Jim's Test & Tag
Bella Vista
May 2013 Newsletter
Shorten urges safety awareness at work
Mr Shorten was speaking after unveiling the National Workers Memorial at Kings Park on the shores of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin for the inaugural International Workers Memorial Day.
He told the gathering of family, friends and workmates of people who have been killed at their workplace that most deaths and serious injuries are predictable safety failures.
"It's not a systems failure or risk assessment failure, or hazard identification failure and all those other handsome words without tears," he said.
"It is the failure that springs as a ready-made monster from the knowing tolerance of small daily hazards at the daily tasks.
"It's the small daily hazards, which left unchecked, gang up on a worker and kill them."
He said employers and workers have a duty to ensure that when somebody leaves their family for the start of each working day, they can expect to return home safely.
Around 300 people die in Australia each year through workplace injuries with another 2000 condemned to die from industrial diseases caused by exposure.
Mr Shorten said the Gillard government would continue to work with the states and territories to harmonise work health and safety laws.
NEW SERVICES
We can help minimize your costs by managing these services for you in addition to Electrical Safety Testing. Our rates are very competitive and we provide great package deals for existing clients. Ring me today for a free no obligation quote.
JIM’S TEST & TAG SAFELY TRAVEL THE YELLOW TICK ROAD
Neil Welsh, Divisional Franchisor, said the ‘Yellow Tick’ or certification to OHSAS 18001 and AS/NZS 4801 was significant.
“It clearly demonstrates a commitment to safety and implementing systems that ensure the safety of our work sites, our franchisees and our customers.”
Neil said the long road to receiving this certification included a full review and the development of safe work practices through documenting policies and procedures.
“We then needed to ensure that any training and or ongoing training reflected the obligations of this program and we have an ongoing requirement to measure the compliance of these. Once a year we also need to participate in an external audit.”
Neil said whilst the accreditation process saw an increased level of administration, training and implementation of policies and procedures, the benefits were obvious.
“Basically it means that our franchisees are working in a safe environment and have a greater chance of returning home safely to their loved ones.”
“Also, our customers can relax with the expectation that Jim’s Test & Tag will work to a safe, structured, standard and reduce the client’s exposure in terms of liability to personal injuries, he said.
“Many of our larger customers have an expectation that their service providers have external certification to OH&S; this is reflected in their evaluation criteria. The dual OH&S certification recently obtained by JT&T identifies that we operate within the guidelines of the subject standards and physically measure the compliance of our franchisee group to ensure that this is actually taking place.
NSW WORKCOVER SMALL BUSINESS REBATE PROGRAM
The small business rebate gives money back to small business owners who adopt a solution to a safety problem in their workplace. Investing in safety solutions helps you:
• prevent accidents, illnesses and costs to your business
• build safety skills for you and your staff
• access free safety advice
• demonstrate to your community that you are serious about workplace health
Effective 1 March 2012, you can receive a rebate on a full cost basis up to a maximum $500 towards the cost of purchasing and installing eligible safety equipment that ad-dresses:
• manual handling • chemicals and dangerous goods
• slips, trips and falls • hazardous noise
• injuries from moving objects.
A number of the NSW Franchisee’s have taken part in stage 1 of this program and have been able to successfully claim up to $500 on such items as ladders, safety equipment, ergonomic office chairs and desks.
Unfortunately at this time it is only open to NSW business owners however I have been told that other jurisdictions are in the process of adopting the same/similar re-bate program.
If you require more info or if you are a NSW Business owner more info can be located from the Work cover NSW Website www.workcover.nsw.gov.au and look for the small business rebate program icon.
Other states it may pay you to keep an eye on your own states safety regulators web-site for such programs.
POWER BOARD SAFETY
Problems with power boards can arise from:
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Overloading the power board.
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Dust build up in unused points.
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Power leads becoming dislodged over time, particularly under a desk where they are knocked by feet.
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Poor placement of power cables and extension chords leading to the power board.
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Inadequate ventilation of the power board preventing “normal” dissipation of heat generation.
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Limited or no understanding of the amount of power being drawn by different appliances.
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Heavy plug-in transformers that will "over balance" and partially unplug, resulting in over heating from poor connections.
TIPS
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The fire services recommend only using power boards with built in safety switches/circuit breakers.
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Remember do not overload the power board.
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Place power boards on their sides to prevent dust build up in unused points.
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Regularly check that all plugs are firmly fixed in power boards.
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Ensure adequate ventilation is provided for power boards.
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Regularly inspect power boards and leads for signs of damage and degradation.
Shocking Photos
Restroom
Handryer in restroom was plugged into this.
Commercial Kitchen
This cord belongs to a major appliance in a commercial kitchen. When I pulled it out to inspect it I found the insulation had been ripped open exposing the live wires.
Kiosk Shopping Centre
This 15amp plug had been fitted incorrectly and was clearly burning on the active wire. Potential fire here.
Jim's Test & Tag
Email: alan.hansen@jimstesdtandtag.com.au
Website: http://www.jimstestandtag.com.au/lp/new-south-wales/jims-test-tag-services-bella-vista-nsw-au.html
Phone: 0412 129 904