Did you know that certain state Safety Regulators are cracking down on safety for specific industries? Due to a recent series of serious injuries & fatalities, the industries in focus are Construction in NSW as well as Retail & Transport in WA.
NSW – Construction
In NSW there have been 13 serious injuries or fatalities from falls in the construction industry between January to May 2017.
In the last week of June 2017 alone, there were 3 serious injuries within one week, including 1 fatality.
In response, SafeWork NSW will conduct a safety blitz on construction sites across Sydney including launching a new Construction Safety team following the recent boom in major infrastructure projects.
This safety blitz is planned to commence over the next few months – SafeWork NSW Inspectors will be conducting both planned and unannounced visits to construction sites.
Inspectors will not be lenient, and SafeWork NSW have warned the industry there will be heavy scrutiny on unsafe sites and practices with a zero tolerance approach.
SafeWork NSW Inspectors will be checking that:
- Adequate controls are in place to manage the risks of falls;
- Scaffolding and edge-protection systems are properly installed and maintained;
- All potentially hazardous openings on a building site are securely covered;
- Suitable controls are in place on fragile and brittle roofs, and in the presence of other hazards such as skylights;
- Ladders are being used appropriately.
WA – Retail and Transport
WorkSafe WA conducted inspections across the retail and transport industries in Perth and regional areas around WA – with a focus on safety in plant and plant movement.
The proactive program looked to build on previous years’ inspection programs and considered the increasing number of serious incidents involving vehicles and people.
WorkSafe visited over 300 worksites and issued over 2000 combined improvement notices, prohibition notices and verbal directions.
Many of the improvement notices issued were due to:
- Evacuation procedures not being developed and clearly displayed;
- No testing of residual current devices;
- No register of hazardous substances or material safety data sheets;
- Damage or insufficient securing of pallet racking;
- A lack of traffic management compromising pedestrian safety; and
- No operator manuals for mobile plant.
With these findings, WorkSafe WA would likely be further focussing on the above areas for future inspection programs.
Are your workplaces and sites safe?
Have you recently considered:
- Do you have concerns that your workplace safety is not up to standard?
- Are you confident that you and your staff can perform your jobs safely?
- Are you aware of all the safety risks in your workplace?
- Has your business been recently visited or audited by a safety regulator?
- Would your workplace and your business be ready for a safety audit or inspection?
ABILITY GROUP can help you with your WHS concerns and requirements – contact us now on (02) 9098 5500.
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