Safety and Health Newsletter – March 2009 Safety and Health Representatives
The annual call for nominations for Safety and Health Representatives (SHR) in work areas whose SHR's two year term expires or who do not currently have a SHR was recently made with nominations closing on 24th March 2009. The 9 nominations received (8 for the first time, 1 person renominating) were from: Janet Edwards (Education), Peter Franklin (Population Health, Clifton Street), Wally Gibb (Animal Biology), Cheryl Johansen (BBCS Microbiology), Matthew Kenrick (BBCS Physiology), Quang Ly (Office of Development, Registrars), Margaret Mathews (Population Health, Williams Road), Anne Perryer (Library) and Debbie Taylor (Clinical Training and Education Centre). New SHRs are required to submit a Form 3 to WorkSafe WA and also complete a SHR Introductory training course within twelve months. Safety Related Training
• Chem Alert User Training Course (2 hours) on Tuesday 28th April
http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/courses/chemalert_general_user_training
For all users of Chem Alert. This session will give basic skills to retrieve chemical MSDS, enter chemicals into stock holdings, print labels and complete risk assessments University Safety Committee Annual Report 2008
The University Safety Committee Annual Report 2008 is now available at: http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/people/committees/safety
The report provides information on:
• Incidents and injuries – types, trends, costs, current and proposed reduction strategies
• Employee assistance program – external and internal providers, usage
• New and revised policies, procedures and guidelines – for implementation (as appropriate)
• Safety and health related awareness raising and training provided
• University Safety Committee related business – items referred and actions taken
• Safety Awards – acknowledging contributions made to OSH and appreciation for contributions towards making the University a safer place, or in providing assistance to other staff in need UWA Home Based Work Policy - Revised
The revised UWA Home Based Work policy and protocols are available at:
http://www.universitypolicies.uwa.edu.au/search?method=document&id=UP07%2F203 UWA Alcohol and Others Drugs Policy – New
A new UWA Alcohol and Other Drugs Policy has been signed off by the University Executive. The policy is in the process of being loaded onto the University Policies website. Work areas will be notified of the new policy in due course.
http://www.universitypolicies.uwa.edu.au/ Global Challenge – form UWA teams
Time is running out to form teams in the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC). This is a cost recovery program which seeks to motivate participants to undertake regular exercise. The event runs from 21/05/09 to 22/09/09 (4 months). Participants are required to regularly log onto the GCC website to record their pedometer readings or km travelled by bicycle, which forms part of their individual and their team's (7 persons) running total. They can also view the running totals of other teams. Based on the distances covered they are introduced to countries and information to make the journey more interesting and enjoyable. The cost per person is $99 for which they receive a backpack with pedometer, other items and information booklets (with exercise, nutrition and stress management tips). Safety and Health and UWA Sports and Recreation are collaborating in promoting this to UWA staff in 2009. http://gettheworldmoving.com/
http://sport.uwa.edu.au/events/global_corporate_challenge UWA Fit For Study
UWA has a fit for study program which provides a number of resources to assist UWA students in improving their health and wellbeing and performance. For more information see:
http://www.fitforstudy.uwa.edu.au WorkSafe WA – New Website Addresses
WorkSafe WA is now part of the WA Department of Commerce and whilst web links incorporating the previous department name (DOCEP) still work a more direct link to WorkSafe WA resources is via: http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/ WorkSafe WA – Safetyline newsletter
WorkSafe WA has published the April 2009 edition of its newsletter Safetyline for Safety and Health Representatives. It contains articles on:
• Is there an OSH ‘generation gap’?
• Inducting Generation X and Y into the workplace
• Regulation changes testing and tagging
• National review into model OSH laws
• Campaigns and inspections – new and young workers; agriculture; hazardous or combustible dusts, fumes and fibres; boat building and noise
• Plant design regulations open for comment – closing 15 May 2009
• Workers help save heart attack victim’s life
• Warning on stacking practices
http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/PDF/SafetyLine/Safety_and_health_issue_10.pdf Act - Belong- Commit- new website address
Act-Belong-Commit is a community-based health promotion campaign that encourages people to take action to improve their mental health and wellbeing. This evidence-based campaign was developed primarily from research undertaken by Curtin University into people’s perceptions of mental health and the behaviours they believed protected and promoted good mental health. The campaign is directed by Mentally Healthy WA at Curtin University, and implemented through health services, local governments, women’s health services and not-for-profit groups. As the brand name suggests, people can build positive mental health by keeping physically, mentally and socially active (Act); by keeping involved in family and community activities and participating in community events (Belong); and by taking on challenges or causes that provide meaning and purpose in their lives (Commit). There is substantial evidence that these three domains represent increasing levels of contribution to positive mental health (and in fact, to physical health). There new web address is: http://www.actbelongcommit.org.au/ US Research Assistant Dies from Laboratory Fire Injuries
A 23 year old Research Assistant working at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) died in hospital on 16/01/09 from second and third degree burns to 43% of her body following a laboratory fire in the UCLA Molecular Sciences Building on 29/12/08. The staff member was working with a solution of t-butyl lithium in pentane which is a highly flammable liquid and spontaneously burns upon exposure to air. She was wearing safety glasses and nitrile gloves but was not wearing a laboratory coat . It is thought that molten residue from the synthetic cardigan she was wearing contributed to the seriousness of the burns she sustained. In additional she ran away from the safety shower and her burning clothes were not extinguished immediately which is also thought to have contributed to the seriousness of her burns. UCLA will be required to demonstrate their laboratory safety management in relation to training, safe techniques, supervision and the wearing of appropriate personal protective equipment.
http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/lab-assistant-dies-of-injuries-78543.aspx New ASCC Report on Work-Related Injury and Illness 2005-06
The Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) has recently released a report on ‘The Cost of Work-related Injury and Illness for Australian Employers, Workers and the Community 2005-06’. This estimated total economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses for the 2005-06 financial year is estimated to be 57.5 billion dollars, representing 5.9 per cent of GDP for the 2005-06 financial year. To access the report see:
http://www.ascc.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/6F97309C-9A36-43DD-975C-B476A1752AB3/0/CostsofWorkRelatedInjuryAndDisease_Mar2009.pdf University Safety Committee
The University Safety Committee last met on 17th February 2009. The next meeting is on Tuesday 21st April 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.
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
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