Work smart. Work safely. The Australian community has decided the cost to the nation of accidents, injuries and deaths in the workplace is no longer acceptable. Accordingly, all levels of government have instigated one of the most stringent sets of laws and regulations governing workplace health and safety in the world. Marc Worner would like to see injuries no longer a sorry part of the working week.
In landscaping and construction the top three accidents are: falls, overexertion (resulting in musculoskeletal injuries – sprains and strains), and being struck by objects. There are also many other risks we need to mitigate: dehydration; machinery and tools handling; lifting; violence; bullying; and harassment.
Fatalities highlight the potential danger of familiar equipment like ladders and how a fall, even from a low height, can result in serious injuries and even death.
Falls from ladders represent the most common form of accidents in our construction industry.
This can be done by training workers, investigating accidents, and planning
work to reduce risks. Image: Panumas/Stock.adobe.com
Ladders
A ladder set up incorrectly puts you and other workers at risk of serious injury. These are the key requirements for straight or extension ladders:
• Place the base of your ladder on a firm and level surface – make sure both feet are on the ground. Use leg levellers on uneven surfaces. On wet or unstable ground, brace the base to keep it in place
• Set up your ladder at the required angle – use the ‘4-to-1 Rule’: for every 1.2 metres up, place the base of your ladder 0.3 metres from the wall or upper support it rests against
• Position and secure your ladder for safe access – if you’ll be getting off the top of your ladder to access your work area, your ladder’s side rails must extend at least one metre above the level or upper landing you are accessing. Tie off your ladder’s side rails at the top, and
• Place the top of your ladder against a stable surface – make sure both side rails are equally supported, unless your ladder is equipped with a single-support attachment. Now, checking your ladder is at the 4-to-1 angle: stand with your toes at the ladder’s base and extend your arms straight out. If your fingertips touch the rung nearest your shoulder level, your ladder should be at the 4-to-1 angle.
Good work, you’re safe!
Consequences
Then there is the risk of a long duration of wage loss. There may be high health-care costs associated with workplace injuries, and ongoing serious medical conditions can result.
These examples demonstrate the impact of accidents and their ramifications:
• A young landscape apprentice fell from the roof of a house and became a paraplegic. It took three years for the Workers Compensation claim to settle. Meanwhile, the owner of the landscape company suffered a nervous breakdown that led to his early retirement and the close of his landscape business and the loss of six jobs
• A worker was crushed and suffocated to death in a trench when the sides collapsed. There was no shoring erected. The employer was found guilty which caused the company to go into liquidation and for the owner and his wife to go bankrupt. The victim’s son, aged three at the time, will have to grow up fatherless whille his wife struggles to survive on welfare
• A worker was punched by a co-worker, breaking his nose and fracturing his cheekbone. The co-worker was retrenched, found guilty of assault and the victim suffers ongoing medical problems that require his frequent absence from work
• A worker was installing a timber deck to an entertaining area when he fell one metre onto the concrete path below and fractured his spine in several places. The medical bills alone totalled nearly $280,000
• A landscaper was climbing a stepladder with a pneumatic nail gun, accidentally pressed the trigger; and it discharged two nails into his arm, severing some nerves. He had to be re-trained for another industry because of his subsequent disability, and • During the mechanical removal of a tree stump, a natural gas line was ruptured, closing down operations for one day; but set back the landscape project by a week.
Encourage safety
Taking some time to focus on safety will help a company lower absenteeism, maintain production, meet deadlines, stay within budget, improve work quality, and reduce musculoskeletal injuries like sprained ankles and strained backs.
The best way to reduce injuries and save money is to encourage positive attitudes toward health and safety in the workplace.
Show you take safety seriously whether you are an employer or employee. It takes more than a good toolbox meeting to create a safe work environment. This can be done by training workers, investigating accidents, and planning work to reduce risks. It’s also good to instil a company culture which everyone is encouraged to:
• Embrace and promote safe work practices
• Set an excellent safety example for others, and
• Approach the boss or foreman at any time with safety problems and suggestions.
Dress for success
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should always be used on site to protect against common workplace hazards such as noise, manual and mechanical injury. Workers should not be allowed to start without such equipment.
Think about having the right tools for the job. It’s not always easy to select hand tools to get the best outcome. Things which need to be considered include grip, handle size, grip surfaces, weight and triggers.
Landscapers are often exposed to on-thejob noise which can permanently damage hearing. It’s important to wear hearing protection when exposed to blowers, skid steers, air guns, angle grinders, chainsaws, circular saws, concrete saws, screw guns and drills.
The employer is responsible for providing hearing protection (earmuffs or earplugs).
TIP: As communication with co-workers may be critical, hearing protectors that do not block out too much sound should be worn, for example custom-moulded earplugs with vents.
Before You Dig Australia (BYDA)
Knowing what underground facilities are buried in or near a dig jobsite is essential if deadly, dangerous, or destructive accidents are to be avoided. Users must lodge an enquiry online outlining where and when dig is planned. It needs to done at least one business day before starting work, and the address to go to is byda.com.au.
First aid
The purpose of occupational first aid is to provide workers with prompt, easily accessible and appropriate first aid treatment, and to keep a record of each treatment for any future reference or claim.
Depending on the job site, providing one or all of the following needs to be considered:
• Having someone with a Senior First Aid Certificate on site
• First Aid kits with the appropriate types and quantities of supplies should be available
• There needs to be an effective means of communication between first-aid attendants and workers who may need their help, and
• A record-keeping system should be in place. Undertake a WHS (Work Health Safety) team meeting for each new job and carry out that toolbox meeting each week on that same job site because conditions do change.
New team members or visitors to site should also be informed of all hazards and sign off your appropriate WHS sheet.
Help is available
If you’ve read this and decided that to achieve the best outcomes for your business you need help, it’s at hand. There are numerous government agencies in each State able to provide information, and there’s the Federal government’s website safeworkaustralia.gov.au. Consultants such as sesa.com.au can create comprehensive solutions tailored to your business needs, and Pinnacle Safety and Training is a nationwide industry leader in the provision of WHS training for all staff. See pinnaclesafety.com.au.
All the hard work is taken from you when you purchase Construction/Subcontractor WHS Management Systems containing policies, procedures and processes set up as manuals for Queensland, NSW, Tasmania, NT, South Australia, and the ACT from safetyculture.com.au.
Must have
Insurance makes more than good sense. It’s the law. Employers must have Workers Compensation Insurance.
Workers are eligible for compensation benefits if they suffer a work-related injury or disease. Insurance brokers work for you, the client; and the benefits are reduced premiums. Landscape contractors, designers and horticulturalists have used industry brokers such as fitzpatrick.com. au for many years because the company tailors all insurances to individual business needs and is proactive when it comes to providing free advice as the laws change for each type of insurance and the appropriate level of cover.
Far better to be SAFE and never have to claim.
Work smart. Work safely. Your health comes first second and third!