September 2014

safTdox News

--Maria (talk) 11:23, 2 September 2014 (MIST)

Welcome to our first Newsletter ever. safTdox is received with interest and enthusiasm by everyone who has been taken for a walk through. We are looking forward to an exciting and busy 2014.

We want to remind our clients that the complimentary starter set of documents that comes with your safTdox account is just that - a starter set. To make safTdox really effective you will need to review the documents, reformat them with your own logo if you like, and add other policies and procedures, such as Human Resources and Industrial Relations policies, to your system.

We will provide additional sets of documents free of charge to our subscribers as we move forward. This month we have some HR documents available. If you are interested in these please contact us and we will email them to you.

If you have questions please contact us, we provide 2 free hours of WHS support and 2 free hours of IT support each month for our subscribers.

For our clients that have more specific needs we provide customised consulting and training services at a discounted rate. Please contact us for more information.

In each Newsletter we will have an In Focus section to highlight a specfic WHS issue. We will also have an In the News section which will highlight Major incidents and prosecutions.

In the News

National recall of installed Infinity cable

Unused Infinity and Olsent-branded electrical cables were recalled and their supply prohibited in Queensland in 2013 after they failed to meet electrical safety standards due to poor quality plastic insulation coating.

The ACCC has now negotiated a national recall of cable that has already been installed in buildings in order to prevent these cables from causing electric shocks or fires in the future.

Builders and electrical contractors in Queensland - if you have records of Infinity and Olsent-branded cable you have purchased and where it has been installed, you should contact affected consumers to tell them about the recall and their rights.

If you do not have this information, you should still be prepared for customers contacting you with concerns about Infinity and Olsent-branded cable.

Fatal Incidents

• 3 July 2014 near Googa Creek, South West Queensland. A man died when he became trapped between his vehicle and the gate of a property. It appears the man was entering the property when he exited his vehicle to open the gate.
• 4 July 2014 in Hobartville, Central Queensland. A young worker died from head injuries when the motorbike he was using to muster cattle collided with an anthill. The rider was not wearing a helmet.

Prosecutions

Follow the links to read case summaries.

• E180196[1] 01/05/2014 Fine $750 with a good behaviour bond for a period of 12 months with recognisance of $1000 (per the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992) Other costs: $100

• E140871[2] 29/08/2013 Fine $45 000 Other Costs: $5756

In Focus

Incident Reporting[3]

Has an injury, illness or dangerous incident occurred at your workplace? If so, you may be legally required to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) about what happened. The following aims to help you understand your notification obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011[4] (PDF, 1.42 MB) and the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011[5] (PDF, 536 kB) and how you can comply with them.

Note: If you wish to notify of an incident that occurred under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (prior to 1 January 2012) contact WHSQ on 1300 369 915 to obtain the correct form.

I've already notified WorkCover Queensland or my workers' compensation insurer, why do I need to notify WHSQ?

An injuries claim to WorkCover Queensland or your workers' compensation insurer is not the same as notifying WHSQ of an incident. WorkCover Queensland and other workers' compensation insurers have a different role to play to WHSQ following a workplace incident. WHSQ investigates the cause of the incident and how similar incidents can be prevented in the future. WorkCover Queensland and other workers’ compensation insurers provide financial compensation to people injured in the course of their employment. WHSQ is the workplace health and safety regulator in Queensland. It uses notified incident information to investigate workplace incidents and contraventions of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. This information is also used to develop programs that identify solutions to workplace safety issues across all industries. Notification to WHSQ is in addition to any workers' compensation claim made to WorkCover Queensland or self-insured businesses.