Apr 23rd 2021 |
Friday 23rd April 2021
Workplace Safety News Roundup: Friday 23rd April 2021
This roundup for Friday 23rd April 2021 covers two significant workplace safety enforcement actions from Australian regulators. Parks Victoria faced a substantial fine for failing to manage risks at a nature reserve, while SafeWork SA's audit campaign uncovered widespread non-compliance on residential construction sites.
Parks Victoria Fined $100,000 Over Serious Injuries
On Monday, Parks Victoria was issued a $100,000 fine after two men were seriously injured riding motorbikes within a nature reserve.
The incident occurred within Narrawong Flora Reserve in November 2018. Both men were riding at estimated speeds between 70 and 80km/h when they struck two cable barriers.
- One man sustained fractured vertebrae, a fractured pelvis and internal injuries.
- The other broke his collarbone and arm, fractured his wrist and tore cartilage in his ribs.
Cable barriers suspended across the track define seasonal road closures between the Queen's birthday and Melbourne Cup weekends. Despite publishing reopening dates for the roads, Parks Victoria had not removed the barriers due to a lack of staff. Courts were also informed no inspection regimes existed for the barriers.
"It's up to all duty holders to ensure that members of the public and other persons are not exposed to health and safety risks on sites they manage and control," said Julie Nielsen, WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety.
View the complete article on the WorkSafe VIC website.
SafeWork SA Audit Campaign Identifies Critical Areas of Concern
SafeWork SA's audit campaign on residential construction sites kicked off six weeks before this 23rd April update, with falls management as the primary focus. Key trends have already emerged across the board.
Since commencing on 1 March 2021, inspectors have identified 46 breaches, issued 22 prohibition notices and 19 improvement notices associated with managing fall risks.
Common themes identified so far include:
- Non-compliant scaffolding
- Unsafe use of ladders
- Poor contractor management
- Working on the live edge of a roof without controls
- Open voids
"While it may seem like a house roof is not very high, statistics show that 90% of serious injuries in 2020 were sustained from falls below 3 metres," said SafeWork SA Executive Director Martyn Campbell.
Campbell also stated, "Builders need to understand they have the same duty of care for contractors as their own direct workers and cannot pass the risk down to contractors".
Read the original article on the SafeWork SA website.
More Safety News Updates
For further coverage beyond this 23rd April 2021 edition, browse our related safety news roundups:
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