You may recall in December 2018 an apprentice carpenter fell over three metres onto a concrete surface from the first floor of a residential building.

SafeWork SA investigations identified that had a safe work method statement and pre-start checks been undertaken in relation to controlling the risks of working at live edges, that the incident with the apprentice could have easily been avoided.

The company failed to identify the risk of falls and no fall protection had been installed prior to the work task being undertaken.

The company was charged with failing to:

• Provide and maintain a safe working environment
• Ensure a safe system of work for the task undertaken
• Perform an adequate risk assessment and identify the hazard of working near an unguarded void
• Ensure appropriate control measures were in place to eliminate or reduce the risk of fall.

The company pleading guilty, and received a 40% discount, but the total fine cost this company $90,000. In addition to this, the Director / Supervisor was fined $21,000 plus costs.

Safety Alert – Workers injured in separate trench collapses

According to SafeWork SA data, 40 files have been opened since 1 July 2021 associated with incidents involving excavation work.

Two separate incidents have occurred recently resulting in workers being trapped when trenches have collapsed.
Of the 40 files:

• 13 relate to exposure to open trenches
• 4 relate to inadequate shoring of trenches
• 3 relate to the collapse of trenches.

SafeWork SA has developed new guidance information on preventing trench collapse to help manage the risks of ground collapse, associated with excavation work.

Stay Safe,

The Team from PEER

PEER takes the health, safety and working environment of its staff, apprentices, host employers and the wider community very seriously.

As you will be aware, the situation regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing regularly. PEER is continuing to operate as usual and we are proactively monitoring the situation.

We will communicate any changes to our operational activities as necessary.

Whilst we have increased sanitation activities, here are some ways that individuals can help to reduce the spread of Coronavirus and other illnesses:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub
• Use a bent elbow to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. (A tissue can also be used and disposed of immediately and hands washed)
• Avoid touching your eyes or nose and mouth
• Avoid close contact with others who are unwell
• Clean surfaces and work areas regularly with disinfectant

Once it has been announced that Lockdown is over and we return to PEER, Apprentices, staff and all visitors are encouraged to use the hand sanitisers available at each entry point to PEER and in each classroom. A sanitation plan is also in place for communal (public) areas with regular cleaning of common areas.

PEER provides each apprentice with their own safety glasses. Apprentices are reminded they are not to share their safety glasses with other apprentices.

We ask that you please inform PEER if you or someone you are in regular contact with has tested positive for COVID -19.

Further Information

PEER will continue to monitor information and advice provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Australian Federal and State Governments and provide updates as new information comes to hand.

Questions?

If you have any queries or need assistance in, don’t hesitate to contact our WHS Advisor on (08) 8348 1200 or email us at safety@peer.com.au

• A sprain is an injury to the ligaments and capsule at a joint in the body.
• A strain is an injury to muscles or tendons.

Soft tissue injuries may be sudden (acute) or long-standing (chronic). Healing depends on factors including the type of tissue and severity of injury, treatment undertaken, previous injuries, and the age and general health of the person.

One of the methods to avoid sprains and strains is to warm up before participating in any sports, exercise or work activity. When your muscles are tight, they are vulnerable to strain.

Get your body warmed up with some light exercise. When you’re warmed up (not before), commit to a full-body stretch session, focusing on additional stretches for your high-risk muscle groups.

Stretching allows your large joints (such as your shoulders and knees) to reach their maximum movement potential and is also a good time to mentally prepare for an event or work by clearing the mind, increasing focus, on the tasks ahead.

• Job task rotation to reduce the repetitive nature of a task, e.g. limiting tasks to set time limits and rotating tasks with another worker
• Shared tasks to reduce the load, e.g. shared lift of heavy object
• Correct use of tools and body positioning, e.g. limit reaching and conduct tasks close to your bodies core/center of gravity

Are you suffering similar injuries time and time again? If you have encountered several wrist strains or back sprains, do a mental inventory of your daily tasks at work. A common repetitive action could be causing your body to move incorrectly, causing the sprain to reoccur again (and again, and again!) Uncovering work patterns that are causing your injury can help you to modify them for the future—and therefore, minimize your risk!

Suggestions for immediate treatment of acute sprains or strains include:

• Stop your activity.
• Rest the injured area.
• Put icepacks on the area for 20 minutes every 2 hours, separated from the skin by wet toweling.
• Compress or bandage the injured site firmly, extending the wrapping from below to above.
• Elevate (raise) the injured area above heart height whenever practical.
• Avoid heat, alcohol, running and massage of the affected area in the first 72 hours after the injury, as this can increase swelling.
• If symptoms get worse in the first 24 hours, see your doctor for further medical investigation.

If you have any queries or need assistance in ensuring you are meeting your obligations under legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact our WHS Advisor on (08) 8348 1243 or email us at safety@peer.com.au.

Electric shocks may also lead to other injuries, including falls from ladders, scaffolds or other elevated work platforms. Other injuries or illnesses may include muscle spasms, palpitations, nausea, vomiting, collapse and unconsciousness and in the worst case death.

Management of Risk

Businesses have an obligation to manage risks to health and safety associated with electrical risks at the workplace in accordance with the WHS Regulations. The WHS Regulations also include specific requirements for managing electrical risks, many of which are covered in the SA Code of Practice: Managing electrical risks in the workplace 2020. General risk management methodology includes the following key steps;

Consult with workers and others to;
• Identify Hazards
• Manage Risk using the hierarchy of controls
• Maintain the control measures
• Review the effectiveness of control measures

Isolation

To ensure electrical equipment or circuits remain de-energised while working, the electrical equipment or circuits should be effectively isolated from all relevant sources of electricity supply. This may be done using opening switches, removing fuses or links, opening circuit breakers or removing circuit connections.

The steps for effective isolation include;
• Isolation of the equipment or apparatus,
• Securing the isolation,
• Tagging,
• Testing, and
• Re-testing as necessary.

For example, if the person carrying out the work temporarily leaves the immediate area, or is to start work on a different part of the isolation, tests must be carried out on their return or before commencing work to ensure that the electrical equipment being worked on is still not energised to safeguard against inadvertent reconnection by another person.

Electric shocks are classified as a “Dangerous incidents” and must be notified to SafeWork SA and the Office of the Technical Regulator by the PCBU responsible for the workplace.

If you have any queries or need assistance in ensuring you are meeting your obligations under legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact our WHS Advisor on (08) 8348 1243 or email us at safety@peer.com.au.

SOLAR UV RADIATION

Working in heat is a hazard that can result in severe health problems for many workers – whether they work indoors or outdoors. If the body has to work too hard to keep cool, it starts to overheat and a worker begins to suffer from heat-related illness. Heat-related illnesses include:

• Dehydration
• Heatstroke
• Fainting
• Heat rash
• Heat cramps
• Heat exhaustion

If a heat-related illnesses occurs the recommended treatment is to move to and rest in the coolest possible place offering increased air movement, use a fan to increase air movement if required,

• Drink frequent small quantities of cool fluid,
• Loosen tight clothing,
• Sponge body down with cool water, and
• Seek medical attention if there is no improvement.

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the major cause of skin cancer and Australia has some of the highest levels of UV radiation in the world. Outdoor workers receive up to 10 times more UV radiation exposure than indoor workers, significantly increasing their risk of developing skin cancer, including melanoma (SA Cancer Council). Simple steps can be taken to prevent UV exposure and include ;

• Apply sunscreen
• Wear a hat
• Wear clothes that cover the arms and legs
• Work in the shade.

There were 13 work-related fatalities from working in extreme heat in Australia between 2001 – 2013. Twelve of these workers died from exposure resulting from working outdoors. The 13th worker died after working in an enclosed ceiling space during a heatwave. Unless it is specified in workplace employment agreements, the work health and safety legislation does not set temperatures at which a worker may be sent home, nor does it determine acceptable levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. Each workplace environment is different, and the onus is on the host employer to manage any risks, in consultation with their workers.

If you have any queries or need assistance in ensuring you are meeting your obligations under legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact our WHS Advisor on (08) 8348 1243 or email us at safety@peer.com.au.

Access, Egress and Emergency Procedures

Background

An electrician was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition after receiving an electric shock whilst in the ceiling space of a King William Rd business at around 3:00pm on 29 September 2020.
The Metropolitan Fire Service was required to cut through the roof and use a crane to get the unconscious electrician out of the roof space. SA Police and SafeWork SA are investigating the incident.

Discussion

When undertaking risk assessment / Job Safety Analysis (JSA) or Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) development / review, access and egress of the specific worksite must be considered in addition to the work processes. As an example, in an enclosed space the rescue or removal of an injured worker may be difficult and appropriate control measures will need to be implemented, including communication and rescue procedures to ensure if a rescue or evacuation is required it can be undertaken in a safe and timely manner.

Electric shocks are a notifiable incident and must be reported to SafeWork SA and the Office of the Technical Regulator. Notifiable shocks include minor shock resulting from direct contact with exposed live electrical parts (other than ‘extra low voltage’) and shock from capacitive discharge. Even the most minor of electric shocks can have serious consequences on the human body. Subsequently, medical attention should be sought immediately to en-sure no immediate or long-term effects or injuries result from the electric shock.

Action
Consider access, egress, communication and emergency procedures as part of work risk assessments. Hosts and PEER have WHS obligations to report incidents. PEER must be notified of all incidents to ensure that the appropriate regulator notifications are carried out by hosts and incidents can be investigated with corrective actions implemented.

If you have any queries or need assistance in ensuring you are meeting your obligations under legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact our WHS Advisor on (08) 8348 1243 or email us at safety@peer.com.au.

Over the past several months in South Australia, there have been 3 falls from fragile roofing, one of those being a fatality.

SafeWork SA has now issued a Safety Alert in relation to working on this type of roofing, to ensure people understand their responsibilities and requirements when it comes to working on fragile roofs.

The types of roofing where people should take extra care when working on a roof include but not limited to:

• Asbestos roofing sheets
• Polycarbonate or plastic commonly used in skylights
• Roof lights
• Fiber Cement sheets
• Liner panels
• Metal sheets
• Glass, including wired glass
• Chipboard (especially older boards that are damaged)
• Wood slabs, slates and tiles

Risk control measures need to be undertaken and a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is required for any work done where the worker is more than 3m off the ground.

Common control measures can include:

• Fall Arrest systems (including harnesses), installed by a licensed scaffolder or rigger
• Safety Mesh
• Temporary Work Platforms for work done around roof edges
• Individual Fall Arrest systems, including harnesses and work positioning systems
• Catch Platforms
• Administrative controls such as work instructions and work at heights procedures
• Permit systems
• Ladder usage procedures, inspections, and training

A Risk Assessment is also required including:

• Inspection of perimeter walls for warning notices
• Review of any asbestos register
• Visual inspection of the roof to identify roofing types, condition, and extent of fragile materials
• Load distributions
• Existence and condition of safety mesh or other fall arrest system/work platforms
• Risk of a person falling
• Access and egress points
• Other health and safety concerns for workers

If you have any queries or need assistance in ensuring you are meeting your obligations under legislation, don’t hesitate to contact our WHS Advisor on (08) 8348 1243 or email us at safety@peer.com.au.

If you have any queries or need assistance in ensuring you are meeting your obligations under legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact our WHS Advisor on (08) 8348 1243 or email us at safety@peer.com.au.

Over the last week, it has been announced that South Australia has acquired new cases of Covid-19, especially among those under the age of 30.  This serves as a reminder that we must not be complacent, and we must all do what we can to stop the spread.

The latest cases have visited common public areas including restaurants, gyms, and shopping centres.

Remain vigilant and remember the following:

• If you have cold/flu like symptoms, including a cough, sore throat, and fever, call your doctor and get yourself tested
• Keep up to date on hot spots by getting your information from government sources, not social media gossip
• If you have been directed to self-isolate by a government agency, you are required to do so or risk receiving a heavy fine or even jail time
• If you are sick, stay home and see your doctor and, again, get tested
• Download and use the CovidSafe app on your phone. This will only help in advising you if you have potentially been exposed to the virus

Also remember to look after yourself and others around you by:

• Washing your hands with warm water and antibacterial soap for at least 20 seconds
• Using hand sanitiser, especially after touching communal surfaces
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder or into a tissue
• If you use a tissue, ensure it is thrown away immediately and you have washed and/or sanitised your hands before touching any surfaces
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
• Keeping a social distance of at least 1.5m from other persons as much as possible
• Avoid shaking hands and hugging other people
• If you are concerned about going into an area where social distancing is not possible, wear a mask or face covering

We all must do our part to stop the spread.  If you have any concerns, please contact PEER and speak to our WHS Advisor for more information on (08) 8348-1243.

PEER takes the health, safety and working environment of its staff, apprentices, host employers and the wider community very seriously. While the situation regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing daily, we can all do our part to help reduce the spread of the virus. The government has announced a range of measures and stimulus packages to support businesses and individuals impacted by COVID-19. Here are some links which you may find useful. We hope you, your family and staff keep safe and healthy during these challenging times.

Resources provided by Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business

Business.gov.au support line:
Call 13 28 46

Small or medium business with reduced cash flow?
Here’s what we’re doing to boost your cash flow.

Is your business financially distressed?
This is what we’re doing to support you.

Employ an apprentice or trainee?
This support is for you.

Household finances hit by reduced work?
Here’s what we’re doing to help support your family budget.
Payments to support households.

Information provided by Tom Earls, Fair Work Lawyers and the AMCA (Air Conditioning & Mechanical Contractors’ Association of SA Inc)

Implications for employer Stand down first response

Australian Apprenticeships
Supporting Apprentices & Trainees
Supporting Apprentices & Trainees Questions & Answers

https://youtu.be/K-6pjI58Ajs