OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

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OCCUPATIONALHEALTH SAFETY

• Legal Principles for Engineers
• ELE 4EMT

George Alexander G.Alexander_at_latrobe.edu.au www.la
trobe.edu.au/eemanage
30 April, 2007
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Occupational Health Safety is a matter of
common sense
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look up and live!
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Occupational Health and Safety

• Occupational health and safety is an important
  area for a number of reasons
• First and foremost is the human suffering caused
  by industrial accidents
• Industrial accidents and health hazards are
  costly to both industry and the community in
  terms of lost production and the cost of
  treatment and rehabilitation.
• Industrial accidents also become a trigger for
  industrial actions by trade unions.

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As engineers

• Our responsibility to observe, enforce and insist
  on appropriate safety standards cannot be
  overstated.
• Occupational health and safety considerations are
  paramount. There can be no room for compromise.

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WorkSafe News recent exampleshttp//www.worksaf
e.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe/SiteTools/Ne
ws/

• Community organisation fails to help three
  injured workers (26/4)
• Scuba company guilty after diver death (23/4)
• Woman scalped at Braybrook bed factory (20/4)
• Worksafe response on bullying report (19/4)
• Shonky scaffold puts workers at risk (19/4)
• Paper Australia committed to stand trial (5/4)
• Agribusiness warned on health and safety -
  85,000 fine for Graincorp

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Legal Acts and Standards

• For the purpose of TEACHING ONLY, copies of the
  following Acts and Standards are available from
  the www.latrobe.edu.au/eemanage web page
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 -
  Victoria
• Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth
  Employment) Act 1991
• Equipment (Public Safety) Act 1994 (Victoria)
• Radiocommunications (Electromagnetic Radiation
  Human Exposure) Standard 2003
• Also refer - http//www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wc
  m/connect/WorkSafe

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Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 - Victoria

• Came into effect on 1 July 2005.
• Includes improvements to the regulator WorkSafe
  Victoria and modernisation of the 1985 Act.
• Increases in maximum financial penalties.
• New sentencing rules and options.
• Health now includes psychological as well as
  physical issues.
• Protects volunteers from liability.

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Regulations and Standards

• Regulations such as Occupational Health and
  Safety (Plant) Regulations 1995 and a number of
  Australian Standards govern the use of such items
  as -
• scaffolding,
• explosives,
• excavations,
• dangerous substances,
• lifting and handling,
• radiation, and
• pressure vessels

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Guide to the OHS ACT 2004(Access via
http//www.latrobe.edu.au/eemanage/)

• AIMS
• Secure the health, safety and welfare of
  employees and other people at work.
• Protect the public from the health and safety
  risks of business activities.
• Eliminate workplace risks at the source.
• Involve employers, employees and the
  organisations that represent them in the
  formulation and implementation of health, safety
  and welfare standards.
• Refer extracts of key responsibilities (attached
  to handout)

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Key Concepts of the 2004 Act

• Imposes duties on employers, the self-employed,
  employees, designers, manufacturers, suppliers
  and others.
• Expectation to do what is reasonably practical
• Probability of incident
• Potential seriousness of injury or harm
• Knowledge of the risk
• Cost and availability of risk reducing measures
• Accountability of senior management
• No one may put another person at a workplace in
  danger.

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Subject-matter for Regulations

• Regulating or prohibiting
• The manufacture, supply or use of any plant,
• The manufacture, supply, storage, transport or
  use of any substance, and
• The carrying on of any process or the carrying
  out of any operation.

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Victorian WorkCover Authority

• Inquires and reports to the Minister on matters
  relating to the occupational health and safety.
• Provides advice to and co-operates with
  Government departments, public authorities, trade
  unions, employer organisations, and other
  interested parties in relation to occupational
  health, safety, and welfare.
• Promotes education and training and approves
  courses in occupational health and safety.
• WorkSafe Victoria is VWA's prevention arm,
  striving for significant reductions in workplace
  death, injury and disease
• http//www.workcover.vic.gov.au/vwa/home.nsf/pages
  /worksafe_home

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Duties of employers

• The Act identifies the following key themes
• Protect the health and safety of people at
  workplace and the public
• Involve workplace parties.
• Deal with health and safety issues.

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Employer - Protect the health and safety of
people at workplace and the public

• Provide and maintain for employees a working
  environment that is safe and without risks to
  health.
• NB Includes provision of appropriate training
• Not recklessly endanger a person at the workplace
• Monitor the health of employees, keep records and
  get advice.
• Protect other people from risks arising from the
  employers business.
• Hold licences, registrations or permits as
  required

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Employer Involve workplace parties

• Covers such areas as
• Consultation with employees on health and safety
  issues
• Training for HSRs in OHS
• Access to information for HSRs
• Allow access for person assisting HSR
• Establish health and safety committee on request
• No discrimination against those involved in OHS

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Employer - Deal with health and safety issues.

• Attempt to resolve OHS issues with employees
• Direct that work is to cease.
• Report incidents to WorkSafe as required.
• Comply with PINs issued by HSRs and PINs affirmed
  by inspectors
• Display and bring notices to the attention of
  employees
• Co-operate with WorkSafe inspectors
• Co-operate with authorised representatives

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Duties of employees

• Same key themes
• Take reasonable care for self and others
• Not recklessly endanger a person at a workplace.
• In general co-operate with employer, WorkSafe
  inspectors and other authorised representatives
  with regard to OHS issues.
• Hold necessary licences, permits and
  qualifications.

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Other key responsibilities assigned

• Within the same key themes
• Self-employed persons
• Officers
• Those who manage and control workplaces
• Manufacturers/suppliers of plant and substances
• Designers of plant, buildings or structures
• Installers, erectors or commissioners of plant

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Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs)

• Represent members of their work group
• Monitor the measures taken by the employer to
  comply with OHS laws.
• Inspect and enquire into anything that may pose a
  threat to the health and safety of the employees
  they represent.
• Attempt to resolve OHS issues in the workplace.
• May direct work to cease

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Workplace Inspectors

• Powers and responsibilities include -
• Wide-ranging role with extensive powers
• Powers of entry if an immediate risk is suspected
• Power of seizure of evidence
• Issue notices improvement, prohibition
• Determine unresolved issues
• Provide advice

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Radiofrequency Radiation

• Australian Standard AS 2772.1-1990
• Part 1 Maximum exposure levels - 100 kHz to 300
  GHz
• Part 2 Principles and methods of measurement -
  300 kHz to 100 GHz
• The standard confines its attention to
  frequencies which are usable radiocommunications,
  it does not cover infrared, ultraviolet, or
  visible radiation (light) nor does it take
  account of extra low frequency (ELF), very low
  frequency (VLF) or low frequency (LF)

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Maximum Exposure Levels

• Occupational
• Applies to radiation workers
• Single frequency exposure
• Multiple frequency exposure
• limited period exposure
• Non-occupational
• One-fifth of the levels specified for
  occupational

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Radio Sites

• Working on radio towers
• a team of two
• radiation levels
• safety harness and hat
• climbing the ladder
• Working with radio waveguides
• never look into the end of a waveguide
• Working in mobile radio sites
• consider the number of antennae

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Practical model for OHS

• Fulltime OHS officer
• Safety committee for each production department
• Designated safety person in each department
• Regular meetings with minutes and actions
• Statistics monitored and acted on
• High level of attention from management (all
  levels)
• OHS a major aspect of contracts and tenders

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Examples of injuries, causes, impacts

• Muscular strains including RSI
• Injuries caused by unsafe or misused machinery
• Injuries caused by poor material handling systems
• Accidents caused by bad housekeeping
• Pain and discomfort
• Production delays
• Additional costs/premiums

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Thanks for your attention and work safely