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In June 2020, a man died after being struck by a tree he was cutting down with a chainsaw.
Initial findings indicate the tree may have not have fallen in the intended direction and caught the deceased by surprise.

Preventing a similar incident

Felling of trees with a chainsaw can be dangerous, particularly when the risks associated with it are not adequately controlled. When manually cutting trees, the feller normally stands at the base to operate the chainsaw and hastily retreats to a safe position once the tree begins to fall.

However, there are many factors to consider for a specific tree or site that increase the complexity of the process. Manual felling of trees should only be carried out by workers with appropriate training (e.g. arborist or industry-based qualifications), experience, and competence for the particular tasks involved.

Read more… (“QLD Govt eSafe Incident Alert”)

This week Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Education Minister Grace Grace announced that while all Queensland schools will be student-free, they’ll remain open to allow children of essential workers and vulnerable children to remain at school.

These essential service workers include health workers, supermarket staff, and all other workers required in the workplace. If your work is essential, please ensure your workers are observing social distancing and good hygiene practices to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Ensure all required WHS controls are being adhered to, including the use of PPE, and if anyone is sick, send them home.

Read more… (“QLD Govt eSafe Incident Alert”)

In December 2019, a worker suffered serious injury when his arm was caught in a hopper. Early investigations indicate the open hopper contained metal shafts and stainless-steel rods that rotated to mix dough ingredients.

Preventing a similar incident

Plant is a major cause of death and injury in our workplaces. There are significant risks associated with using plant and severe injuries can result from the unsafe use of plant including:

• limbs amputated by unguarded moving parts of machines
• limbs amputated by inadvertent activation of unguarded machinery
• electric shock from plants not adequately protected or isolated.

Noodle making machines are used to mix dough ingredients prior to extraction through rollers to produce pastry and noodles. Plant with hoppers that feed into rotating machinery (such as screw conveyors, rollers, and blades) can be found in a range of industries including; agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has duties under WHS legislation to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the provision and maintenance of a safe plant.

Read more… (“QLD Govt eSafe Incident Alert”)

In August 2020, a worker suffered serious injuries after falling approximately 2.5 metres from the rear of a large yacht docked on a hardstand at a marine maintenance facility.

Early investigations indicate the worker was doing maintenance at the time. Investigations are continuing.

IMPORTANT: These findings are not yet confirmed, and investigations are continuing into the exact cause.

Preventing a similar incident

People accessing and working on vessels on hardstands can be exposed to serious risks of falls. Typical edge protection on many types of vessels (e.g. the gunwales and handrails) are not usually designed the same as land-based situations where guard rails are used to control the risk of a fall. For example, the height of the top rail or gunwale is often less than the minimum height of 900mm commonly specified for edge protection.

Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) responsible for the operation of the marina facilities, should ensure suitable equipment is available for safe access to vessels and to control the risk of a fall from them. This duty also applies to other PCBUs that perform work within the marine facility. Suitable equipment may include portable platform step ladders or purpose designed portable stair systems, scaffolding or temporary edge protection systems.

Read more… (“QLD Govt eSafe Incident Alert”)