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Safety and Health Newsletter - October 2005
UWA Safety Awards 2005The UWA Safety Awards 2005 were presented on Wednesday 12 October. The awards recognise initiatives, successful implementation of processes and outstanding service for safety by groups and individuals. Award categories include: Group (Faculty, School, Section), Individual and Group Rehabilitation. The Group Award was made to the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, the Individual Award was made to Dr Suzanna Lindsey-Temple (Safety and Health Representative and Research Fellow, RPH Unit, School of Medicine and Pharmacology) and the Group Rehabilitation Award was made to the Facilities Management Workshops. All awardees receive a framed certificate and gift voucher sponsored by the University Co-operative Bookshop.For further information on the awards see: http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/whats_new (October 2005) *** Visits by WorkSafe WA Inpectors – Tuesday 1 November 2005 ***WorkSafe WA has initiated a program to routinely inspect educational institutions. Two WorkSafe WA Inspectors will be on the UWA Crawley campus all day on Tuesday 1 November 2005. The main focus of the visit will be to inspect chemical and biological laboratories but it is also likely that aspects of the following will be considered: design of facilities, equipment, maintenance, housekeeping, manual handling, ergonomics, work stations, safe work procedures and emergency procedures. Similar visits have been made to other WA Universities and improvement and prohibition notices have been issued. The locations visited will be decided by the WorkSafe Inspectors on the day. Attempts will be made to contact local management, safety and health representatives and safety officers at the time of the visit but the Inspectors determine which areas they wish to visit and it may not be possible to give detailed prior notice. Bullying in the WorkplaceWorkSafe WA has released a new draft code of practice "Violence, Aggression and Bullying in the Workplace, Prevention and Management" see http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/pagebin/wswanews0072.htm Safety and Health will be calling a special meeting towards the end of November for Safety and Health Representatives and School Safety Officers to consult on and discuss University protocols for promoting education on bullying and how to deal with bullying concerns and complaints. Currently the University has protocols which can be found in "Guidelines for Conduct in the Workplace" see http://www.hr.uwa.edu.au/policy/toc/performance_management_of_staff/conduct_workplace Further information is provided on Equity and Diversity's website, see http://www.equity.uwa.edu.au/welcome/priority_areas/workplace_bullying . University Safety CommitteeThe USC last met on Tuesday 11 October 2005. Approved minutes from previous meetings are available from the Safety and Health website. Safety Related TrainingA talk from WA Police (Emergency Operations Unit) on ‘Suspicious mail - what to look for, what to do and what not to do’ will be held from 1 pm to 1:45 pm on Monday 21 November in CMS Seminar Room G35 (in the new Biochemical Sciences building). This session is aimed at staff receiving and opening mail. The PowerPoint presentation used by Greg Cawthray in the previous safety talk on Fieldwork, which was held on 24 October, is now available at ‘what’s new’ at: http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/whats_new (October 2005) ChemAlert TrainingLast chance for free training! ChemAlert Administrator and user courses will be conducted in December. In 2006 attendance at these courses will incur a charge. There are three training courses available:
For bookings, contact Eliza Bovell on 6488 7932 (Tues – Thurs) or complete the appropriate on line form at:http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/courses ErgonomicsA good website can be found at www.safecomputingtips.com It provides a lot of information on common ergonomic problems including the use of laptops, and computer set up and information on common occupational overuse type injuries. Many staff and students are still using laptops directly on their desks, this is in breach of University policy, which stipulates that when laptops are used for prolonged periods of time, the laptop should be raised and an external keyboard and external mouse should be used see http://www.safety.uwa.edu.au/policies/computer_laptops RAC Community Safety Month - OctoberRAC Community Safety Month aims to raise community awareness of safety and the prevention of injuries, violence and crime through the showcasing of Government and community safety programs, events and activities. It focuses on five themes: Crime Prevention, Road Safety, Emergency Services, Injury Prevention and Work Safety. A dedicated website contains a wealth of information on the many events and activities being organised to celebrate the month and all the latest news: http://www.communitysafetymonth.wa.gov.au/
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