пятница, 16 января 2015 г.

Австралия (охрана труда) Работы на высоте (необходимо рассматривать вопрос - можно ли соответствующую работу выполнить не на высоте)


Health & Safety Bulletin
Home | About UsTwitter LinkedIn


Слова и выражения, встречающиеся в тексте: 
storage racks - стеллажи
a ladder or step-ladder - лестница или стремянка
elevated - высокий
a forklift - погрузчик
a cage - кабина
an unprotected roof edge - незащищенный желоб на крыше
fragile roof sheeting - хрупкие листы крыши 
an open excavation - открытая выемка
a pit, hole or trench - яма, дыра или траншеи
slope - наклон
uneven, slippery or narrow - неравномерный, скользкий или узкий
a scaffold - леса



Are your workers at risk of falling? 9 tasks 

that carry a fall risk

Tuesday, 13th January, 2015, by Alanna Furlan

In today's Health & Safety Bulletin:
  • 9 tasks that carry a risk of falling
  • 8 questions to consider when assessing a fall risk
Dear Reader,
Before we get started on today’s bulletin, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Alanna and I’ll be taking over from Joanna as the editor of the Health & Safety Bulletin. I’ll continue to keep you informed and up-to-date with news, tips and advice provided twice a week to help you manage health and safety in your workplace.

Now onto today’s bulletin…

Fall risks are common in many occupations and some workers, particularly those involved in construction, maintenance or logisticsface a fall risk on a daily basis.
However, even if your workers are rarely at risk of falling, you need to take appropriate steps to ensure that your workers stay safe when performing any type of work that carries a fall risk.

9 tasks that carry a risk of falling
Fall risks are not just relevant to particular industries. In fact, any of the following tasks could present a fall risk to your workers:
  • climbing on top of trucks, loads or storage racks;
  • using a ladder or step-ladder, e.g. to reach a light globe in the office;
  • accessing elevated storage areas;
  • being raised on a forklift or crane without a compliant work cage;
  • working from an unprotected roof edge, on fragile roof sheeting or near skylights;
  • working close to an open excavation, e.g. a pit, hole or trench;
  • working near an unprotected slope greater than 45 degrees;
  • climbing on top of plant or machinery; or
  • changing outdoor display signs.
If you would like more information about how to protect your workers from a fall risk, you can refer to W2 Working at Heights in the Health & Safety Handbook. If you are not yet a subscriber, but would like to know more, click here.

Below, Michael Selinger, editor-in-chief of the Health & Safety Handbook, will outline some ways you can assess the risks of a fall for your workers.
Take care,

Alanna Furlan
Editor
Health & Safety Bulletin
.................................................Advertisement.................................................
How do the ongoing changes to workplace laws
affect your legal obligations?
Click here to discover an easy way to ensure that you and your business are always up to speed with employment laws
...........................................................................................................................

How to assess a fall risk — 8 questions to 

consider

By Michael Selinger
Editor-in-Chief, Health & Safety Handbook

A fall from a height is one of the most life-threatening hazards that workers can face, and one which many workers face on a daily basis. The question is, what steps is your business taking to eliminate those risks?

Most of you will recall a few years ago when Molly Meldrum fell off a ladder at his house and ended up in an induced coma fighting for his life. The wide publicity this incident received highlights the ease with which a fall can change someone’s life in a few seconds, as well as how easily these risks can be avoided.

In some businesses a risk of a fall from a height is a regular hazard which must always be controlled. However, for those businesses which encounter the risk only in rare cases, the risk can be greater due to a lack of formal systems in place to manage the risks of falling. The worker who faces a fall risk may also be inexperienced in working at heights, thereby increasing their risk.

8 questions to consider when assessing a fall risk

If you are aware of any occasions where your workers may be exposed to a risk of a fall, you should assess the gravity of that risk and put appropriate controls in place. Some questions to consider in relation to the risk assessment you should perform include:
  • Where will the work be taking place?
  • What is the work surface, e.g. tiles, metal, etc?
  • Is the surface uneven, slippery or narrow?
  • Is there a slope and are the edges unprotected?
  • What safe work practices are in place?
  • Who will be performing the work? Are they experienced?
  • Have workers been adequately trained?  
  • Will the work be conducted outside in poor weather conditions?
Where possible, you should consider whether the task that carries a fall risk can be done, either wholly or partly, from the ground.

If not, the next best thing is to implement a solid working platform such as a scaffold. An elevated working platform or scissor lift could also be considered, although they are generally not as secure as scaffolding.

It is also important to consider the duration of the work. In some cases a fall arrest system, such as a harness, will be needed. However, they should complement – not replace – more permanent systems such as scaffolding. A ladder, while effective for many short jobs, has a number of serious limitations, especially if you expect the person may be performing work on the ladder with heavy equipment that may be awkward to hold.

Warm regards,
a
Michael Selinger 
Editor-in-Chief
Health & Safety Handbook


Like the Health & Safety Bulletin? Check out our other free bulletins:
Workplace BulletinWorkplace BulletinGet the very latest employment law tips, ideas, news and practical advice sent straight to your inbox. Click here to sign up now.
Self-Managed Super Fund
Self-Managed Super Fund Bulletin
Receive all the information, ideas and tips you need to manage your own super fund. Click here to sign up now.


Please whitelist the Health & Safety Bulletin to make sure you get every edition delivered to your inbox.
The information in this email is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this email by anyone else is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please return the message to the sender and delete it from your records. All content is © 2007-2015 Portner Press Pty Ltd All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: We research our recommendations and articles thoroughly, but disclaim all liability for any inaccuracies or omissions found in our publications. Click here to view our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
Queries: For general enquiries, email cs@portnerpress.com.au or call 1300 782 911.
Health & Safety Helpdesk: Paid subscribers to the Health & Safety Handbook can ask our experts for advice.
Syndication: To republish an Health & Safety Bulletin article, please email cs@portnerpress.com.au for information.
Health & Safety Bulletin ISSN 1837-6533
Portner Press Pty Ltd
96-98 Bridport Street
Albert Park VIC 3206
Australia