Friday 30th April 2021

Elevating Work Platform Safety Standards Raised

New industry standards for elevating work platforms (EWP) have been set by WorkSafe, providing practical safety advice to employers and operators to prevent further deaths and serious injuries.

The new standard has been developed in consultation with Foundation for Safety Victoria. It covers EWP training and licensing requirements, ensuring equipment is maintained properly and inspected before use, plus who bears responsibility for the health and safety of workers on site. This guide addresses the most critical safety issues surrounding EWP use, including the different types of EWP available and choosing the most suitable option for the job being undertaken.

Over the past ten years, ten workers have died in EWP incidents, three within the last two years, making these platforms one of the deadliest hazards in Victorian workplaces.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Julie Nielsen said, "EWPs are commonly used equipment for working from height; however, they carry unique risks with serious consequences when something goes wrong."

"Every employer should take time to understand the new standard, check their systems of work, ensure they are selecting the right equipment and doing everything possible to operate safely."

The full article can be found on the WorkSafe Victoria website.

Transport Company Fined $5000 for Unreported Workplace Injury

Summary: A Toowoomba transport business pleaded guilty to failing to report a notifiable incident under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, resulting in a $5000 fine after a worker suffered a fractured skull.

A small transport business has pleaded guilty in Toowoomba's Magistrate court to failing in its duty to report a notifiable incident, breaching the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

On 8 March 2018, two employees of the company, which specialised in livestock transportation, were moving a broken-down truck on the tray of a tilt truck to be repaired at a site in Wacol. One of the employees was hospitalised after falling from the tray of the stationary tilt truck. He hit his head and spent seven days as an inpatient receiving treatment for a fractured skull.

Although the company knew of the accident on the day it happened, the incident didn't come to the regulator's attention until the injured worker contacted Workplace Health and Safety Queensland on 18 June 2019.

Magistrate Kay Ryan took into account the company's early guilty plea and the fact that the injured worker was back working, albeit in a limited capacity, but noted that ignorance of the law was not an excuse.

The company was fined $5000 and ordered costs of $1100, with no conviction recorded.

The full article can be found on the WorkSafe Qld website.

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This weekly safety roundup for Friday 30th April 2021 highlights two important workplace safety matters from April 2021 affecting Australian industry. For further reading on recent workplace safety developments, check out our coverage from Friday 23rd April 2021, Friday 16th April 2021, and Friday 9th April 2021 for more workplace safety news and regulatory updates.