There are always conversations regarding safety in the workplace and making sure we stay safe at work so we can go home to our family and friends. But do we put as much thought into safety at home, especially for our young people. The residential home is second only to the road as the location of most accidental deaths in Australia (Allianz) Children under five years old are at greater risk of injury. Young children are often unable to assess risks for themselves, relying heavily on the people around them to help keep them safe. When you think about it,…

I don’t know if you have noticed in the news, but there seems to be a lot of large fines for workplace breeches lately? We constantly see on LinedIn, media releases or on the news mediums (social and business) articles about organisations or individuals receiving massive fines for a safety breech. Back in 2018 the WA government passed legislation to increase workplace safety and health offence penalties under the then current Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (OSH Act) and the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 (MSI Act). The current Work, Health and Safety legislation (WHS) Act 2020 and…

With the update to Work, Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations 2022 there have been significant changes to many regulations. One significant change many may not be aware of, is the requirement surrounding management of the risk of falls in the workplace. The WHS regulation states:   WHS Regulations 2022 Part 4.4, Regulation 78 Management of risk of fall;   “(1) A person conducting a business or undertaking at a workplace must manage, in accordance with Part 3.1, risks to health and safety associated with a fall by a person from one level to another that is reasonably likely to cause injury to…

Reducing the Consequence of a Risk Over the many years SOS has been in operation and auditing we have reviewed many risk assessments, SWMS, JHA’s/JSA’s etc. This was either for a direct client or client’s contractors (including sub-contractors). One item that seems to pop up on a regular basis when a person/people are conducting and writing up the assessment is that they have reduced the severity of the consequences of a hazard i.e. Major – minor. However, further analysis of these assessments indicate many reduced consequences are based on either administrative controls or PPE controls (This can lead to unwanted…

With the update to Western Australia’s Safety legislation, Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act 2020, 31st March 2022, there have been significant changes. From our experience during site visits, many do not appear to be aware of the changes, in particular, the following. The current WA WHS Act (2020), Part 3 – Incident Notification now identifies a Dangerous Incident (Section 37) states; dangerous incident means an incident in relation to a workplace that exposes a worker or any other person to a serious risk to a person’s health or safety emanating from an immediate or imminent exposure to — (a)…

As you may be aware Western Australia has joined the majority of other states and territories with alignment with the Work, Health and Safety (WHS) legislation. The WA WHS legislation came into effect on March 31st 2022, which replaces the…

Do you plan (prepare) for all outcomes?   ‘I didn’t budget for that’   A line that we have heard used many times over the course of our business in the construction/manufacturing industry. It is usually stated after;   An incident had occurred Identified from an Audit or inspection   Extra scope had been identified after the contract had started (not during the tender phase),  Information in the contract specification had not been identified and accounted for earlier etc.   More time is required for paperwork then first though.  Quality issues need fixing etc.  Scope has changed and extra resources are required which the organisation does not…

Why Safety in Design is sometimes overlooked?  (The Auditors perspective)  At SOS-Switched Onto safety one of the many activities we conduct are in-depth audits and/or inspections on a multitude of projects and industries. These audit/inspections assist our clients and their contractors comply with contract requirements, specifications and legal compliance. During an audit we look at all levels of the documentation trail, products and physical activities (We drill down to identify any gaps in the projects processes to eliminate future issues). We don’t just look at the main contractor (or their sub-contractors) we sometimes look to see that all relevant information has been conveyed/communicated to all stakeholders to the project.  Throughout all the years of SOS conducting these audits (25+ years) there…

Chemical management ‘It’s not rocket science’ but people still don’t get it! Stuart J. Platt Back in 2016 (July) we thought we would identify some of the “Common Chemical Management Non-Conformance’s we regularly see” while out and about conducting our audits and inspections for various clients and organisations. http://switchedontosafety.com/common-chemical-management-non-conformances-we-regularly-see/ Back then we had identified on a regular basis regarding hazardous substance management: Safety Data Sheets (SDS) were either not available or out of date. Hazardous substances risk assessments not conducted or documented A lack of spill response preparedness or old/worn spill response equipment. Lots of Incompatibility issues i.e.  Class 2…

Why it makes sense to invest in an AED for your Business, organisation or home! Have you ever taken the time to think how much a life is worth? What if someone you knew (work colleague or family member?) had a heart attack in front of you, could you assist? Do you have the right equipment on hand if they did?  Cardio vascular disease Cardio vascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide as of 2017 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). In Australia the prevalence of heart disease is approximately one in twenty (4.8% or…