The Federal Opposition in the Senate voted against the Greens’ manslaughter motion despite earlier comments from the Leader of the Opposition about industrial manslaughter and the Environment Minister’s role in the now defunct home insulation scheme.

In the House of Representatives on February 11, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said in relation to the home insulation deaths that if Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett ‘was a company director in New South Wales he would be charged with industrial manslaughter. That is the truth’.

Last week in the Senate, Greens Senator Bob Brown moved that ‘with regard to the comments made by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Abbott) on industrial manslaughter, the Senate accepts the need for strong national industrial manslaughter laws.’

Despite the Coalition Leader’s earlier views on industrial manslaughter, Coalition Senators voted against the motion.

Government Senators also voted against the motion.

Only Senator Brown and other Greens Senators, Sally Hanson-Young, Scott Ludlam, Christine Milne, and Rachel Siewert; Family First Senator Steve Fielding; and Independent Senator Nick Xenophon voted for the motion.

The CFMEU was unimpressed with the Opposition and Government’s Senate vote. ‘The tragic reality is that we have witnessed little more than political posturing from both sides of politics,’ said CFMEU Construction National Secretary, Dave Noonan.

‘The Opposition leader has made claims of industrial manslaughter against the Federal Government, yet he is unwilling or uninterested to support national industrial manslaughter laws.’

For more details, visit the Australian Parliament and CFMEU

New safesearch Remuneration Survey results show the average annual remuneration of health, safety and environment general managers has dropped 21 per cent over the past year.

The 21 per cent pay drop for general mangers represents a loss of more than $58,000 of average total actual remuneration (TAR) since the 2008/2009 survey.

The top quartile of general managers was hit the hardest, with TAR falling more than $60,000 over the past year.

Fifty nine companies and 349 individuals participated in the 2009/2010 safesearch Remuneration Survey, which was conducted between February and December 2009.

safesearch said the TAR reductions were ‘reflective of the number of redundancies at the most senior levels of safety structures with the result that there were more candidates on the market’.

Despite decreases in TAR at the top end of the market, small TAR increases were noted for safety offices. However, safesearch attributed this to the influence of unusually high TAR increases in Queensland.

The survey results aren’t available on line.

For more details, visit safesearch

Installer cash bonds and evidence of safety plans, and householder insulation rebates will replace the Federal Government’s troubled and now defunct Home Insulation Program (HIP).

The HIP program was shut down following the deaths of four insulation installers, inadequate installer training, substandard foil insulation installation that electrified roofs and other safety problems.

New insulation installation requirements under the renewable energy bonus (REB) scheme will replace HIP and are expected to come into force on June 1. REB will also replace the Solar Hot Water Rebate Program.

Under REB insulation requirements, installers must reregister, pay a cash bond, show evidence they meet training and skills requirements and provide certified quality assurance and OHS plans. Householders will claim a $1000 rebate through Medicare. Installers won’t be able to claim the rebate.

The Federal Government has also said it would improve OHS compliance in conjunction with State and Territory OHS authorities.

The inspection of homes that have had foil insulation installed will continue. The Home Insulation Program Review Office will be established to handle complaints and an independent reviewer will review HIP’s design, implementation and delivery.

Master Electricians CEO, Malcolm Richards, has urged homeowners with foil insulation in their roofs not to go into their roofs until after they have been inspected.

For more details, visit the Master Electricians and Department of Energy Efficient Homes

Approval of technical amendments to the model OHS Act is expected to be finalised at the end of April, and the construction industry is set to get its own model regulations advisory group.

Technical amendments to the model Work Health and Safety Act that were flagged at the end of last year are underway.
Safe Work Australia Members said the amendments aimed to clarify the model Act’s operation, achieve consistency with the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council (WRMC) determination, ensure provisions operate as intended, and remove overlap, unnecessary prescription and unintended consequences.

Safe Work Australia Members will assess the final amendments prior to their next meeting on April 29.

Despite these amendments to the Act, the development of the draft model OHS regulations is moving forward.

Safe Work Australia Members are asking the Strategic Issues Group on Occupational Health and Safety (SIG-OHS) to consider the creation of a Temporary Advisory Group or similar to address building and construction industry concerns about the model regulations.

An exposure draft of the model regulations will be submitted to Safe Work Australia Members for approval in September 2010.

However, before the draft regulations can be released for public comment they will need the endorsement of the WRMC.

For more details, visit SafeWork Australia

A Senate committee has recommended proposed laws allowing claims for injuries that occur during offsite work breaks and other compensation changes be passed without amendment.

As reported previously, the Occupational Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2009 was referred to a Senate Inquiry during the final session of Federal Parliament for 2009.

The bill amends the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 that applies to Commonwealth workplaces.

Under the bill, Comcare can reinstate claims arising from injuries that have occurred offsite during work breaks; compensate for medical expenses when payment of other compensation is suspended; place time limits on claim determinations; and access consolidated revenue to pay compensation claims for diseases where the person’s employment was pre-December 1, 1988, but the condition manifested after that date.

The committee majority comprising Labor and Green Senators recommended the bill be passed by the Senate without amendments.

However, the Coalition Senators Minority Report recommended the Bill be amended to exclude claims arising from injuries sustained during off-site recess breaks.

For more details, visit the Australian Parliament

A retired manager has received a suspended jail sentence and a Council has been fined following the death of a worker in Ireland.

In May 2006, Thomas O’Grady was operating a site dumper at road works near Tulla, County Clare, when the dumper overturned and O’Grady sustained serious injuries. He later died from his injuries in July 2006.

In response, road works manager, Michael Scully (now retired), and the Clare County Council were recently prosecuted in the Ennis Circuit Criminal Court for breaches of Ireland’s OHS laws.

Scully received a 12-month suspended jail sentence and the Council was fined a total of €50,000.

‘This case highlights the consequences for persons who are responsible for directing workers and do not ensure that health and safety risks are managed,’ said Ireland’s Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), Martin O’Halloran.

‘There are hazards associated with any work but those hazards can be managed by keeping health and safety high on the agenda in the workplace and ensuring that prevention measures are in place.’

For more details, visit the HSA

New research shows men are more likely than women to experience chronic inflammation associated with organisational injustice.

Published recently in the Journal of Occupations and Environmental Medicine (OEM), the research analysed the associations between men and women’s organisational justice perceptions, and circulatory inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6.

The research, “Organisational justice and markers of inflammation: the Whitehall II study”, followed 3205 men and 1204 women aged 35–55 years from 1985 to 2004.

Men were found to have increased CRP and increased IL-6 levels associated with low levels of organisational justice. No relationship was found between organisational justice and CRP or IL-6 in women.

For more details, visit OEM

A gate designer and builder has been prosecuted and fined following the death of a young boy.

In April 2006, nine-year-old Jason Keet died while opening the front gates of a private block of flats in Balcombe Road, Poole, Dorset.

At the time of the incident, Keet had arrived at the gates with his mother to visit his grandparents. ‘He got out of the car, put his arm and upper body around the gate pillar and pressed the button on the inside, meant for use by people leaving the block of flats on foot,’ the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.

‘The gates were built in such a way that there was a gap large enough for him to get between the edge of one of the gates and a brick pillar.

‘Because Jason had reached through to press the button, his head and upper body were in this gap when the gates started to move, the opening narrowed, and his head was crushed between the gate and the brick pillar.’

The gate designer and builder, Faulkner Gates Limited of The Hundred, Romsey, Hampshire, was charged with breaching the UK Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Faulkner Gates was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £40,000.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard Faulkner Gates had designed and built the gates but failed to properly control the risks that were created.

‘Had the company undertaken a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and communicated its findings with the other companies involved in the design and installation of the gates, it is unlikely this tragedy would have happened,’ said HSE Inspector Stephen Hanson-Hall after the hearing.

For more details, visit the HSE

Abseil access anchors on buildings in Wellington, New Zealand, are under investigation following an allegation that one building has unsafe anchors.

Media reports in New Zealand said a property management company had retested anchor points on an apartment block and found all the anchors to be unsafe.

In response to the allegations, the New Zealand Department of Labour has commissioned independent testing.

Department of Labour Regional Manager (Central), Brett Murray, said an independent Chartered Engineer would oversee the physical inspection and testing of anchor bolts for industrial abseiling access on a number of buildings in Wellington.

‘The Department is concerned to ensure the safety of abseil access anchors, and the testing process will provide the necessary information on the extent of any problems to help determine the next steps to be taken to ensure confidence in the safety systems and procedures for certification of them,’ Murray said.

For more details, visit the New Zealand Department of Labour

Queensland

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New South Wales / ACT

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Victoria

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Nominations now open to the 2010 NSCA / GIO National Safety Awards of Excellence

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Major
Sponsor

Changes to the WorkSafe High Risk Work licences

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From July 1 2010, WorkSafe Victoria will adopt the National Standard for licensing Person Performing High Risk Work (National Standard). The National Standard requires the trainees to complete a recognised course of training before being assessed for a high risk licence.

The main affect on all future applicants (which will have a flow on affect to employers) is that they now will be required by law to undertake a specified training program over a specified period of time, by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) prior to undergoing a WorkSafe assessment of their skills and knowledge.

Currently trainees only require an assessment of their skills and knowledge and in some instances this can be achieved in 1 day. As of July 1, 2010 there are regulated requirements for trainees to fulfil a minimum of nominal 40 hours training, prior to assessment. Thus resulting in a possible 1-3 day course becoming anywhere from 3-10 days, depending on the structure of the training and the type of high risk work licence being assessed. The longer the course, the longer the applicant will be away from your business and the more it will cost. This will have a significant impact on both productivity and expenses to your business.

As of July 1, 2010 Registered Training Organisations will take over all WorkSafe High Risk Work Licences. This means that some current providers of High Risk Work licences will not be able to conduct High Risk Work Assessments unless they are an RTO from this date.

To find out more, go to WorkSAFE Victoria

Total Plant Management 2010

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Event Date: 11-12 March
Location: A Five Star Venue to be announced shortly in Melbourne, Australia

Plant performance is a dichotomy. Improvement of total plant performance is both simple and complex. Understanding what should be done is relatively simple, but implementing changes that will achieve and sustain optimum performance is extremely difficult. - R. Keith Mobley, Author of Total Plant Performance Management.

Total Plant Management 2010 forum addresses the top pressing issues faced by operators, manufacturers and producers on asset, people and compliance management to enhance plant availability, reliability and effectiveness.

This highly focused dual-track event will bring on the multi-industrial best practices of how integration, innovation, control and collaboration could tackle the complex, global, decentralised and outsourced operations

This comprehensive event covers 3 major tracks: Asset, People and Compliance Management for plant reliability and effectiveness. Follow your own agenda with a choice of 2 streams during breakout sessions:

Plenary: Keynotes and Compliance Management
Stream One: Critical Asset Management
Stream Two: Effective Resources Management

Key topics

• Transforming your site into a world-class operation to achieve total plant efficiency
• Upscaling your total plant performance against competitions
• Strategically reassessing operational gaps to optimise cost savings and tailor near-term business plans and long-term viability
• Increasing operating efficiencies by turning operational processes into strong organisational framework and strategy
• Aligning people, safety and sustainable performance to drive the overall business objectives
  
  Click here for more information.

* All NSCA members are entitled to a discount of 10% when registering with Ms. Esther. Please contact Ms. Esther for details and quote EN-NSCA during registration

Rail Safety 2010

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Event Date: Wednesday 10th & Thursday 11th March 2010
Location: Langham Hotel Melbourne, Southbank, Melbourne

Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, the annual Rail Safety summit is an eagerly awaited highlight on the rail industry calendar.

This gathering brings together the regulators, investigators, rail operators, academics and risk & safety professionals to showcase the latest industry developments in rail safety. The 10th annual Rail Safety event will represent the culmination of 10 years of discussions and debates on this critical issue. One decade of the rail industry, gathering to make a commitment to take action, on the number one priority for rail. The agenda will build on the past and once again present the opportunity to share in best practice strategies to move towards creating a safer and more secure rail network.

For more information, click here.

NSCA Career Information Night

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Date: 22 March 2010
Location: VECCI, Industry House, 486 Albert Street, East Melbourne
Time: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Details: Learn more about the Certificate IV in OHS, Diploma of OHS and Diploma of Environmental Sustainability with the NSCA

Want your career to be on the safe side?

Come along to the National Safety Council of Australia’s information night to learn more about how Australia’s leading provider of OHS training services can equip you with the latest professional qualifications to boost your safety and environmental career.

To find out more call 1800 655 510 or email melbourne@nsca.org.au