Transport company fined $350,000 after driver's fatal fall

■  Foreword

Today, Solve Safety is analysing and  reviewing this latest reported WorkSafe Victoria’s (workplace safety  regulator) News and Safety Alerts. Solve Safety is not identifying the nature  of the specific problem of any person or organisation in this commentary but  only speculating on what could be happening generally in a situation like  this, as described by the regulators media press release.

■  Introduction

Solve Safety is a Triple ISO Certified  Professional Services organisation (Safety, Quality and  Environmental) that offers specialised support for your  workplace safety compliance by providing occupational health and safety  advice for workplace’s operational task and activities management (workplace  safety compliance made easy) to create the safest and most efficient  environments possible, protecting both lives and livelihoods.

■  Topic Elements

As  a learning from the topic elements, Solve Safety has both analysed the  background and the timeline of both how and why an incident like this could  take place and what judgements or decision reasoning was reached by the  workplace safety regulators’ published conclusions.

Are you inspecting and maintaining your workplace guardrails?

According to WorkSafe’s News and Safety Alerts, falls from height remain a leading cause of death and serious injury in Victorian workplaces. Therefore, fall prevention devices that are in place, such as guardrails, are required to be in good (as designed) working order with a proper inspection and maintenance regimes implemented, with faults repaired (made safe) competently and/or the guardrails replaced in accordance with Australian Standards.

Are you preventing workplace falls from height?

According to this WorkSafe Victoria news and safety alerts, workplace employers (duty holders) should ensure they:

1. Have eliminated the risk where practicable.
2. Use passive fall prevention devices and ensure their regular inspection and maintenance.
3. Use a positioning system ensuring employees work within the safe area.
4. Use a fall arrest system to limit the risk of injuries in the event of a fall
5. Use either fixed or portable ladders or implement administrative controls.

■ Compulsory OHS/WHS Workplace Safety Compliance

Solve Safety focuses on comprehensive workplace Duty Holder OHS/WHS Prosecution Mitigation, by providing guidance on workplace safety compliance measures that reduce both the hazards and risks (harm minimisation). This is achieved by controlling workplace hazards that Duty Holders are required to consider by law when conducting their organisational operational activities and tasks.

■ OHS/WHS Subject Matter Experts

Workplaces can be dangerous places due to many hazards that have the potential to kill, injure or cause ill health or disease, so discover safer workplaces and stress-free assessments by seeking subject matter expert safety advice, prior to any of these serious safety incidents which will impact both a range of internal and external factors. Additionally, this can effect several stakeholders, making it an imperative Duty Holder’s strategy to mitigate the potential likelihood of an occupational health and safety (OHS/WHS) prosecution situation for non-compliant organisational operational activities and tasks.

Free! Initial 7-Point Safety Compliance Assessment

• Do you own, operate, control, manage or supervise a workplace?
•  Do you have your compulsory legal Safe Systems of Work in place?
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■ Multiple Regulator OHS/WHS Prosecution Routes

There are several different legislated Safety Acts and Regulations that OHS/WHS prosecutions by WorkSafe can institute or conduct legal proceedings against duty holders (person or organisation). This occurs when there are cases of an employee, contractor, customer or visitor who has been either injured or killed whilst in the workplace.

■ OHS/WHS Health Safety Management Support Services

With our team of leading safety management consultants based in Melbourne but operating throughout Australia Nationally, we are dedicated to helping organisations to become safe and compliant.

No matter the size of your workplace from small, medium or major or the services you may offer, such as transportation, logistics, postal, warehousing, agricultural, forestry, fishing, construction building trade, manufacturing, mining and quarries, public administration and safety emergency, administration and support, arts, culture and design, retail and wholesale trades, every other workplace and rental, hiring and real-estate, electricity, gas, water and waste water recycling, office works and professional services, health care and hospital, health and community support, education and training, hospitality, automotive, sports and recreation, aged care or disability services, a risk assessment of the workplace that identifies all the hazards is of paramount importance.

■ OHS/WHS Safety Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Our consultants are Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) certified, qualified and experienced to have expert skills and knowledge over every aspect of Workplace Safety for Duty Holder OHS/WHS Prosecution Mitigation. This gives them the abilities to meticulously review and support your safety planning, so it meets the highest safety standards, minimising risks and enhancing productivity.

■ OHS/WHS Safety Certification and Qualifications

The Australian Qualifications Framework specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Governments Department of Industry, with oversight from the States and Territories, through the Standing Council of Tertiary Education Skills and Employment. www.aqf.edu.au

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