Safety and Health Newsletter - January 2006

Laboratory Safety Targeted by WorkSafe Inspectors

Thirteen (13) Improvement Notices were served by WorkSafe from visits to UWA work areas at Crawley campus and QEII Medical Centre during November 2005. A summary of the issues follows :

1. Chemical Safety (6 cases) :

1. Inadequate labeling of chemicals (4) and toxic wastes - not in accordance with the National Code of Practice for labeling (NOHSC 2012 - 1994).
2. Incompatible storage of chemicals - flammables and corrosives in the same storage cabinet. 
3. Lack of awareness of chemical hazards (of ether), particularly in relation to the increased fire/explosion risk with prolonged storage.

2. Manual Handling (3 cases) – risks of injury / harm

1. Heavy containers stored on high shelves (2)  
2. Lack of safe means of access to high shelves

3. Electrical Safety (2 cases). Both cases relate to “piggy-backing” of power boards and increased risks of electric shocks and fire. 
4. Ergonomics - a poorly set up microtome work area posed a risk of injury or harm due to space constraints and lack of accessibility.
5. Lab Safety (Poor Housekeeping) - evidence of food and drink preparation and consumption in laboratories, posing the risk of contamination.

Respective Schools where the notices were served are progressively remedying the issues and Safety & Health, along with the University Safety Committee, will determine other follow-up actions at a systems level, as required. 

It is timely for all areas to take heed of the above findings and review their respective systems for compliance, mindful of the fact that these constitute breaches of OSH legislation.

Hazard Alerts - Bathroom Etiquette

Slip hazards in bathrooms due to splashes of water can occur near wash basins, as people wash their hands, then walk to the towel dispensers or hand dryer. If this is a problem in your area, please alert staff to be aware of the hazard and take responsibility for wiping up spills. For soap dispensers that may leak onto the floor, causing another slip hazard, notify FM Jobs. For further information see : 
http://www.fm.uwa.edu.au/for/uwa_staff/maintenancechargeable_job_requests2

Safety Related Training

WA Police (Emergency Operations Unit) presented a talk on ‘Suspicious Mail - What to Look For, What to Do and What Not to Do’ on Monday 21 November 05. Over 100 people attended, including staff from Archives & Records, Security & Parking, the Mail Room, etc. The presentation is available for download here.

Staff Changes at Safety and Health

Welcome to:

* Kath Jones (6488 4683), Occupational Therapist (0.5FTE). Kath works Monday, Thursdays, and every second Wednesday, on ergonomic assessments

* Amanda Edmonston-Fearn (6488 2783), Insurance Administrative Assistant (1.0FTE) for 2006 while Liza Tunnell is on maternity. Amanda is primarily responsible for processing of insurance and workers compensation claims.

* Peter Gibbons (6488 7933), Radiation and Safety Advisor (1.0FTE), replacing Eliza Bovell who has left UWA employment to complete her PhD. Peter organises the ChemAlert training as well as assisting with the radiation and chemical safety programmes.

New Additions:

Liza Tunnell gave birth to daughter Jessica Louise (7 pounds 12 ounces) on 25th January 2006. Mother and daughter are doing well.

Other Staff

Mike Rafferty, Manager

Belinda Ireland-Johnston, Administrative Assistant

Grant Wallace, Insurance and Risk Manager

Jeff Davis, Chemical and Safety Officer

Brendan Dragon, Safety Advisor

Jonathon Thwaites, Radiationa and Safety Advisor

Averil Riley, Senior Occupational Therapist

Stuart Spouse, Risk Management Advisor

Ergonomics at Computer Workstations

A software package for RSI prevention ‘WorkPace’ is available for a 30-day free trial from www.workpace.com. It allows the user to customise micropauses, breaks from work and monitor hours spent keying, according to their specific needs. Compared to other similar software, WorkPace continuously monitors what is happening for the user e.g. a non-programmed break from keying (such as getting up from the desk) will be recognised. Please feel free to pass this information onto other staff. Averil Riley (Senior OT) at Safety & Health (x2784 or email ariley@admin.uwa.edu.au) is interested in feedback and whether there is sufficient interest to negotiate a licensing agreement.

Workers’ Compensation Changes

The majority of provisions in WA's Workers' Compensation Reform Act 2004 took effect from Monday, 14 November 2005. The changes include further increases in statutory benefits, a new dispute resolution system, a revised injury management framework and caps on common law claims. For further information see :  http://wwwapps.workcover.wa.gov.au/workerscompchanges/

Safety Related Training

• Unsealed Radioisotope Handling Courses commencing 13th February and 20th February (the second course is for honours students only) http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/courses/radioisotope
• Laboratory Safety Course (1 day) on Wednesday 22nd February http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/courses/lab
• OSH for Managers and Supervisors scheduled for Wednesday 22nd March http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/courses/Safety_and_Health_for_Managers_and_Supervisors
• Warden Training for Monday 3rd April 2006 http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/courses/warden
• Warden Referesher for Monday 3rd April 2006 http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/courses/warden_refresher

WorkSafe WA

SafetyLine magazine

The December 2005 SafetyLine magazine is now available and includes: New MetroRail City Project, ASCC changes standard and code, Cooling tower maintenance under the spotlight, Work Safe Forum 2005, Injuries on the rise despite warnings, National campaign for farm machinery, Construction industry safety training available, Commission publications, What's new online, WorkSafe Plan winners. http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/pagebin/wswaslmg0381.htm

SafetyLine Institute

The SafetyLine Institute web pages are being redeveloped as part of the improvement's to WorkSafe's website. The SafetyLine web site is freely available to individual's interested in self-learning and who may later want to seek skills recognition from a participating provider. Key units in the new national qualifications of Certificate IV in Occupational Health and Safety and the Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety include: risk management; incident investigation and OSH laws. For further information see: http://www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/institute/

The UK Health and Safety Executive have a publication entitled ‘solder fume and you’ which will be of interest to areas in which soldering occurs. The web link is: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg248.pdf

University Safety Meetings

The University Safety Committee next meets on Tuesday 14th February 2006.  Approved minutes from previous meetings are available from the Safety and Health website.

The Safety Personnel group next meets at 1.10 pm on Tuesday 7th February 2006. All welcome

Previous Newsletters

Copies of previous newsletters can be obtained from the following web site: http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/newsletter

The University of Western Australia

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