
SafetyNet 287, 31 July
2014
This
is the fourth weekly edition of the SafetyNet
journal – and we hope you like it. Please let us know if you have any
comments about the journal: send them to Renata at rmusolino@vthc.org.au. Still trying to get started on our e-news but hopefully, this will happen soon. And please, please 'follow'
us on Twitter - @OHSreps
Union News
Research
OHS Regulator News
OHS Prosecutions
International News
Union News
Review of model WHS laws
We'd
like to thank those HSRs who sent in their stories/experiences in response to
our call in last week's SafetyNet. The emails we received covered points
such as successful outcomes following issuing a 'cease work'; the crucial
assistance provided by a union to an HSR in meetings; and much more. For those
interested in taking a look at what the Office of Best Practice Regulation is
considering, check out their Issues Paper and
Consultation Regulation Impact Statement: Improving the model Work Health and
Safety laws.
ACTU: Pregnancy discrimination highlights need for
changes to workplace laws
The
ACTU says the Human Rights Commission's report into pregnancy and return to
work, released last Friday, highlights the need for the Government to
strengthen workplace laws to stop discrimination against women at work. The
report: Pregnancy and return to work discrimination
hurts everyone found that little has changed in the 15 years since its
first Inquiry into this subject. Australian workplaces still overwhelmingly
view working while pregnant as a privilege, not a right. The Review found that one in two (49%)
mothers and over a quarter (27%) of the fathers and partners surveyed reported
experiencing discrimination in the workplace during pregnancy, parental leave
or on return to work. Women and men spoke of the devastating impacts such
discrimination can have on a person's health, on their economic security and on
their family.
"The
ACTU and unions requested this review because growing numbers of our members
tell us they are being discriminated against at work during pregnancy, when
they return to work from parental leave, or when they need to care for a family
member," said ACTU President Ged Kearney. "The shocking figures in this review
reveal the magnitude of the problem," she said. "The fact that one third of
mothers and one quarter of partners either resigned from their job or looked for
other work highlights the unacceptable cost of this discrimination on women,
their families and the economy."
Human Rights Commission Media Release ACTU Media Release
Ask Renata
A few weeks ago, Renata
received several (!!) inquiries about Elevated Work Platforms – an issue she
does not know a great deal about. This week, she found what appears to be a
very useful article in the Queensland WHS regulator's eSAFE Construction
newsletter:
The Right Tool for the Job: EWP gradeability ratings When selecting an elevating work platform (EWP) for your job, it is important to consider the sort of operating conditions under which it needs to work. EWPs have predetermined limits - grade ratings - for the angle or slope of ground surface they can travel on.
Please send any OHS related queries in to 'Ask Renata' - your query will be responded to as quickly as we can, within a couple of days at the latest.
What is OHS about? Not
about 'covering one's a*se'!
The
OHS journalist and blogger Kevin Jones, has written another thoughtful piece: "OHS is not all about covering one's a*se".
The article is available through his SafetyAtWorkBlog. Kevin considers the
possible motivations for employers to implement positive OHS changes, including
'reputational risk', and discusses research done in the UK and in
Australia. The motivator of potential
damage to a company's reputation as a result of a serious incident or fatality
reported in the mass media is particularly relevant in Victoria. The regulator,
the VWA continues to remain silent – neither commenting on fatalities, nor
promoting successful prosecutions. Kevin
writes: "The opportunity to increase reputational risk, and therefore motivate
change, is not only missed in Victoria but being dismissed."
The
push by the Liberal/Coalition governments to reduce the 'red tape' of OHS will
also result in a decrease in other, traditional, motivators such as inspections
and enforcement activities. Kevin concludes that OHS professionals, companies
and of course workers lose as a result of the lack of enforcement and the
dominance of the a*se-covering perception – and unscrupulous companies are the
winners.
Read more: SafetyAtWorkBlog
Asbestos: Feature on Mr
Fluffy
A feature
in the Sydney Morning Herald is
accompanied by a very interesting video in which two 'Mr Fluffy' victims tell
their story, as well as a real estate agent who speaks of the growing level of
concern amongst home buyers.
Read more: Mr Fluffy Crisis Hits Home
Fly-in
Fly-out (FIFO): effect on workers and depression
Rhys Connor, a young fly-in, fly-out worker who
took his life in the Pilbara left a suicide note that said West Australians
"don't know what it's like to work FIFO and have depression". On the first anniversary of death, his family
has released details of the note to raise awareness of the mental health
problems of the FIFO workforce. The family has also released video of an
interview conducted a few days before his death as part of a yet-to-be-released
government-funded project aiming to provide support for miners.
The 25-year-old father-of-one told This FIFO Life that workers were struggling with depression, relationship breakdowns and boredom. He said anyone planning to work FIFO should "rethink" the idea pointing to the isolation and the effect of being separated from family. Of great concern is that the interview closes with a voice-over: "Everyone has a role to play in recognising the potential signs of suicide and providing support to people who may be struggling." It then lists some of the "common signs".
Rhys' parents, on the other hand, want mining
giants to do more to protect workers. Mr Miller said his once "larrikin" and
"affectionate" son had been broken down by FIFO work, in particular the
"torturous" roster of spending four weeks on-site for every one-week off.
Read more: Northern Territory News
Trade
Union Choir appeal for funds
Latest update: the appeal launched by the Trade Union Choir has been a success,
and the wished for target has been reached. So: thank you to any subscriber who
contributed.
International
Union News
Bangladesh: World's
Lowest Wage Workers Commence Hunger Strike
On the evening of 28th
July 2014 over six hundred Bangladeshi garment workers commenced a hunger
strike. One thousand others are taking other action. They are employed in five
factories in the Tuba Group – infamous for the Tazreen Fashions fire which
claimed the lives of over 130 workers (including children as young as 12) in
November 2012. The owner, Delwar Hossein, was arrested in February 2014 and
awaits trial for the murder of the workers.
The workers have not been paid for the last three months work despite numerous commitments to pay the workers before the Eid Festival which commenced this week. The Eid Festival has now finished and the workers are still not paid.
The work done during the last three months included sewing thousands of FIFA 2014 World Cup kits and many other labels. "Many of the workers are falling ill and collapsing as the hunger strike enters its third day," said Mr Moniruzzaman Masum, Bangladesh Labour Union Organiser. "The owner, Delwar Hossein, made paying workers their last three months wages conditional on him being granted bail." Said Mr Masum.
Dr Colin Long, Secretary
of the Victorian branch of the NTEU and representing the Australia Bangladesh
Solidarity Network, said, "It is horrifying that some of the world's lowest paid
workers are being forced to starve to death in their final attempt to be paid
for three months work. These workers live hand to mouth already. It is amazing
they have survived for three months."
Source: Australia Bangladesh
Solidarity Network Incorporated Media Release
OSH Legal resources Handbook
From the Asia Monitor Resource Centre, the OSH Legal resources Handbook is a guide
to occupational injuries and disease in Asia, intended to serve as a practical
reference handbook for those legal practitioners and activists involved in the
struggle to seek compensation and justice for victims of occupational injuries
and diseases. It aims to be a hands-on manual and provide an overview of the
working of the law and its implementation. It is supplemented with case studies
that give the reader an insight into the working of the laws in the region. It
will also serve as a tool to aid cross-border alliances and build strong
solidarity among victims' support groups across the region. The publication has
country reports from 10 countries: from South Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and
India; from East Asia: China, Japan, and Hong Kong; and from Southeast Asia:
Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
Read more:
The publication, or individual chapters can be downloaded from this page
UK News
With
'heatwave' conditions, UK unions seek new rules
As summer temperatures soar in the UK, the TUC
is calling on employers to relax workplace dress codes temporarily to help
their staff work through the heatwave as comfortably as possible. Although
there is a legal limit in the UK below which workplace temperatures should not
fall (16°C), there is no upper limit. For many years the TUC has been pushing
for a change in safety regulations to introduce a new maximum temperature of
30°C – or 27°C for those doing strenuous work – with employers forced to adopt
cooling measures when the workplace temperature hits 24°C. Of course, workers
in Australia are often faced with workplace temperatures in the 40's – and we
don't have regulations on temperature either.
But back to the UK: The TUC says that in the
meantime employers can help their overheating staff by allowing them to leave
their more formal office attire at home for the rest of the week. TUC general
secretary Frances O'Grady said: "When it's hot outside, it's no fun for those
trapped inside in overheated workplaces. Extreme heat can be as unpleasant to
work in as extreme cold, and so long as the UK has no legal maximum working
temperature, many workers will be working in conditions that are not just
personally unpleasant, but will also be affecting their productivity." She
added: "Now is the time for employers to relax the dress code rules temporarily
and allow their staff to dress down for summer. Making sure that everyone has
access to fans, portable air conditioning units and cold drinking water should
help reduce the heat in offices, factories, shops, hospitals, schools and other
workplaces
TUC Media
Release Source: Risks 664 Hazards
126, April – June now available online
The latest edition of the TUC's terrific Hazards magazine is now available online. We've already pointed subscribers to a couple of the articles (on Silica exposure, and the risks involved in fracking), but now the entire edition can be accessed on this page of the TUC website.
India: 470
deaths in 20 years at shipbreaking yard
In late
June, five workers were killed and eight others injured in a gas explosion in
the Alang Shipbreaking Yard in India's Gujarat state. All of them were migrant
workers. In the twenty years from 1983 to 2013, 470 workers were killed at the
Alang Shipbreaking Yard, as well as another 15 deaths this year. The union on
site called a meeting of safety officials and government officers to discuss
how to prevent more deaths in the future. More action is needed to prevent more
deaths.
Read more: Union fights for safety after 5 killed in Indian shipyard IndustriALL, and Grim fate for workers in Alang ship-breaking yard The Hindu. Source: AAWL Mini News
back to top
Research
Provision of onsite facilities linked to obesity
A recent study by
US and Canadian researchers has found no evidence provision of workplace
exercise facilities increase employees' physical activity levels, and are actually
associated with a higher body mass index in workers. The outcome of the study
of 28 American worksites with 6261 workers, "goes against the generally accepted
idea that workout facilities at workplaces have a positive impact on employee
[physical activity] and BMI". It may be, they say, that sites with a higher
proportion of overweight and obese employees were more likely to have such facilities,
or that workers with a higher BMI feel less comfortable using the facilities at
their workplace. The study - which aimed to look at the association between
worksite physical environments and employee dietary intake, physical activity
(PA), and weight status - found, however, that workers who had access to
outdoor spaces such as walking trails had lower BMIs. It also found that
workers with access to cafeterias, and fewer vending machines, were also more
likely to have better eating habits.
The research concluded that
'selected environmental factors in worksites were significantly associated with
employee behaviors and weight status, providing additional intervention targets
to change the worksite environment and promote employee weight loss.'
Source: Fabio Almeida, et al, US, The Association Between Worksite Physical
Environment and Employee Nutrition, and Physical Activity Behaviour and Weight
Status. [Full article] Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Volume 56, Issue 7, July 2014.
Burnout linked to performance management
The closely policed
pressure to perform at work is creating a generation of burnout victims,
experts have warned. Online publication Equal
Times reports almost one worker in ten is at risk of burnout. In some
professions, the numbers affected are as high as 40 per cent. "It is often the
people most devoted to their work that suffer from burnout," explained Dr
Patrick Mesters, director of the European Institute for Intervention and
Research on Burnout (EIIRBO) in Brussels. "Burnout deprives companies of their
best employees. And it's not at all surprising." The symptoms of burnout are
similar to those of depression: persistent physical and emotional exhaustion,
aggressive behaviour. What differentiates it, however, is the fact that all the
symptoms are caused by the person's working environment – a universe that has
evolved considerably in recent decades, to the extent that it promotes physical
and emotional exhaustion. "Many factors can lead to burnout," continued Dr
Mesters. "They, of course, include overwork and the imbalance between work and
personal life. But many people also complain about work losing its meaning and
a lack of recognition from their colleagues and superiors. The individual feels
increasingly isolated in his or her work. This can lead to feelings of overload
and loss of control." According to Equal
Times: "The way the working environment is organised appears to be a major
factor in the development of burnout. It is an environment that is increasingly
dehumanised and pressurised, an environment that is increasingly taking over
people's personal lives."
Read more: Burnout:
the flip side of the cult of performance Equal Times; European Institute for Intervention and
Research on Burn Out Source:
Risks 664
OHS Regulator News
VWA releases new
guidance on Violence
Victoria's
regulator has released a new Guide for Employers:
preventing and responding to work related violence. This can be accessed from the Occupational Violence
topic information page on the VWA website. In addition to this
new guide, older guidance on client initiated and external violence and
additional information 'for organisations where jobs that require face-to-face
contact place workers at risk of exposure to occupational violence' is available
from this page.
On day of damaging
winds, VWA retweets Safety Alert on Freestanding walls
'Damaging
winds' were forecast for this week and so the VWA retweeted its Safety Alert on
Freestanding walls. However, the warning did not prevent an incident in
Tarneit, in Melbourne's west on Tuesday. Two workers were taken to hospital
after the wild winds brought down scaffolding. The men were working on the
first floor of a residential property in Riversdale Drive, Tarneit, when the
steel frame gave way. Emergency services were called to the site at around 9am.
CFA senior station officer Darren Miller told 7News that security cameras would
help to determine the exact cause of the collapse - but he believed the primary
factor was strong winds. "We're in a laneway next to the river, and the
winds funnels down into this laneway," Firefighter Miller said. The VWA is
also investigating the incident.
The Freestanding walls Alert was issued following the recent death
of a worker when a brick wall collapsed onto him on a construction site. The
regulator says the fatality was the latest in a series of serious incidents,
resulting in deaths or serious injuries, involving masonry walls collapsing on
construction sites. The Alert provides
information on control measures, as well as links to more detailed information.
Read more: Danger of freestanding masonry walls
Victoria: Safety Soapbox
The last edition of
VWA's Safety Soapbox was sent out last week (July 24) – with the leading
article written by Construction Manager Allan Beacom, explaining what to expect
from Workplace Inspection Reports. He says, "The report will include reference
to any photographs, which have been taken and the inspector's primary
observations while at the workplace. Where the inspector has undertaken any
compliance action such as issuing improvement or prohibition notices, any such
action will also be noted in the entry report." The report will also have any
actions the duty holder takes voluntarily to fix any OHS breaches observed by
the inspector at the workplace.
There were 43 incidents notified to the VWA for the period July 3 - 16, including 11 lacerations,
six fractures, five electric shocks, two punctures, two crushes, and 15 near
misses.. Several could have resulted in very serious injuries – and several
involved incidents caused by high winds.
Read more, including
links to the list of reported incidents: July 24 Safety Soapbox
Safe Work Australia
Australia-wide
fatalities
There have
been no updates to the Safe Work webpage on reported workplace fatalities; as
at 14 July 2014, 97 had been reported.
Read more: Safe Work
Australia Work-related fatalities
The latest monthly fatalities report posted remains that for April 2014, as reported in last week's SafetyNet. The monthly reports can be downloaded from the Safe Work Australia Monthly Fatalities Reports page.
Virtual Seminar Series
The Australian
Strategy Virtual Seminar Series (VSS) is a free online event which Safe Work
Australia is running throughout Safe Work Australia Month in October. It will
showcase the latest work health and safety thinking, developments, innovations
and research supporting the Australian Strategy vision: healthy safe and
productive working lives.
The VSS will feature live
interactive panels and video presentations by Safe Work Australia Members,
business leaders, academics and work health and safety experts. The themes for
the 2014 VSS are: leadership and culture; responsive and effective regulation; agriculture
and road freight transport industries; and small business.
More information and the draft program: Safe
Work Australia VSS program
Queensland
issues Incident Alerts after two fatalities in one week
As is its standard practice, Workplace
Health and Safety Queensland this week issued two alerts following fatal
incidents. The first occurred on Sunday 27 July 2014 in Fortitude Valley. A
worker died after falling into a two metre deep trench which collapsed while
being excavated to replace a sewer line. While the regulator is investigating
the incident, and cannot make specific comments, it says the Alert is a reminder
for employers (PCBUs) and organisations to consider the effectiveness of their
safety management systems in preventing an incident like this from occurring at
a workplace. It also has links to more detailed information on trenching, etc.
The second
Incident Alert was on a fatality which occurred on Tuesday 29 July in Lake
MacDonald, Sunshine Coast. A roofing worker died after falling 5.3 metres from a
roof of an industrial shed to the concrete floor below. This Alert also has
links to material on working at heights.
Read more: Incident Alerts Fortitude Valley fatality and Lake
MacDonald fatality
Useful materials
A new Alert from the
VWA:
Torqueing fasteners with
rattle guns This Alert highlights
the safety issues with using rattle guns to tighten fasteners and provides
advice to ensure fasteners are correctly torqued.
OHS Prosecutions
Victoria
As of July 23, no further prosecutions summaries had been uploaded on
the VWA website. The latest prosecutions reported are for June 2014.
SA: Company
fined $45k after worker fell from forklift cage
Hart Retail Group Pty Ltd - a supplier of pet products - has been fined
$45,000 for failing to secure a cage to a forklift for work at heights, after a
worker fell 1.7m from the cage when it tipped over. The company received a 40
per cent discount for its early guilty plea, cooperation and contrition.
In July 2012, the general handyman was removing a promotional banner from the outside of the employer's Allenby Gardens Petstock store while standing in a cage on forklift tines when the cage tipped to one side and he fell 1.7m to the ground. The cage then landed on top of him. He broke his left arm and right kneecap and suffered a head laceration.
The employer was charged with failing to provide plant in a safe condition, failing to ensure plant was designed and maintained to be securely attached to the forklift, and failing to ensure it complied with the powered industrial trucks Australian Standard (AS 2359.1-1995), which covers the requirements for work platforms mounted on forklifts.
International News
USA: 2,500
Ground Zero workers have cancer
More than
2,500 Ground Zero rescuers and responders have been diagnosed with cancer, and
a growing number are seeking compensation for their illnesses. The toll has
skyrocketed from the 1,140 cancer cases reported last year. According to officials, the World Trade Center
Health Program at Mount Sinai Hospital latest tally has 1,655 responders with
cancer among the 37,000 police, construction, sanitation workers, other city
employees and volunteers it monitors.
The tragic number rises to 2,518 when firefighters and EMTs are added. The FDNY, which has
its own WTC health program, said it counts 863 members with cancers certified
for 9/11-related treatment.
Read
more: 2,500 Ground Zero workers have cancer New York Post
China:
Beijing imposes new limits on industry in bid to cut smog
China's overgrown and smog-hit capital Beijing has passed new rules
banning the expansion of polluting and resource-intensive industries, according
to local government reports last Friday. In a list of restrictions published on
its website, the municipal government said it would ban the further expansion
of a wide range of industries, including food processing, textiles,
construction materials, paper making, chemicals and oil refining.
Beijing has been under heavy pressure to end its obsession with
industrial growth, which has left the city choking with smog, put the health of
residents and workers at high risk, and also deprived poverty-stricken
surrounding regions of the opportunity to improve their economies.
Read more: Reuters