Origin HSE

🌟 Cultivating positive behaviours in the workplace 🌟

Improving your workplace starts with encouraging positive behaviours. Here are some steps to take:

1️⃣ Communicate differently
2️⃣ Make it a team effort
3️⃣ Drive change
4️⃣ Champion success

🚧 Scaffolds and Scaffolding: Ensuring Safety at Heights! 🚧

Construction work commonly includes scaffolds, providing a safe, stable work platform when working at heights. Scaffolding is the individual components that, when assembled, form a scaffold—for example, tubes, couplers, and frames.

Scaffolding work means erecting, altering, or dismantling a temporary structure that supports a platform. The Guide to Scaffolds and Scaffolding has information on the types of scaffolds and their uses.

📍Licences

Scaffolding work involving a platform with a fall over 4 metres requires a high-risk work licence. There are 3 classes of scaffolding licence: basic, intermediate, and advanced. Contact your WHS regulator for more information on training and licences for scaffolding work.

📍WHS duties

Everyone in the workplace has WHS duties under the model WHS Act. You have specific duties if you are: a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), a principal contractor, a designer, manufacturer, importer, supplier, installer of plant, substances or structures, or an officer. The model WHS Regulations have duties that apply to scaffolding work, including managing the risks of scaffolds, construction and falls from height.

As a PCBU, you must, so far as is reasonably practicable: ensure the health and safety of workers and others at your workplace, consult with workers who carry out work for the business or undertaking and who are (or are likely to be) directly affected by a health and safety matter, and consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with all other relevant duty holders.

🔇 Minimising Noise Pollution Exposure on Mine Sites: Protecting Our Workers! ⛏️

Creating a safe work environment means reducing noise exposure on mine sites. Employers must take proactive measures by using engineering controls, administrative changes, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Let's prioritise safety by addressing noise at its source, implementing effective controls, and equipping workers with proper PPE. Together, we can create a workplace that values employee well-being.

🔊 Noise pollution on mine sites: a serious concern! ⛏️

Implications of noise pollution on mine sites are significant. Studies show 70-90% of miners develop hearing loss by age 60. Working with heavy machinery and high volume levels daily can cause permanent damage. 1 in 4 mineworkers already has hearing issues. Noise levels in mines exceed safe thresholds, affecting 80% of miners. Prolonged exposure leads to aggression, anxiety, depression, and behavioural problems in children. Let's prioritise miners' health and safety. Raise awareness for a healthier mining industry! 💪