Major Milestone – 2 million visitors

Yesterday we “celebrated” our two millionth visitor. It wasnt as exciting as our first million but nevertheless very satisfying. Thankyou to all those people and we hope you found some useful stuff while you were here

Our most popular posts:

1. Safety Slogans 161,134
2. Safety Photos and Pictures 123,577
3. Free Downloads 118,268
4. Risk Assessment Templates 117,213
5. WORK METHOD STATEMENTS 45,509
6. Hindi Safety Slogans 28,045
7. Famous Safety Quotes 24,424
8. Contractor Induction and Management 20,579
9. Free Tool Box Talk Presentations 20,369
10. Free Safety Checklists 17,589
11. Funny Safety Slogans 16,820
12. Free Job Hazard Analysis Template 16,005
13. Balustrade and Railing Height Regulations 15,956
14. Pictures of Unsafe Acts 15,594
15. Funny Safety Pictures and Photos 15,392
16. FORUM 15,274
17. Safety Clip-Art 14,090
18. Developing a Safe Work Method Statement 13,623

Most Popular Downloads:

1. Electronic Risk Score Calculator
2. 40 Pages of Safety Slogans
3. Risk Assessment and SWMS Template
4. Excel Risk Assessment Template
5. Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
6. Manual Handling Risk Assessment Tool
7. Riskex Job Hazard Analysis Template
8. Workcover WMS Plain English Guidelines
9. Cost Justification Calculator
10. Insulated Sandwich Panel Procedure
11. Safety Manual Template
12. Riskex Risk Register Template

‘George’s Safety Reflections

Safety and Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is a long-term business strategy to improve your business in terms of customer value and satisfaction, quality, speed to market, flexibility and reduced cost. One of the principal objectives of continuous improvement is to increase the skills and capacities of all the organisation’s employees so they can effectively engage in problem solving.

Author’s experience with Continuous Improvement / Quality Management

While the author was employed in a senior OHS role with a major Australian organisation he was involved in implementation of a robust approach to Continuous Improvement / Quality Management.

Some of the initiatives were-

• Customers were spoken to in order to define what the customers wanted from the organisation.
• The work necessary to ensure success in meeting customer needs was identified.
• How to carry out the work necessary for success was defined.
• Detailed work instructions and working procedures were developed for core tasks necessary for success.
• A document control system was introduced.
• All employees received training in Continuous Improvement / Quality Management.
• Continuous Improvement / Quality Management champions were appointed in major departments.
• A senior manager was appointed to lead the Continuous Improvement / Quality Management effort.
• There were regular audits of the Continuous Improvement / Quality Management system.
• All employees were actively encouraged to question the efficiency of the work they did and suggest continuous improvement initiatives.
• There were regular meetings and other communications about the Continuous Improvement / Quality Management.
• An extremely aggressive approach to upgrading employee skills in all areas was embarked upon after an exhaustive learning needs analysis.
• Since leaving this organisation the author has worked in organisations that have had no Continuous Improvement / Quality Management systems or systems, that while they have had their systems pass certification audits, do not really have a continuous improvement philosophy.
• Some of the things he has noticed in these organisation are-
• Customers, both internal and external, complain that their needs are not being met.
• Work processes are dependent on the knowledge of individuals rather than defined procedures. When Fred goes on long service leave for 3 months the organisation struggles because how to do some of the things Fred does are only known by Fred.
• The bureaucracy and bull-shit swamps the organisation and impedes efficient operation.
• Communication is confused and inefficient.
• Responsibilities are unclear.
• Employees mutter about how ineffective some of the work they do is and their efforts to improve things with their supervisors fall on deaf ears.
• Politics rather than efficiency shape practice.
• Those who question procedure and practice quickly learn this is not an approach received favourably by management.
• Employees talk to others who do similar work and realise there are better ways of doing things.
• Some of the workforce are un-empowered and dissatisfied with their lot.
• Management is perceived as being remote from the real needs of the business and not interested in the thoughts of the employees.
• The learning function is under-developed and attendance at learning is guided by un-structured approaches rather than thorough learning needs analysis.

The author’s observation is that many organisations have Continuous Improvement / Quality Management systems that are only partially enacted and do not reap all the benefits to be gained from these systems .

Question

In these economic times can your business survive without a continuous improvement philosophy?

George’s Safety Reflections

Why have OHS

The first fatality I was associated with occurred over 30 years ago to a young, vivacious, pleasant female office employee at a mine site. I was the first on the scene and comforted her as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She died the next day, such a waste!

Since then I have assisted my employers manage the aftermath of 12 fatalities and 2 other incidences of permanently life altering personal damage.

There are many reasons to have OHS-

1. Sure we want to obey the legislation and keep the regulators off our back
2. Sure we want to have a good company and industry reputation to attract employees
3. Sure we want to reduce safety related industrial disputation
4. Sure we want to reduce the financial costs of “accidents”
5. Sure we want work to be a pleasant place to be
6. Sure we want a highly skilled workforce

As an OHS professional I have had to deal with the emotional trauma of life altering personal damage and interacted with loved ones and co-workers. For me the prime reason to have OHS is to-

REDUCE PERMANENTLY LIFE ALTERING PERSONAL DAMAGE

This is referred to as Class1 personal damage and can be fatal and non-fatal. Whilst we rarely get to hear about it the impact of non-fatal class 1 damage is much higher than fatal class 1 damage

I would be the first to say there is a lot of bull-dust associated with implementation of safety initiatives. In my time in safety I have seen companies spend tremendous amounts of time, effort and money on dubious safety programs and get little return for their investment.

The challenge is to design your safety programs so they meet the specific, identified needs of your organization.

Discussion on a Canadian safety forum came to the conclusion that you would be lucky to prevent 20% of your ”accidents” if all you did was comply with legislation

I think one of my ex-managers said it well when he said "If you cannot manage safety you cannot manage"

Note

My attempt to give advice on how to achieve my objective can be found in the e-book Safety Management Systems under articles on www.ohschange.com.au

Another article by legendary Safety Guru, George Robotham (www.ohschange.com.au). You can find more of his work at here: SAFETY REFLECTIONS

George’s Safety Reflections-Number 6

The 10 most important things in a robust safety management system

1. Have well developed internal standards of OHS excellence.
2. Define what excellence in implementation of the standards will look like.
3. Train everyone in the above.
4. Have thorough audits of implementation of the standards led by senior managers.
5. Comply with statute law as a minimum.
6. Ensure you have highly effective OHS personnel, often difficult to achieve.
7. Ensure highly effective safety leadership is driven from the top of the organisation.
8. Keep safety communications succinct and targeted at the needs of the receiver, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE.
9. Involve the relevant stakeholders in the development of an OHS plan truly applicable to your needs.
10. Use industry accident experience, not just your enterprise accident experience to guide action.

What is Occupational Health and Safety?

Article by George Robotham from www.ohschange.com.au

Good question that I do not have a good answer to, but have a few observations-

OHS is the science / art / wizardry / bloody hard game of convincing stakeholders at all levels to identify hazards, assess risk and control risk in a responsible manner. It involves technical OHS skills and a broad range of management skills but particularly interpersonal skills, communications skills, learning skills and outstanding leadership skills. Many interventions cannot be economically justified by traditional financial models and rely on the employer’s desire not to injure their employees.OHS is a frustrating occupation, not for the weak willed, the relatively infrequent wins make it worthwhile.

The body of knowledge in OH is probably well developed but the body of knowledge in OS is not, this is partly due to the fact stuff all decent research is carried out in OS in Australia. The lack of a robust OS body of knowledge means learning organisations do not really know what to teach. The lack of a robust OS body of knowledge is a major impediment to meaningful progress in OHS. Development of the body of knowledge must be guided by the permanently life altering personal damage (Accident) phenomenon

The OHS business is characterised by many highly passionate practitioners, in some cases with a low skills base

There is an over concentration on OHS technical skills and not enough recognition of the need for broader management skills

The OHS business has a history of embracing highly emotive quick fixes or fads marketed by smooth salesmen often quoting poor research studies that lack rigour in proof of success

OHS Learning for supervisors and managers is poorly developed

Government at a national, state and local level does an excellent Yes Minister approach to OHS

Much of the standardised approach to OHS is the result of cosinorance (What you get when you combine consensus with ignorance)

There is no national means of effectively collecting and analysing permanently life altering personal damage occurrences (Accidents) This is a National disgrace

There has been a lot of activity in OHS in recent years, how purposeful and effective some of that activity is, is questionable

There is a tendency to base countermeasures on gut feel rather than research into personal damage occurrences (Accidents)

In some organisations there is an over reliance on what can be a highly subjective risk assessment process

Physical injuries predominate in high risk industries, in low risk industries there can be major psychological issues resulting from interpersonal problems

Industry taxonomies of personal damage are more useful than enterprise experience

Written communication often dribbles on to excessive proportions

People persist in using boring lecture style presentations instead of using interactive approaches

Far too many learning interventions are guided by superficial analysis and gut feel instead of by thorough learning needs analysis

Generous amounts of bull dust, rear end covering, management incompetence, excessive paperwork, poor leadership, inflated egos and overly complicated approaches are often a feature

Results are often assessed by reaction which is the most superficial type of assessment rather than by more meaningful measures such as behaviour change and effect on the bottom line

Passive countermeasures (That do not rely on action by the human being) are preferred to Active countermeasures

It is a toss up between management, government, unions, employer organisations, professional associations, training authorities and workers as to who tells the most lies and has the greatest level of incompetence about safety

The use of displacement activities is common in safety. A displacement activity is something we do, something we put a lot of energy into but when we examine it closely there is no valid reason for doing it

An ex-manager of mine, who has a way with words, says the biggest problem in safety is that managers and safety professionals sometimes engage in acts of public masturbation

Despite the limitations above I have worked with some highly competent OHS people who make a significant improvement for their employer, their contribution is often undervalued

Note

Various papers on OHS and OHS related topics can be seen under articles on www.ohschange.com.au

Confined Spaces – safety compliance cost & compromise

New Safety Article from Safety Solutions and MSA

Statistics indicate accidents occurring in confined spaces have been more frequent and often more serious than accidents in other workplace environments. This is driven by the fact that when things go wrong in a confined space it is difficult to rapidly respond and an already compromised work area becomes even more compromised. It is no surprise why no other area in safety attracts as much attention as confined spaces.

This white paper explains how to mitigate the risks involved with confined spaces and evaluates ways to look at long term cost of performance reliability as opposed to strictly cost savings.

Download the whole article at the Safety Solutions site HERE (NB: You will have to register with them to download)

Difference Between Man and Woman

Nothing to do with health and safety – I just like it! Although it may explain why men tend to take more risks and have more accidents???? Courtesy of http://www.wanttoknow.info/manwomandifferences

YOU WILL ALSO LOVE THESE:

SAFETY DATA SHEET – MALE

SAFETY DATA SHEET – FEMALE

Passion keeps one fully in the present, so that time became a series of mutually exclusive ‘nows.’

Another great article from the “Safety 101 = Keep Safety Simple” Series by Ruth Jenkins from SINA SAFETY SOLUTIONS

I am passionate about safety. Now “how does that work”? I hear you say. This is simple for me as I live, eat and breathe safety every single day through my work. It wasn’t always that way. I used to be a Blasting Technician…..

Download the full article here: Passion 101 - passionate about safety (196)

BIG NEWS!

You won’t have seen it in the papers or read it in the news but for me its a big deal and I have to share it with you - at around 7am this morning, this humble website had its 1 millionth visitor! I wish I knew who you were as I would have bought you a beer! Anyway, I’ll have one for you tonight. I want to thank everyone who has found us and liked what they found and came back and recommended us to others. I would especially like to give a big thankyou to the small number of people who have taken the time to say thankyou for all the work ive put into this site and offered suggestions and encouragement. I’d like a dollar for every visitor or I could retire if I got paid $1/hour for the work that has gone into it (at the expense of family time and my real job). But knowing that over 2 million of the documents I’ve collected and provided here have been downloaded in the last 15 months is reward enough, I’m sure that has saved a few people some time and effort and maybe even saved a few from injury – who knows.

Another big thankyou to all the people  who have contributed articles and tools for me to share – they are the ones who have done all the hard work. Thankyou also to the advertisers and sponsors, I couldn’t justify keeping this site going without a little income to cover hosting costs and other expenses.

Again, thankyou you to every one of our visitors and supporters, please keep coming back and recommending us to others. As always feedback and suggestions are very much appreciated.

Dave



Free Safety Documentation Package

Limited Time Offer for Readers of this Blog: OFFER ENDED – NEW OFFER COMING SOON – WATCH THIS SPACE

Our good friends at Summit Safety Technologies are offering our readers their full Safety Documentation Package absolutely free. This Package consists of 21 programs, policies, and manuals that any organization can use to build the appropriate documentation foundation for an effective safety management system. This is a $740 value that they will provide absolutely free to anyone who asks. Documents are in MS Word format (97-2003 versions) and are fully customizable. This is limited time offer.

This Safety Documentation Package consists of the following documents:

EHS Program Overview,  Confined Space Entry Manual,  Contractor Safety Manual,  Document Control Procedure, EHS Policy,  Emergency Action Plan, Hazard & Risk Assessment Manual, Injury & Illness Prevention Program, Incident Investigation Manual,  Inspections & Audits Manual, Integrated Safety Management System,  LOTO Program,  Quality Manual Level1, Level 2, & Level 3,   Respiratory Protection Manual,    Safety Committee Policy and By-Laws,  Safety Health Culture Audit, Safety Meeting Topics,  Safety Strategy,  Safety Survey,  Safety Training Program, and Site Safety Specialist Policy.

The WA Safety Show draws employers hungry for safety answers

Western Australia’s employers turned out in force to learn about new legislation and uncover solutions to workplace safety challenges at the WA Safety Show last week.

The state’s largest workplace safety trade show, it hosted 150 safety and materials handling suppliers and ran concurrently with the WA Safety Conference. Automation safety, cold storage, road safety, vibration and ventilation were among the attractions for visitors.

Alongside the products and services on display were workshops run by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA) and the Norton Rose law firm regarding the new work health and safety legislation due to come into effect in January 2012. The workshops drew large attendances from employers keen to assess their new obligations.

Those employers took the search for workplace safety solutions equally as seriously in the experience of exhibitors. Adrian Manessis of safety management and compliance software supplier myosh says his company was very impressed by the number of decision makers visiting his WA Safety Show stand.

“The volume of visitors who were exactly our target market – influencers and key decision makers like senior OHS and human resources managers – was excellent,” he says.

Early analysis of visitor statistics shows Western Australia’s largest employers were well represented, accounting for 52 per cent of show-goers.

“I’ve been to some shows where people just came for a day out of the office and to collect freebies but the WA Safety Show wasn’t like that,” Mr Manessis says. “We reached a lot of potential clients we wouldn’t find any other way. It also provided enormous networking opportunities with existing clients that we deal with over the phone but rarely see face to face. I can’t speak highly enough of it.”

Equally pleased was first-time exhibitor, Stephen McPherson of Alegra Safety. The boutique consultancy offered visitors the chance to win MP3 players and three free hours of consultancy time.

“We gave away 2800 show bags in three days and gathered 480 sales leads,” he says. “I have a dozen business cards from people who want me to call them this week. The WA Safety Show won’t be our last and we are already planning to exhibit at Safety In Action in Melbourne or The Safety Show Sydney next year.”

The WA Safety Show will return in 2012, while its Sydney counterpart, The Safety Show, will run from October 26 to 28 this year. For more information, visit www.thesafetyshow.com, email safetyvisitor@aec.net.au or phone Australian Exhibitions & Conferences Pty Ltd on 03 9654 7773.

This is a great resource to use at your next safety training session or tool box talk. Explains why sometimes we miss hazards in the workplace due to focus on other outcomes. This was a very famous experiment to prove that we don’t always see what is right in front of us. Read more about the experiment here (after you watch the video)

We are being inundated with requests for free examples of safe work method statements, particularly for lawn mowing? Here are some really good examples from the The Municipal Works Officers Association (MWOA) Website.

Air Jack Operation

Air Tools Operation

All Hazards

Arc Welding

Battery Charger

Below the Ground less than 1.5 metres

Bench Grinder

Bleeding Seal

Bridge Cleaning

Bridge Inspection

Cable Location

Chainsaw operation

Cleaning Gutters on a single story tiolet block

Compressor operation

Concrete Footpath Operation

Cressy Shelford Road

Driving Eauipment

Edge Repairs

Elevated platform Boom

Gantry Crane

Hand held post hole digger

Hand Lawn Mowing Operation

Hand Chemical Spraer Operation

Hedge Trimmer

Inspection of Roads

Jet Patcher Operation

Ladder Operation

Larpent Rd Widening

Linemarking

Litter Collection

Loading and Unloading Equipment

Lone Worker Operation

Major Drainage Operation

Manual Handling Operation

New Document

Oval Maintenance Grass Mowing Operation

Oxy Cutting Operation

Oxy Welding Operation

Personal Protection Equipment

Pit Works Operation

Pothole Patching

Re-sheet Roads

Rotary Hoe operation

Safe Handling of Sharps

Servicing Diesel Equipment

Sign Maintenance

Slasher Tractor Mounted

Spraying Chemicals

Stabilization Operation

Traffic Control

Traffic Roundabout Operation

Traineeship

Tree Planting and Mulching

Twin Vibrating Drum Roller Operation

Two Way Radio Operation

Visual Bridge Inspection

Weed Grass Trimmer Operation

Woodchipper Operation

Working at Height Above 2 Metres

Today is Territory Day in NT (the only Australian State where the public can buy fireworks) and with 4th of July Celebrations approaching, our readers are asking for firework safety slogans. Unfortunately there aren’t many around so I made up a few myself. If you can do better then leave send then in your comments below:

1. If you fool around with fireworks you’re crackers
2. They aren’t called FIRE WORKS for nothing
3. Don’t let the number of hand and eye injuries SKYROCKET

Best I can do at short notice!

Few more from a reader:

• never handle a Roman Candle
• stand well back when you light the fuse or your eyes again you will never use
• Only jerks fool with fire works

Fireworks Safety Internet Resources:

Provided by keepkidshealthy.com

• National Council on Fireworks Safety: safety, statistics on injuries and state laws that will help you to have a safe and fun Fourth of July.
• Prevent Blindness America Fireworks Safety: “Prevent Blindness America warns that there is no safe way for nonprofessionals to use fireworks. It is only safe to enjoy the splendor and excitement of fireworks at a professional display.” Learn what to do if you ignore this advice and your child’s eyes are injured to prevent blindness.
• Fireworks Safety Fact Sheet: from the NFPA (formerly the National Fire Protection Association), a fact sheet on fireworks safety, including a fireworks safety lesson plan that students can use to plan and present a skit demonstrating decisions that could result in a risky situation involving fireworks.
• Celebrate Safely This Fourth of July : from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, learn firework safety to prevent eye injuries.

How many people snigger or cringe when it is suggested that a safety inspection be done in an office? These environments may not immediately strike you as particularly hazardous but there are numerous potential risks in an office, many of which have caused serious short and long term injury at other workplaces.

First published in 2001 and updated in 2006, Worksafe VIC’s  “Officewise” – provides an excellent guide to health and safety in the office. It  is a 100 page publication intended for use as as a resource for managers, supervisors, SO’s and anyone involved in office work. Officewise covers: Managing occupational health and safety in the office, risk management, hazards, job and work environment design, office layout, workstations, furniture, working with computers, exercises, manual handling, and advice. Visit Worksafe’s Website

The guide includes information on how to apply risk management in an office environment, workstation set up, office hazards, exercises and a comprehensive checklist.

Download here: Officewise (1227)

This site is only a few months old but already getting over 2000 hits per day and growing. We are always on the look out for new articles, tools (our risk score calculator has been downloaded over 10,000 times), checklists, new products to review, quality safety services and consultants or in fact any unique information related to safety and risk management. SEND US YOUR INFORMATION and if its relevant, appropriate and unique, we’ll post it on this site for free with direct links to your website.

I drove past a bloke mowing his lawn in thongs (that’s what we call flip flops – not a G string) this afternoon and I had a flash back to my childhood when my grandfather used to wear his thongs between his second and third toes after getting his big toe chopped off by his lawnmower. From memory, he had it on blocks and was doing maintenance on it when it dropped and started on his foot. He didn’t learn much though as I still remember watching him carry the mower, while it was running, up the back stairs because it was too hard to start when it was hot! I’ll never forget when he bought a new one and kept it in his bedroom for a few years!

He may not have learnt much but when I started mowing, I always wore safety boots thanks to him. I know I should know better but I rarely wear ear muffs or safety glasses. What I am paranoid about is mowing when other people are around. I remember doing a safety training course and the trainer telling us that a rock/bone/stick will fly from a lawnmower at the speed of a bullet. My wife has had her passenger side window smashed while driving past a bloke on a ride-on. Our shed has a big ding in it thanks to me mowing over a steel bolt.

I did some research on lawn mower injuries and here are some injury statistics from Stats.org- see full details

The Risks of Lawn Mowing
Trevor Butterworth and Jenna Krall, July 17, 2007
What happens when you take a set of sharp blades and spin them at 160 mph across a lawn?

Mowing the lawn is a more hazardous activity than one might think, sending 242,000 Americans to the ER between 2004 and 2006. A study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that accidents increased from 1996 to 2004. Ninety-five percent of lawn mower accidents treated at the Johns Hopkins pediatric trauma center between 2000 and 2005 involved amputations that needed reattachment or reconstructive surgery, according to Medical News Today. The decision to mow the lawn can also have fatal consequences for adults with heart problems.

Number of fatal accidents
There were 133 fatalities in 2006 from using lawnmowers of all types, based on a national probability sample of hospitals in the U.S. and its territories. In 2005, there were 406 deaths. However the difference is almost certainly a result of a reduction in the statistical weighting given to those hospitals where the deaths occurred in 2005, so it would be wrong to infer any trend downwards.

Chance of a fatal accident
One in 2,245,264 in 2006.

Cause of death
All the fatalities from lawn mowing resulted from cardiac arrest. All were male and aged between 40 and 79.

Still not convinced?

Here are some links to sites with some pretty sobering photos of the results of lawn mower injuries. WARNING – there are some pretty gory injury photos here so enter at your own risk:

When Lawnmowers attack – American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Risk Support Limited has developed Active Bow Tie for bow tie risk analysis and management system development. They are now up to v1.7 and are offering a free, fully workable download of their previous version Active Bow Tie v1.5.  Click here for more info.

I’ve tried it but the program kept locking up before I could do anything useful with it. Try it yourself and let me know if you get it figured out.

The high number of injuries occurring during installation, maintenance and repair of machinery and equipment is a concern to WorkSafe – as it should be for you.

Employees involved in such work make up about 25 per cent of workers in the manufacturing. However, they account for nearly 60 per cent of machinery and equipment-related workplace injury claims.

We need to reduce this toll. And we want you to help us.

WorkSafe is holding a free workshop on July 6 from 8.30am-3pm. This is an opportunity to have your say and influence our approach to the issue.

Click here for more information

Sometimes only a picture can get our attention!

Her last call was from a new Mobile Phone…

Do you see the motorcycle?

Now do you see it?

The Honda crotch rocket rider was travelling at approximately 85 mph. The VW driver was talking on a Mobile Phone when she Pulled out from a side street, apparently not seeing the Motorcycle. The riders reaction time was not sufficient Enough to avoid this accident.
The car had two passengers and the bike rider was found INSIDE the car with them.
The Volkswagen actually flipped over from the force of impact and landed 20 feet from where the collision took place.

All three involved (two in the car and the bike rider) were killed instantly. This graphic demonstration was placed at
The Motorcycle Fair by the Police and Road Safety Department. Pass this post to car drivers or soon to be new drivers, or new motorcycle owners

AND ESPECIALLY EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO HAS A MOBILE PHONE!!!!!

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Save a life…

Stop talking on Mobile Phones and Texting while trying to drive.

The life you save may be your own….. Or mine…

Keep passing this on so everyone will see what can happen by using a MOBILE PHONE while driving.