection and unsafe scaffolding and occurred during 2004 and 2005. The breaches were detected during visits from WorkSafe inspectors.
Fall from height costs Drouin company $12,500
Failing to ensure a truck driver used a fall prevention harness has resulted in a conviction and $12,500 fine for West Gippsland company, Evison Grain in the Morwell County Court. The truck driver was employed by Evison Grain when he had a heart attack while on top of a grain tanker on 25 November 2005.
He fell 3.5 meters from the walkway on top of the truck to the ground and died at the scene. The court was told that while there was a safety harness at the company’s Drouin depot, it was not provided to him and he had not been instructed to wear it. It was argued, and the court accepted, that notwithstanding the heart attack, the driver would not have fallen to the ground had he been wearing the harness.
VWA media release
International News
Iranian chemical plant fire kills 30 workers
At least 30 people have been killed and 38 injured, many of them suffering severe burns, in a fire in a chemical plant in central Iran on Sunday 25 May, the state news agency IRNA said. The fire in the cosmetics and detergent-producing plant near the town of Shazand is reported to have been caused by a blast during welding work in a reservoir. The accident happened at 4pm local time in the plant near Shazand in the province of Markazi, about 320 kilometres south of Tehran. 'Witnesses said a 60,000 litre chemical reservoir exploded,' IRNA said, adding that all the equipment in the factory and its adjacent plant caught fire. A local rescuer told IRNA that the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital and that 23 people had suffered 70 to 100 per cent burns. Markazi province is one of Iran's main industrial hubs.
ABC online
Canada: Safety Videos Spark Debate about “Accidents”
The Pump Handle reports on a series of videos produced by the Ontario Worker Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). The videos feature graphic workplace “accidents” and highlight the real impact of an unsafe work environment. The campaign is deliberately provocative, with many respondents to the videos objecting to the idea that “there really are no ”accidents”, that they could all be prevented by management. They’re a great way of getting people to think about prevention.
The Pump Handle
Activists fear another Bhopal in the making in Delhi
Indian activists are drawing attention to the construction of an incineration-based Waste-to-energy plant in a residential area. Following the Bhopal disaster in 1984 the then Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi promised that no hazardous industry would be set up in residential areas. Sadly it was a promise never acted upon.
The proposed plant would emit a range of hazardous chemicals including dioxin, one of the most poisonous chemicals in existence. It would also generate mercury and other heavy metals and would produce enormous amounts of ash waste.
Events
Training at VTHC
The OHS Training Unit has a range of courses coming up in 2008. Check out the training page of the website for all the latest news and sign up for courses.Contact Judith Rodda on 03 9663 5460 for more information on scheduled courses or what we can do for your workplace, and to enrol.
Initial 5-Day Metropolitan (for Elected OHS Reps under the Victorian OHS Act - this course is approved by the VWA under Section 67)
July 14 – 18 Initial Carlton
July 21 – 25 DEECD Carlton
Course hours: 9am - 5pm. Course fee $620.00
Initial 5-Day Country
July 7 – 11 Initial Shepparton
Course hours: 9am - 5pm. Course fee $650.00
Comcare 5-Day OHS Reps Course (for Elected OHS Reps under the Comcare Act)
July 28 – August 21 Carlton
Course hours: 9am - 5pm. Course fee $650.00
2-Day Metropolitan
This 2-day course is an overview designed for managers, supervisors and committee members. It is NOT a replacement for the VWA approved 5-day training for elected reps.
July 24 – 25 Carlton
Course hours: 9.30am - 4.30pm. Course fee $350.00
1-Day Refresher
The Refresher course is approved by the VWA under Section 67 of the Victorian OHS Act 2004 for elected reps and deputies.
July 21 DEECD / Legislative Update Carlton
July 22 Manual Handling Carlton
July 23 Hazardous Substances Carlton
Course hours: 9am - 4.30pm. Course fee $180.00
Go to the 2008 Training program page to download an application form.
Return to Work Unit Training
The VTHC Return to Work Unit provides free training to workers and their representatives and includes practical tools, information and advice about injured workers’ rights to return to work.
For more information on training at the RTW Unit go to the website.