NGMW316

Individual / Organisation name:Justine Kamprad, family of a maritime worker

What state/territory:

Review of the National Guidance Material for Working Safely on the Waterfront

Public Comment Response Form

Complete and submit this form by5pmAESTfriDAY 10 AUGUSt 2012to

Comments on content of the national guidance material
Section/page no. / Comment
Comments on additional issues identified in section 4.2 of the Discussion Paper
Section/page no. / Comment
Hatchmen / When I was in my 20's a terrible tragedy happened on a St. Kilda building site. A rigger was out of sight of both the crane driver and the dogman directing the crane on the roof of the building. He became caught in the rigging as the crane lifted its load. Unable to reach for his radio the man was lifted to the height of the building before he was seen by the dogman and the crane driver when the winch stop the jolt freed the man and he fell to his death.
This story was told to me by the rigger / dogman who had been stationed roof that day, who was also in his 20's, he finished to story by saying, "he looked me straight in the eye before he fell. I will never forget it." Being involved in a fatality at work is a life changing event. The young man I met never returned to his profession.
Years later I remembered this story as my partner told me about how he drove ships cranes. He told me that the riggers "down below" were out of his sight as hook and loads move in and out of the ship’s hull. The loads being lifted by the cranes he operated were irregular and a level unpredictability was introduced by the movement of the ship.
The "hatchman" maintains a "line of sight" connection between the workers inside the hull of a ship and the crane driver this is the most important safety feature any work involving a crane can have. An extra set of eyes and ears, a person standing back to say "STOP" is vital in the highly dangerous world of work on the waterfront.
The waterfront is also a cost very sensitive business and if the hatchman's position is not mandated it may be seen as a way to eliminate cost and get a competitive edge. The code of practice must mandate this position as essential to waterfront safety and make the waterfront a level playing field.
Stevedoring qualifications / Should the guidance material refer to the qualifications (Cert II, Cert III and Cert IV in Stevedoring) that have been developed for the stevedoring industry?
Work on the waterfront is highly skilled. Training is vital to safety it needs to be mandated in the code and regulated.
Safety Induction skill-set / Should the newly developed stevedoring ‘safety skill-set’ be used to underpin safety inductions?
Safety inductions are vital. As a family member of a waterfront worker I can not be very specific however I do know that input from the fantastic safety representatives in industry is needed to develop any induction program.
Use of checklists / Should the safety checklists, which set out examples of the types of hazards, and acceptable/unacceptable ways of handling those hazards, be maintained in the guidance material?
As a family member of a maritime worker if something is unsafe it should not be worked on. A "yes or no" means a problem must be dealt with immediately where as in my experience of other industries "recommendations" or "pointers" often get lost in vagueness or subjectively.
Comments on the implementation of the national guidance material in each jurisdiction which may have included launches, information and training sessions, and whether it has been useful in the workplace as a resource for improving safety practices.
Section/page no. / Comment
Other comments