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April 2014

News

“SMART OR

DUMB”

SWMS?

UNION RIGHT

OF ENTRY

SAFETY SURVEY 2014

ONLINE INDUCTION & CONTRACTOR

MANAGEMENT

ELECTRONIC INDUCTIONS & CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT FORUM 26TH MAY

RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW! DETAILS INSIDE

April 2014

www.safetyaction.com.au © 2014 Safety Action Pty Ltd®

News

WHAT’S NEW IN APRIL? Welcome to the April Edition of Safety Action News. In May, Safety Action is facilitating an “Electronic Induction & Contractor Management” Forum. We have a number of key industry leaders who will share their experiences and provide insight into what works and what doesn’t! Save the date, Monday 26th May – see page 3 & 4 for further details. Our annual Safety Benchmarking Survey will be conducted in July. We want every reader to participate. Further details are on page 5. Safety Action’s Gary Rowe attended a ceremony for the re-opening of the railway line from Daylesford to Bullarto after the bushfires in 2009. See page 8 for more information. Stay Safe

Gary Rowe, CEO

Em

ily C

arte

r

•Bullying & Investigations •Contractor Managment •Reporting Tools & Surveys

Step

hen

Web

er

•Research •At-risk Workers •Accident Investigation

Gar

y R

owe

•Strategic Planning •Facilitator •Safety Culture & Leadership

Phill

ip K

amay

•Asbestos •Training & Coaching •Culture & Safety Leadership

And

rea

Row

e

•Chemical Management

•Machinery Safety

•Stress

KA

tie W

eber

•Machinery Safety & Zero Access

•System Development

•Audits

April 2014


News ONLINE SYSTEMS “ELECTRONIC INDUCTION AND CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT”

There has been a substantial shift in recent years to the use of electronic systems to; induct workers, select contractor firms and maintain records.

Large organisations in particular find it hard to deal with the volume of contractors and visiting workers efficiently without some form of online safety induction prior to their arrival on site.

Most companies have a “preferred or approved” contractors list, but many lack evidence of fulfilling their due diligence in relation to vetting of contractor firms for their safety capability and performance. For example, has the contractor firm had any notices issued against it, or been prosecuted, or been declared bankrupt? Similarly, after each project (or at least annually) contractor firms should be vetted to confirm that they can remain on a company’s “approved list”. For example, were they difficult to work with, or tardy in getting safety issues or faults resolved?

Online Systems Forum Safety Action is facilitating a forum in Melbourne on Monday 26th May, with a number of senior safety managers from some of Australia’s leading companies in order to the advance knowledge and performance in this area.

The forum is designed to explore how to implement an online system the core components of which are:

• Efficient; • Cost effective; • Readily accessible; • Quick; • Able to automatically track variables & generate reports.

Reserve 26th May in your diary now!

April 2014


News

$220.00 pp, inc GST

Book Now to Reserve Your Place!

[email protected] T:03 9690 6311

Safety Action Pty Ltd

Suite 114, 370 St Kilda Road Melbourne Vic 3004

www.safetyaction.com.au

26th May 2014 Melbourne

10AM – 2PM Includes Lunch

Guest Speakers Include:

1. ALDI

2. Target

3. M+K Lawyers

4. Landmark

5. Melbourne Water

SAVE THE DATE 26TH MAY 2014

There has been a substantial shift in recent years to utilise electronic systems to; induct workers, select contractor firms and maintain records. Join us as we explore how to implement online systems and review some core fundamentals to help create an efficient, practical system.

SAFETY ACTION PRESENTS:

THE ONLINE INDUCTION & CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT

FORUM

mailto:[email protected]

April 2014


News

Union Right of Entry Protocols

Each jurisdiction has rules which allow union representatives to enter workplaces. It has been stated by some political commentators that as the rules are tightened by the federal government for entry regarding industrial reasons, that there will be more temptation to use the workplace safety right of entry excuse.

To avoid allegations of non-compliance or unnecessary disputation, each business should clarify its instruction for relevant managers and site security. There is now even a smartphone “app” checklist, which could help local staff.

The key rules include: • Confirm the person (wishing entry under OHS/WHS Act) meets the eligibility criteria, per

relevant government website. Have this printed off and ready for reference; • Confirm the person has two (2) permits (state & federal with photo); • Enquire about the purpose of the visit, which must be specific (not a “fishing

expedition”); • Ensure the person completes the site induction; • Remind the person they are not allowed to disrupt or hinder operations; • Escort the person to location of inquiry or concern (to ensure safety while on site); • Allow the person to conduct reasonable investigation into the agreed matter; • Maintain records of all activities conducted while on site.

Safety Action Pty Ltd ® We specialise in: Safety Audits

Contractor Management Safety Culture & Leadership Training Independent Incident Investigations

Safety Business Plans

T (03) 9690 6311 or E [email protected] for further information.

Control entry to your site



April 2014

News

No Heavy Lifting Rule Saved Damages Bill A NT business that had in place a “no heavy lifting” policy, has successfully defended a claim of negligence from a worker who allegedly injured his back lifting a heavy valve cap weighing 91kg.

The court heard that the company had:

• A safe work procedure in place which required mechanical assistance to lift the heavy valve caps;

• Enforced the procedure, as evidenced by an earlier reprimand where a worker failed to follow the safe work procedure for lifting heavy objects;

• Conducted mandatory tool box talks, which included the injured worker.

The court Justice also questioned the current incapacity as 17 surveillance videos showed the worker; lifting, twisting, pushing, pulling, walking, rowing a boat, shovelling concrete and carrying fuel.

The Justice stated that had the claim been upheld she would have awarded damages of $311,000 after a 40 percent discount for contributory negligence.

Smart SWMS or Dumb SWMS I noticed recently an advertisement for an eleven (11) page safe work method statement (SWMS), which also proudly boasted initial and final risk ratings.

We at Safety Action have a “pet hate” for thoughtless behaviour which makes workplace safety documents unduly long or more complex than they need to be.

From our experience most SWMS, if properly constructed, can be contained in to one or two pages. If the task genuinely requires more than two pages, we generally break the task down to keep each SWMS to within two pages.

Watch your back!

Continued..

April 2014


News So why do so many, otherwise sensible, people end up making their safety instructions so complex and unusable in the field? Many just follow the crowd, even if they are wrong. An example of this is the inclusion of risk levels in SWMS. This is not a regulated requirement, and in practice serves no purpose. If you look at the handbook in your car glove box you should find a number of procedures (SWMS) e.g. changing a flat tyre or starting car in the event of a flat battery. None of these procedures published by reputable manufacturers include risk level at each step, because following the published procedure is designed to ensure it is done safely. The legal requirements* for a compliant SWMS include stating:

1. Title of the task; 2. Hazards associated with the task; 3. Controls and how they are to be implemented.

* The harmonised WHS Reg. 299 and Vic OHS Reg. 5.1.5 specify the requirements for SWMS for high risk construction work, per above.

You will notice there is no regulated requirement for date, who prepared it, who approved it or initial or final risk levels for each phase of the task. The legislation leaves it to each organisation to determine their own document control process.

Safety Action Pty Ltd prepare customised SWMS and can train your team in how to develop & utilise SWMs with our safety leadership courses, which incorporates this and much more. Call T. 03 9690 6311 for a course outline and dates.

So who cares what the initial and final risk levels are? Only the fanatics, who “worship” process, not practice.

Sample of a SWMS Form


April 2014

News

Safety Performance Survey 2014 Our annual survey will be conducted as usual in July. Arising from Safety Action’s safety benchmarking forum (November. 2013), where a number of additional safety measures were suggested to be included in our annual benchmarking report:

• Total recordables; • Number of near misses reported; • % of actions completed on time; • Number of serious injuries notified to relevant authority; • Number of first aid injuries; • Number of days on restricted duties; • % of attendance at safety meetings; • % of safe working days.

Of the suggested measures the following three have been selected to be included in our 2014 benchmarking survey:

1. Total recordables; 2. % of safe working days, and 3. Number of serious injuries notified to relevant authority.

This year we want every reader to participate to help us provide better trends and more valuable benchmarking data, the survey only needs:

• Number of employees – approximate effective full time (EFT); • Number of LTIs; • Number of MTIs; • Number of safety & workers compensation staff (EFT); • Days lost due to work injury / illness; • Number of claims; • Number of serious injuries notified to relevant authority; • Workers compensation premium (only), not on-costs or staff costs; plus • Any positive performance indicators you use e.g. inspections completed to schedule,

hazards fixed < 60 days or safety climate (% positive).

If you don’t have this data at your fingertips you should start getting it together now. For more information call Stephen Weber T. 03 9690 6311.

Example of the Benchmarking Safety Performance Survey Form

April 2014


News SAFETY LEADERSHIP

2-DAY COURSE Wednesday 25th & Thursday 26th June 2014

Safety Action Boardroom, Melbourne $1,500 + GST per person

This 2 day course is run as a small and interactive group, providing participants with specific training to help them fully understand their leadership role.

It will provide proven tools and techniques and give you the confidence through practical tips and exercises to become a true safety leader. A comprehensive manual is also provided.

For further details, please contact Danielle Smith on T. 03 9690 6311 or email [email protected]

Signage Vital in Traffic Site Plans A recent court case has highlighted the importance of signage in traffic management plans. In this case an apprentice was killed in a collision at an intersection within the perimeter of the mine and the prosecutor successfully appealed when the employer was found not guilty, partly because of the contention that additional traffic signage would not have prevented the accident. The Supreme Court judge found the magistrate had erred in that his findings were “inadequate and to a degree, not responsive to the case”. The prosecutor had sought a re-trial on 22 grounds, in part including:

• It was practical to install a stop sign at the intersection to reduce the risk. • The employer installed stop signs after the accident. • Despite trucks in the mine being large and relatively easy to see, stop signs would have

helped. • The contract with the mining company required the employer to post signage at

intersections. • Truck drivers often travelled “expediently” through intersections for production and

other reasons.

The case will now be re-heard with another magistrate. We will keep you informed.


April 2014

News

Daylesford Rail Back to Bullarto Daylesford tourist railway* has re-opened the line back to Bullarto after the bushfires in 2009 caused severe damage to the line and facilities. * Daylesford Spa Country Railway. A re-launch ceremony was conducted on the station platform at Bullarto on 15 March 2014, along with many friends and supporters including Gary Rowe of Safety Action.

Is there a topic you would like featured in the

newsletter? Then contact Kirill Kouzmin

by emailing [email protected]

or by calling T. 03 9690 6311

Kirill Kouzmin Danielle Smith

Gary happy after the safety checks were

completed, waiting for the official party to

depart Daylesford for Bullarto

The busy Bullarto rail station

prior to the re-opening ceremony

A few items of interest: • Bullarto is Victoria’s highest railway station at 2,542 feet

above sea level. • Bullarto is famous for its potatoes. • The train is sometimes called the “salt and pepper shaker”

because of how it rocks and rolls as it goes down the line.

This rail travel experience has been maintained exactly how it would have been in the old VicRail days in the 1960s.

If interested in a ride on the fun rail motor train, it operates every Sunday from Daylesford Railway Station, which also

operates a large market in the car park. Visit www.dscr.com.au


http://www.dscr.com.au/

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