Issue 146 - SafetyNet Journal 146
Welcome to SafetyNet Journal 146 - This week: Trades Hall protests secret Hanks plan; fire fighters bullied; the costs of workplace stress vs benefits of a four-day week; latest safety prosecutions - plus more OHS news from Australia and around the world.
Please note: We are sending this edition of SafetyNet to all our ‘Media Release’ 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
Trades Hall speaks out on secret plan to implement Hanks changesThe Victorian Trades Hall Council has called a protest demonstration against the Victorian WorkCover Authority over a secret plan to implement the Hanks Review recommendations. The protest will be at the VWA, 222 Exhibition Street at 11 am on Monday 25 August.
The VTHC has a copy of an internal VWA document that details the timetable for the drawing up of legislation and the introduction into Parliament of changes based on the Hanks Review recommendations. The document was prepared months before the Hanks Recommendations were finalised.
Visit the Fix WorkCover Campaign web site to learn more and send a letter supporting the VTHC’s campaign to state ALP MPs. We urge as many of you as possible to attend the protest on Monday.
Assistant fire chiefs bullied and stressed: UFU
The United Firefighters Union has called on the Metropolitan Fire Brigade to act to improve working conditions for senior fire officers at risk from workplace bullying and harassment. The union says up to half of the ten Assistant Chief Fire Officers (ACFOs) in the MFB are on personal or stress leave due to the toxic culture at the workplace.
The ACFOs are the highest uniformed officers in the MFB, each with thirty years or more experience in the realities of firefighting both on the ground and at an administrative level. UFU industrial officer Greg Pargeter told SafetyNet the senior officers affected have a unique blend of operational experience and specialist knowledge whose departments are critical to the running of the organisation.
The problems at the brigade were highlighted in a report delivered in 2007 which identified poor management communication, work overload and bullying and harassment as critical issues facing senior officers. The report, which the union claims management has sat on for over twelve months, identified a range of measures to combat the problems.
Union OHS reps issued a provisional improvement notice which cited a risk of psychological injury due to frequent exposure to stresses such as poor communication, personnel conflicts, bullying, harassment and work overload and called on management to enact the recommendations in the report. The OHS reps came under pressure from managers to drop the PIN which was subsequently upheld by WorkSafe and noted the conditions had led to ‘poor health outcomes for some ACFOs’.
Greg Pargeter said the MFB has been directed by WorkSafe to address the problems identified in the PIN or risk fines of up to $280,000.
Sources: UFU , The Age report
Australia facing a work/care collision ACTU warns
Australia is facing a work/care collision in the near future unless more assistance is provided to help workers who care for elderly or disabled relatives balance their job and family commitments.
Unions have called for the introduction of more flexible working hours and improved carers leave to allow workers who look after elderly, chronically ill, disabled or school-aged relatives to avoid having to choose between their job and family. The ACTU says that providing this support will have a positive economic impact because if carers are unable to participate in the paid workforce, Australia will lose a labour supply of skilled and experienced workers in the prime of their careers.
ACTU media release, OHS reps – Work/Life Balance
HWSA meet in Sydney – OHS Review on the agenda
The Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities (HWSA) met in Sydney recently to discuss a range of issues including the progress of the National OHS Review Panel. Members also discussed the development of a national compliance and enforcement policy, including operational principles that would underpin the policy. HWSA is undertaking a number of national campaigns targeted at specific industries across all jurisdictions.
HWSA National review website
Hospital violence figures on the rise
Violent incidents in Victorian hospitals are on the rise according to documents obtained by the State Opposition which show a 12% increase in dangerous situations during 2006 and 2007. There were over 4000 reported ‘code grey’ incidents – an occurrence where an unarmed patient threatens or attacks a carer or hospital staff. In addition there were 170 ‘code black’ incidents, where the assailant is armed. The figures show that the increases were fuelled by drugs, alcohol and psychosis. The state government has promised to spend $5 million over the next four years to upgrade safety in Victorian hospitals.
Herald Sun OHS Reps – Violence at work
TWU welcomes inquiry into safe rates for transport industry
TWUThe Transport Workers Union has welcomed the announcement that the National Transport Commission (NTC) will investigate and report on options for implementing a national system of safe rates for employees and owner-drivers. The union has campaigned for a national system of safe rates as important part of improving safety in the highly competitive industry. In 2007 the transport industry recorded a 5.4% increase in fatalities from heavy vehicle accidents and a drop in wages by 5.6%.
TWU
Asbestos news
James Hardie warns asbestos fund threatened by tax case
James Hardie has warned that the asbestos fund is at risk due to the tax case it is facing from the Australian Tax Office. The news comes as the building goods manufacturer announced plans to move its operations to the US. The company says the $240 million tax dispute may put at risk its ability to make future payments to the fund, set up last year to ensure funding of asbestos victims into the future.
SMH report OHS Reps – Asbestos
Nanotech news
Nanotech regulators and industry need to learn lessons
Industry, government and scientists must learn the lessons of past health and safety tragedies to ensure the safe and responsible development of emerging nanotechnologies, a report has warned. The expert analysis draws on lessons learned from case studies that include asbestos, PCBs and halocarbons. The new study, published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, concludes that while the nanotechnology community is doing some things right, 'we are still in danger of repeating old, and potentially costly, mistakes.'
Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies news report. Steffen Foss Hansen, Andrew Maynard, Anders Baun and Joel A Tickner. Late lessons from early warnings for nanotechnology, Nature Nanotechnology, Advance online publication.
Source: Risks 368 OHS reps section on Nanotechnology
Nanomaterials can move up the food chain
New research has found that nanomaterials can move up the food chain. The study showed that nanomaterials can be transferred from single celled organisms to multi-celled organisms which feed on them. The long term impacts of nanomaterials in the environment are not well known but this study confirms that the materials can move within biological systems. The researchers have urged further studies be conducted to measures other environmental impacts.
Chem Watch Bulletin, August 22, 2008 OHS reps section on Nanotechnology
Other News
Beaconsfield: Mine safety inspectorate under resourced
The focus of the inquest into the death of Larry Knight has shifted to the Tasmanian government with revelations that the state’s mining inspectors were woefully under resourced and had expressed concerns that a disaster loomed. An official report into the incident cited the under resourcing as a contributing factor in the incident.
Just weeks before the Beaconsfield accident, a frustrated official with Tasmania's mining safety inspectorate warned that the body was so under-resourced that a "catastrophic event" was "only a matter of time". The inquest heard that by March 2006, one month before the collapse, the number of mine inspectors had fallen from 10 in 1994 to two. One, Chief Inspector of Mines Fred Sears, also had management responsibilities and was busy assisting coronial investigations into an earlier mining tragedy. The other was senior safety inspector Mark Smith who was "chained" to his desk and also unable to inspect mines. Four weeks before the rockfall Mr Smith wrote a memo warning that the inspectorate was failing to fulfil its obligations.
Source: The Australian
Tasmanian school cancer-cluster investigated
The Tasmanian government has committed to investigate a cancer cluster at a Hobart school. The state education department says it will report back to staff at the school which sits above an electrical substation. The school pool was once closed due to an electrical current running through it. The Department has admitted knowing about the issues at the site for two years.
ABC news
SunSmart Awards open now
Victorian workplaces are being invited to participate in the 2008 SunSmart Shade Awards which recognise organisations offering sun protection through innovative shade provision. This year, for the first time, workplaces can enter their shade designs or policies for a chance to become the first in this new category to win a SunSmart Shade Award.
SunSmart Shade Awards
International Union News
US: New York construction under investigation after horror year
The US work safety authority, OSHA, has brought a dozen additional inspectors into New York City to conduct inspections of high-rise construction sites, cranes and other locations to combat the rise in the city’s construction fatalities. Twenty employees have died in construction-related accidents in New York City since January.
OSHA will review its findings to gauge the impact of these additional inspections and determine what other steps might need to be taken to address this deadly trend. Additionally, ongoing inspections will continue under existing local emphasis programs, or as a result of complaints, referrals or accidents.
OSHA website
Research
Workplace stress costs Australia $14.8bn a year
Stress in Australian workplaces costs the economy $14.81 billion a year according to new research. The Medibank Private commissioned research shows that workers unable to attend work due to stress cost employers $5.12 billion per year but that the ongoing cost for those who are able to attend work but unable to perform due to the stress costs almost $10 billion, with an average of 3.2 days per worker being lost each year through work stress.
Work-related stress has been linked to other serious health problems including depression, anxiety and heart disease.
Source: Medibank Private report News.com.au OHS Reps – Stress
Study shows benefits of a 4-day work week
A US examination of the 4-day working week has demonstrated significant benefits for workers and their employers. The state of Utah has introduced a 10-hour day, 4-day week for most of its staff. The move follows a number of trials in local municipalities which demonstrated significant benefits for both employers and workers.
The study from Bringham Young University measured satisfaction levels among workers in the municipalities and found significant improvements. Workers on a four-day week were less likely to feel a work/life balance conflict and less likely to move from their employment. The study appears in the June issue of Review of Public Personnel Administration.
Source: Occupational Hazards
Guidelines for wrist posture to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome
Ergonomics researchers have released a study recommending wrist postures that will avoid workers sustaining the damage that leads to carpal tunnel syndrome. Researchers examined carpal tunnel pressure in 37 healthy participants through a range of flex postures of the wrist in order to determine the thresholds at which nerve damage can occur. Wrist posture is a factor in developing musculoskeletal disorders in the arms and hands and using postures that limit repeated bending and flexing is an important technique to avoid long-term damage.
The researchers recommend the following wrist postures be used: sustained wrist extension (bending the hand back) should not exceed 32.7 degrees; wrist flexion (bending the wrist towards the palm) should not exceed 48.6 degrees; ulnar deviation (sideways towards the small finger) should not exceed 14.5 degrees; radial deviation (sideways towards the thumb) should not exceed 21.8 degrees. They say a set of guidelines could be developed that protect workers through good design of both work and tools.
Guidelines for Wrist Posture Based on Carpal Tunnel Pressure Thresholds
Peter J. Keir, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, Joel M. Bach, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colorado, and Mark Hudes and David M. Rempel, University of California, San Francisco, Richmond, California; Published in Human Factors, Vol. 49, No. 1, February
2007, pp. 88–99 [pdf]
WorkSafe News
Worker loses arm in Gippsland accident
A worker has lost his arm in Traralgon after it got caught in a machine used to strip bark off logs at a treated pine processing plant. The incident happened at the Jelfor Treated Timber factory on the morning of 19 August. WorkSafe says the machine was not properly guarded and has called on employers to ensure adequate guarding of machinery in the wake of the incident.
WorkSafe said there had been over 1000 amputations in Victorian workplaces in the past five years, many of which were due to poorly guarded machinery.
Sources: VWA media release Herald Sun, The Age
Arthurs Seat chairlift saga comes to an end
The Arthurs Seat Chairlift operators have been ordered to undertake safety improvement works after the company pleaded guilty to failing to take care of the safety of passengers. It is the first time a court-imposed order to carry out specific safety improvements has been issued by a Victorian court and brings to an end the long-running saga around the chairlift. The offence was related to an incident in 2006 when the chairlift’s cable tangled and four chairs crashed into each other. No one was hurt, however in an earlier incident a woman had her legs crushed when her chair crashed into another. The company was fined $110,000 in October 2007 over that incident.
The Safety Improvement Order requires an independent audit of the chairlift's compliance with its operations and maintenance manual, report in writing to WorkSafe on further audits at least eight times over the next two years and meet international chairlift safety standards.
The design and condition of the sheave assembly – the unit on the pylon which carries the cable and chairs - failed to prevent the derailment with the result that chairs were trapped by the assembly and crashed into each other.
The court was told derailment and related shut-down systems failed to operate; there was a failure to have an adequate alarm or shut-down system; and the chairlift wheel assemblies were inadequately maintained. As the public address system was inadequate, getting information to passengers and employees was made difficult.
VWA media release
Finalists announced in Australasia’s first personal injury awards
The Personal Injury Education Foundation, an organisation established by Australian and New Zealand accident compensation regulators, insurers and claims management organisations, has announced the finalists in its 2008 Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards.
These Awards are the first of its kind to be held across Australia and New Zealand. Their purpose is to celebrate and showcase the achievements being made in personal injury management across Australasia and acknowledge the industry’s importance to the broader community.
The awards categories include: Excellence in Personal Injury Management; Innovation in Personal Injury Management; Outstanding Contribution by an Individual; Student Excellence Award
VWA Media release
ASCC releases:
Occupational exposures of Aust nurses
This study [pdf] found the highest risks nurses faced were workplace stress (60.6%), manual handling injuries (44.2%), needlestick and sharps injuries (43.5%), injuries from prolonged standing (42.5%) and exposure to blood-borne pathogens (40%) Other injuries such as workplace violence, repetitive injuries and latex allergies were reported as "high risk" by 30% of nurses. The ASCC says the report helps identify areas for targeted interventions and hazard-surveillance on an ongoing basis.
Benchmarking of exposures to wood dust and formaldehyde in selected industries in Aust
This study [pdf] found 72% of hard wood dust exposure exceeded the exposure standard of 1mb/m3. Some 22% of solid softwoods, 28% of reconstituted woods and 25% of mixed woods exposure exceeded the recommended limit. Gaseous formaldehyde exposure was lower than the standard of 1ppm. Mixed wood and multi-tasking exposures were common and it recommended a review of wood dust exposure standards to reflect this. It recommended a larger study of more companies, and investigating using existing data to model exposures.
Formaldehyde is an irritant, a sensitizer and a carcinogen, and was recently the subject of a ‘Priority Existing Chemical’ review by NICNAS.
NICNAS information sheet on Formaldehyde [pdf]
Worksafe Prosecutions
Quarry operator fined $50,000 after fall
A Gippsland quarry operator has been convicted and fined $50,000 for a range of safety breaches after a worker fell and sustained serious injuries while trying to move drum segments using a dragline in 2006. The Korumburra Magistrates’ Court heard that no risk assessment had been conducted despite the work being at height and there being risks associated with the operation of the winch line. The company, Railway Sand Investments, pleaded guilty to the charges and has since decommissioned the dragline involved in the incident.
Source: VWA
McCain admits unsafe working environment
McCain Foods has pleaded guilty to failing to provide a safe working environment after an employee was injured at its Ballarat factory in Victoria's west in 2006. The Ballarat Magistrates Court heard Gary Paul Lennecke was about to carry out maintenance on a pizza crust shredder when it started unexpectedly, ripping skin and flesh from one of his fingers.
The Victorian Worksafe Authority found the switch to turn off the machine was not correctly labelled, resulting in the wrong switch being flicked, and the interlock system for the machine and the emergency stop button were affected by corrosion. McCain also admitted to five prior offences.
The company will be sentenced soon and faces a fine of up to $120,000.
VWA ABC news
NSW: Companies fined $180k over Sydney building site death
A building company and an engineering company have each been fined $180,000 over the death of a worker on a building site in Sydney's west. The 24-year-old was a trainee rigger working on a crane platform at a building site in 2005. He became trapped between a steel beam and the platform. When the crane supervisor lowered the platform the man fell six metres as his safety harness was not attached. He died from asphyxia and head injuries. The Industrial Relations Commission fined Kaydee Engineering, and Sacco Builders $180,000 each, for breaches of safety, supervision, and training laws.
ABC news
International News
At least 18 miners killed in China
Eighteen miners died after a gas explosion at a coal mine in north-east China, according to the State Administration of Work Safety. The accident happened at Baijiagou Coal Mine in Faku county, Liaoning province, the safety agency said in a brief statement and reported in local media. It said 81 miners were in the mine at the time of the blast, with 56 escaping unhurt and seven still missing.
China's coal mines are among the most dangerous in the world, with safety standards often ignored in the quest for profits and the drive to meet demand for coal - source of about 70 per cent of the country's energy. Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures, although independent monitors say the real figure was likely far higher as many accidents are covered up.
Source: ABC news
Perils of the new pesticides
The US-based Center for Public Integrity has used official government data to expose the 'Perils of the new pesticides.' The free online resource is based on a review of 10 years' worth of adverse-reaction reports filed with the Environmental Protection Agency by pesticide manufacturers.
The initiative has already revealed that pyrethrins and pyrethroids - used in thousands of supposedly 'safer' pesticides - accounted for more than 26 per cent of all fatal, 'major,' and 'moderate' human incidents in the United States in 2007, a 300 per cent increase over the last decade. The CPI investigation spurred the director of the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs to announce the agency would begin a broad study of the human health effects of pyrethrins and pyrethroids. The new website includes related articles and a pesticides database.
Risks 368 CPI website