INDUSTRY REFERENCE GROUP
January 2008 / February 2008, OHS Divisional Report
This report provides a strategic overview of the key OHSD initiatives, which may assist the Manufacturing Industry Reference Group in achieving improved OHS and Injury Management outcomes.
DIVISIONAL NEWSOHSD PROGRAMS
As 2007 draws to a close, it is timely to take a moment of reflection on the good work we have achieved in OHSD for the people of NSW. The rate of injury in NSW workplaces is at an all time low and this is in part due to the work OHSD undertakes day by day throughout the year.
This year has seen us embark on a journey of change to refine the way we carry out our work, building on the things we do well, and introducing new ways to drive improved OHS and Injury Management outcomes in workplaces. Working closely with the other States and Territories has also been an area of increased activity.
Small and medium business have benefited from the assistance we have provided through the various components of the three-year SMB strategy. The improvements introduced in WorkCover’s licensing systems have been bedded down and the benefits we have realised in this area are attracting the attention of other states. Achievements in our testing and analysis business have been another highlight of the year.
With the implementation of our Change program in 2008, we are looking forward to a full and challenging year ahead.
Local Farm Safety Workshop
Despite the continuing effects of the drought, many NSW farmers remain active in production and improving their farms. The Riverina Wine Grape Marketing Board has worked with the Rural Team to develop a farm safety workshop for its members. Held at the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) site at Hanwood (Griffith) on October 18, the workshop was attended by 26 local growers and DPI staff. The four-hour event provided an interactive coverage of the OHS laws, developing an OHS&IM policy, key risk control planning and practical risk assessments of post-drivers, vine trimmers and chemicals/fuel storage. Assisting Rural Team staff members Paul Henry and Damien Bromly was Business Advisory Officer Darren Cameron. The Safety Bus was put to good use to present the workshop key points on the outside flat screen panel which was well received by all.
After all that learning, participants and presenters had worked up a healthy appetite and shared lunch, wonderfully prepared by the local Lions Club. Thanks to the NSW DPI, Brian Simpson, Board and staff at the Wine Grape Marketing Board and all others involved.
Licensing High Risk Work
As you would be aware, and throughout the main part of this year, WorkCover successfully submitted extensive comment into the Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) – Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) Project: Review and Development of Units of Competency and Assessment Instruments for High Risk Work.
This project concerned the review and development of units of competency and assessment instruments for each of the 29 licence classes covered by the National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work (National Standard) declared in April 2006.
This project is now in its final stages, with the OHS Regulators in each State being asked to sign-off on the units of competency. This going well, it is expected that the draft assessment instruments will be finalised by mid next year.
Clearly, our input into this project represents a significant contribution to WorkCover’s national harmonisation efforts in respect to licensing high risk work.
Piloting of Draft Assessment Instruments
Following on from the ASCC-DEST project, and in its continued support for achieving quality outcomes, WorkCover was pleased to offer additional assistance to the ASCC and DEST in the piloting a select number of draft assessment instruments, these being:
- Dogging
- Elevated Work Platform
- Basic Rigging
- Intermediate Rigging
- Forklift
- Basic Scaffolding
- Slewing Mobile Crane (up to 60 tonne)
Our Nigel Ball (State Coordinator Operations) conducted the piloting of these instruments from September to October 2007. The report provided to the ASCC on the completion of the piloting identified specific issues requiring further attention, this being the necessary next step prior to the finalisation of the assessment instruments. The report also included recommendations for addressing these issues and also included the answers to the assessment questions for those instruments piloted.
WorkCover NSW recognises that piloting plays an integral role in the validation process and is pleased to hear that the Office of the ASCC is now considering involving other State OHS jurisdictions in the piloting process.
Our thanks goes to Nigel for a tremendous job, and to Mark Flavin Acting Team Manager, AMT for his continuous support throughout the project.
WorkCover NSW and NSW VETAB
National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work
This year has seen WorkCover make significant in-roads into strengthening its relationship with the NSW Vocational Education Training and Accreditation Board (VETAB) in discussions and activities surrounding the anticipated implementation of the National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work (National Standard) in NSW.
New training and assessment requirements under the National Standard; namely, that training and assessment must be delivered under the supervision of, or in partnership with, a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in accordance with the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF), underscores the joint role that both WorkCover and VETAB will play when training and assessment is conducted in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.
Whilst the National Standard has yet to be implemented in NSW, and whilst WorkCover and VETAB will in essence maintain their respective roles; both WorkCover and VETAB fundamentally recognise the importance of making efforts to build training and assessment capabilities at this time and in readiness for the implementation of the National Standard.
Consultation Forums
In November 2007, and following the release of a Discussion Paper on the training and assessment requirements under the National Standard for industry comment, WorkCover successfully conducted a series of four consultation forums in Sydney, Goulburn, Newcastle and Coffs Harbour. The consultation forums were conducted with VETAB’s full support, and were designed to provide a timely and much-needed opportunity for industry to discuss the training and assessment requirements under the National Standard; to introduce the proposed new framework for WorkCover and VETAB in registering and auditing RTOs in high risk work; as well as to identify and discuss any issues of concern.
In total 276 persons attended the consultation forums; 41% of whom were existing WorkCover accredited assessors and the remainder of attendees being RTOs and some employer group representatives.
The consultation forums proved to be extremely valuable in view of the discussion that took place, the high attendance of accredited assessors and RTOs, and particularly given the need to build training and assessment capabilities in NSW in preparation for the implementation of the National Standard. Indeed, an added benefit for the assessors and RTOs attending the forums was the ability to begin networking and establishing business contacts - an opportunity that was quickly seized as each forum drew to a close!
Congratulations and thanks goes to the SLAM Team who should be acknowledged for the highly professional way in which they coordinated the consultation forums together with the support of the Licensing Business Development Unit.
Safe Business is Good Business Mentor Program 2007
Employers around the state have applauded the success of a practical WorkCover program that is making major inroads into helping small businesses improve workplace safety.
WorkCover NSW CEO Jon Blackwell officially closed the 2007 Safe Business is Good Business Mentor Program on Monday, 10 December 2007. Mr Blackwell said the Mentor Program is a practical way to help small businesses to reduce injuries and build a sustainable safety culture.
The 2007 WorkCover NSW Safe Business is Good Business Mentor Program has seen 13 organisations from the construction and manufacturing industries act as mentors to almost 70 small businesses across NSW.
Throughout the program, mentors provided a range of support initiatives to assist small businesses with their workplace safety, injury management and workers compensation obligations.
WorkCover staff also provided valuable support to the program, offering a range of free advisory services, information sessions and interactive workshops, and meeting directly with employers to provide them with free workplace safety advice tailored to their business.
During this year’s closing ceremony mentors and mentees were invited to speak of their experience of the 2007 Safe Business is Good Business Mentor Program.
Guest speaker and mentee, Narelle Besseling of Ballina Concrete Pumping said “we have regular staff OH&S meetings, our engaging contractors and builders are impressed with the paperwork they are presented with on the job site, with one building company’s OH&S officer making a special phone call to advise “that it is the best he has come across, did you get it professionally done?” My reply was, “No I joined the Workcover Mentor Program and this is the result” ”.
Feedback provided by mentors and mentees participating in the program has been very positive, with many mentees referring industry peers to WorkCover for advice.
The 2008 Safe Business is Good Business Mentor Program is shaping up to be another successful year, continuing the program in the construction and manufacturing industries, and expanding into retail, consumer services and agriculture.
Small Business Forums
I am pleased to advise that WorkCover NSW launched its Small Business Forums program on 13 November 2007 at Newcastle. The forums are part of WorkCover’s 3-year Plan to improve its advice and assistance to small and medium businesses in NSW. The aim of the forums is to enable businesses across NSW to contribute and be heard in relation to safety matters that affect their business.
Ten small business forums will be established across NSW to give local businesses the opportunity to provide direct input into advice and assistance services delivered by WorkCover. The forums will be set up in Sydney, Western Sydney, the Central Coast, Illawarra, Hunter, Riverina/Murray, Northern Rivers, Central West, New England/North Western NSW and the Mid North Coast.
Small business will work with us to identify options, solutions and best practice, provide feedback and be informed about decisions that may affect their business and the business community. The forums will meet four times per year, at a time and place appreciative of the demands placed on businesses.
Internal staff briefings and information material about the Small Business Forums will be provided to relevant teams in the next few weeks.
For further information or inquiries, please contact Catherine Healy, SMB Relationship Project Officer, Business Assistance Branch on 4321 5450.
Small businesses can find out more information or confirm their attendance at the forums by telephoning 1800 624 097, email: or by going to WorkCover’s small business website at
From The Manual Handling Team
The Smart move advertising campaign moved into full swing over the last few months with the manual handling mime artist being seen on billboards and buses around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, and in newspaper advertisements and online advertising across the state.
A highlight was live performances in the city where packs of Smart move cards and folding z-cards with manual handling problems and solutions were handed out.
The campaign culminated in the launch of with a competition to win one of fifty iPod shuffles. More than 680 people have registered for the website and many of these continue to visit the site even though the campaign and competition are finished.
Many of these registrations occurred during the Safety Show where the manual handling team handed out CDs and answered enquiries with the assistance of inspectors and members of the Manual Handling Summit Response Task Force.
The Manual Handling Team is now concentrating on developing interventions in conjunction with industry teams and on planning for a survey of WorkCover employees to gain an insight into their understanding of manual handling.
TEAM NEWS, PRIORITIES, KEY AREASThe Manufacturing Industry Team is responsible for the application of health, safety, injury management and workers compensation legislation and improvement initiatives in the following key areas:
- Safety Summit – Safety Culture
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- Mentoring Program – Next program commences Feb-Mar 2008
INITIATIVES:
Safety Interactive Workshops
The Manufacturing Team is undertaking an evidenced-based and strategic intervention strategy to proactively build the capacity of small business employers, in high-risk manufacturing sub-sectors, to systematically manage their OHS and IM responsibilities. To further this objective, the Manufacturing Team is conducting the ‘Safety Interactive Workshop’ program in identified high-risk manufacturing sub-sectors (15 in February/March 2008 and approximately 5 per month throughout the year). The primary focus of the workshops is to assist compliance by building awareness, knowledge and skills that will enable small business employers to make their workplaces safe.
The workshop program is currently targeting the Wood product manufacturing industry sub-sectors. The analysis of the evaluation forms from previous workshops indicate a very high degree of support for this approach and highlights the value of such initiatives in building the confidence of small business operators to implement and maintain effective safety management systems. Additionally, the workshop provides an opportunity for the small business operators to interact with WorkCover in a consultative environment and thereby deliver an improvement in stakeholder perceptions, particularly regarding the role of WorkCover. Such initiatives have also improved the capability of the Manufacturing Team to respond effectively to the changing environment and deliver effective services.
Industry Stakeholder Groups
The Industry Stakeholder Groups are a key initiative of the WIS Unit to maintain ongoing and effective engagement with stakeholders in the following industry sub-sectors: Metal Products Manufacturing, Food Products Manufacturing, Wood Products Manufacturing, Glass and Glazing services, Printing and Services and Stone Manufacturing. Additionally, WIS is establishing two new Stakeholder Groups in the Plastic Manufacturing and Chemical Manufacturing sub-sectors. A WIS Team Inspector takes on the Lead Officer role in each identified sub-sector and is responsible for the effective running of the Stakeholder Group.
The membership of the Stakeholder Groups comprises of representatives from Industry Associations and key figures in the relevant manufacturing sub-sector. The commitment displayed by the established groups to work cooperatively with WorkCover to improve safety outcomes across industry has been very encouraging. The established Stakeholder Groups are in the process of identifying common and recurring safety risks and identifying practical solutions to effectively control those risks. It is envisaged that the practical solutions will be disseminated and promoted through the whole industry in the form of practical and easy to understand guidance material. It is envisaged that this approach will drive compliance by assisting industry take ownership of their industry issues and improve safety outcomes across their sectors.
The Stakeholder Groups provide an opportunity for key industry figures to develop and maintain cooperative partnerships and discuss safety related issues with each other and WorkCover. In the short-term, the discussion and interaction is improving the capacity of the participating businesses to better anticipate, understand and respond strategically to current and emerging OHS issues. Additionally, this initiative provides WorkCover with an opportunity to engage with the stakeholders in the Manufacturing Industry in a consultative manner and deliver an improvement in stakeholder perceptions particularly regarding the role of WorkCover.
Harmonised Guidance
The Manufacturing Team is working together with VIC to develop harmonized guidance for the metal manufacturing and wood manufacturing industry sector. Through this process, WorkCover has consulted with Industry Stakeholder Groups and AMWU representatives and taken into consideration the comments and feedback. The Guidance’s have also been reviewed by technical specialists in the Hazard Management Group within WorkCover and the Legislations and Advisings Group. Currently steps are being taken to launch the harmonized guide’s on WorkCover’s Website.
CURRENT ISSUES:
Glass Industry Safety Alert
Recently, a number of serious incidents have occurred in the Glass industry. Subsequently, the Manufacturing Team issued a safety alert as part of an effective mix of intervention strategies to raise industry awareness of the high risks associated with the storage and handling of glass sheets. The alert also draws industry attention to practical risk controls that workplaces can adopt to prevent workers being injured by falling sheets of glass.
The Manufacturing Team has consulted with representatives from the employers and employer associations in the Glass Industry. A ‘Working Group’ comprising of representatives from the Manufacturing Team, HMG and industry has also been established to develop practical guidance for safe handling and transportation of glass sheets.
EMERGING ISSUES: List any emerging trends or contemporary issues arising.