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
SafeWork NSW reported 13 serious falls, including fatalities, in construction between January and May 2017. In the last week of June alone, three more serious injuries occurred, one fatal. In response, SafeWork NSW will launch a safety blitz across Sydney construction sites and establish a new Construction Safety team amid the infrastructure boom.
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 fall risk
- Suitable controls are in place on fragile and brittle roofs, and in the presence of other hazards such as skylights;
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:
- 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 focusing 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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