Australian businesses and workers must keep safety in the front of everyone’s minds WorkCover New South Wales remarked recently, this after research showed that almost four dozen people had received crush injuries while working with moving large machinery or heavy vehicles.
WorkCover analysis shows that in the 12 months from August 2012 to August 2013, there had been 46 incidents where people had received crush injuries while working near or in large machinery or heavy vehicles.
WorkCover NSW General Manager of Work Health and Safety Division John Watson noted these figures show moving heavy machinery or heavy vehicles can be dangerous and can result in serious injury and even death.
“Last year a six-year-old boy was run over when his father was reversing a forklift truck at the rear of the workplace. The boy sustained serious crush injuries to his abdomen and underwent surgery in hospital,” Watson said.
Watson noted in another incident, a farmer fractured her leg and some ribs as a result of being struck by a front end loader’s bucket that became detached while she and her husband were using the machine to hit a post into a post hole.
According to Watson, a motor mechanic, working underneath a prime mover, sustained serious crush injuries to his abdomen when the truck he was working on came loose from its chocks and pinned him down.
In these examples everyone lived, however sadly that’s not always the case.
Importance Noted in Providing Workplace Protection
Watson pointed out that WorkCover staff can assist businesses to prevent workers from being injured while using plant and equipment.
“Almost every workplace has some form of plant or equipment and there are many associated hazards, including entanglement or crushing, cuts or punctures, being struck by moving objects, electrical or explosive hazards, slips, trips and falls, and manual handling,” Watson said.
“NSW businesses must provide information, training and supervision to workers and ensure plant and equipment is without risk to the health and safety of workers by ensuring it is installed correctly, operated by a competent person, not interfered with and that control measures are in place.
“We believe crush injuries and fatalities involving moving large machinery and heavy vehicles can be reduced if attention is paid to the control of the risks associated with working with and on such equipment,” Watson added.
According to Watson, WorkCover recommends businesses follow three simple steps to ensure the safety of workers. These are: look for the things in your workplace that can cause harm; decide how serious the risks are; and eliminate or control those risks by making changes that protect your workers.
While court action is generally only used in the most significant safety breaches, Watson remarked that WorkCover can and does prosecute businesses that fail to adequately protect their workers.
Author Kori Shafer-Stack, Editor, Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is an expert in post-injury response procedures and part of the Amaxx team helping companies reduce their workers compensation costs by 20% to 50%. www.reduceyourworkerscomp.com. Contact: kstack@reduceyourworkerscomp.com.
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