Safety and Health Newsletter – December 2008
WA Construction Safety Awareness Training – Legislative Requirements
Since 1 January 2007 the WA Occupational Safety and Health Regulations set out mandatory requirements for the provision of safety awareness training (with a blue card issued, valid for three years), for employees or self-employed people doing construction work at a workplace in Western Australia. The training required by the regulations is not designed to take the place of work site or task specific instruction, training or supervision.
There have been recent revised industry guidance notes that relate to new training in safety awareness for the construction industry. Refer:
http://www.docep.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/Content/Industries/Construction/Further_information/Construction_induction_training.html
UWA Contractor Requirements – Site Specific Inductions
From the 1st January 2009 all Contractors, Subcontractors and their employees (apart from delivery drivers, general office and laboratory equipment technicians, contract cleaning and contract security staff) will be required to have completed a UWA Contractor Safety Induction and be in possession of a Contactor Safety Induction card before commencing work on UWA sites. This is an online course for which a card is issued upon successful completion. It should be noted that all construction, refurbishment and maintenance work should be approved by Facilities Management, so that all legislative and UWA Contractor Safety and Health Policy requirements (including Contractor Safety Inductions) are complied with. Refer: http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/policies/contractor For further information on this induction process and on the list of UWA Approved Contractors please contact Mrs Tracy Baker, Manager, Contractor Administration, Building Operations, Facilities Management, Phone: 6488 5588, email tracy.baker@uwa.edu.au Faculties, Schools and Sections are requested to use Facilities Management to undertake all construction, refurbishment and maintenance work so that all legislative and UWA Contractor Safety and Health Policy requirements (including Contractor Safety inductions) are complied with. Where this is not feasible they are required to ensure that all Contractors, Subcontractors and their employees hired have completed the:
• WorkSafe WA construction safety awareness training (blue card)
• UWA Contractor Safety Induction (individual card issued upon completion)
• UWA Contractor Safety and Health Policy requirements (including pre-start checklist)
• Included on the UWA Approved Contractors List (note documentation requirements)
Australian Notified Fatalities Statistical Report
Australian Safety and Compensation Council has recently released the Notified Fatalities Statistical Report July 2007 to June 2008 reveals that there were 150 notified work-related fatalities, comprising 131 workers and 19 bystanders, in the 2007/08 reporting year. The most common causes of fatalities were Vehicle accidents (44 fatalities); Being hit by falling objects (23 fatalities); Being hit by moving objects (21 fatalities); Falls from a height (16 fatalities); and Being trapped by moving machinery (12 fatalities).
http://www.ascc.gov.au/ascc/aboutus/publications/statreports/fatalities-work-relateddeaths.htm
Pandemic Influenza
The Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing has launched a new pandemic influenza portal website at www.flupandemic.gov.au , with information and advice for individuals and households, health care providers, businesses and communities.
In Case of an Emergency (ICE)
A good idea is to store the word " I C E " in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of Emergency". In an emergency situation ambulance, hospital staff or Police will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. For more than one contact name ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.
University Safety Committee
The University Safety Committee last met on 9th December 2008. The next meeting is on Tuesday 10th February 2009. Approved minutes from previous meetings are available from the Safety and Health website. http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/people/committees/safety
Previous Safety & Health Newsletters
For those who have missed out on our earlier editions, copies of previous newsletters can be obtained from the following web site: http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/newsletter. All are encouraged to share relevant safety information in each edition to the rest in your respective workplaces.
We wish you a happy and safe Festive break and all the best in 2009.
The University of Western Australia
Safety and Health
Bus. 08 6488 3938
Fax. 08 6488 1179
Web: www.safety.uwa.edu.au
Email: safety@uwa.edu.au
F1139
| 
