SaFE@WORK MODULES

1. SaFE@WORK MODULES

2. Did you know… • 15-24yr olds have a 75% greater risk of being injured at work than older workers • that 95% of all workplace injuries can be prevented

3. Hazards are in all workplaces • This module will help you: • understand occupational health and safety hazards and laws • Provide solutions to common problems

4. 1. safe@workwill … • Help you understand occupational health and safety hazards and laws • Provide practical solutions to common health and safety problems

5. Health And Safety Is Everyone’s Responsibility • 2. Your employer is responsible for making sure the workplace is safe but you need to make sure you stay safe. You also need to make sure you’re not putting others at risk. • You could put others at risk by: • Acting unsafely • Not following safe work practices • Not reporting a situation where someone • could get hurt • So, make sure you listen, follow instructions and • ask for help if you’re not sure

6. ThinkSafe Steps - SAM • 3ai. S - Spot the Hazard • Key point: A hazard is anything that could hurt you or someone else: • Badly stacked boxes (they could fall on someone) • Frayed electrical cords (they could start a fire) • Noisy machinery ( they could hurt your hearing)

7. sam • 3aii. A – Assess the risk • Key point: Assessing the risk means working out how likely it is that a hazard will hurt someone, and how serious the harm could be. • When you see something wrong, ask yourself: • How likely is it that this could hurt me or someone else? • How badly could I be hurt? • Tell someone about the hazard

8. sam • 3aiii. M – Make the changes • Key point: Fix the hazard, as long as you don’t put yourself or others at risk, eg: pick up things in the way so someone doesn’t trip

9. Hazard elimination • 3bi. It’s best to get rid of a hazard altogether but sometimes that’s not possible so this is what we can do: • Elimination – take the hazard away, eg: use a ladder rather than climb up • Substitution – use a similar but different thing, eg: use a non-toxic glue • Isolation – separate the hazard from people, eg: put up safety barriers

10. Add S… • Safeguards – these can be fitted to tools or machinery, eg: to keep hands safe • Use the safe way – listen to and follow safe ways to work, eg: don’t take short cuts • PPE – Personal Protective Equipment – these are items you wear to keep you safe, like gloves or ear plugs. It may also be clothing, like overalls or safety vests.

11. Work safely • 4 a. Key point: It is the employer’s responsibility to provide you with safe ways to work, and with instructions, training and supervision for manual handling. • Manual handling means picking things up or moving them around. People often hurt their backs by moving things incorrectly.

12. Slips • 4b. Slippery floors • Slippery floors can be uneven or made slippery by spills, eg: kitchens might have spilt oil or a workshop might have cracked concrete floors that could trip people so - • Floors should be cleaned regularly • The employer must make sure the floor is even, slip-resistant and free of clutter that someone could fall over.

13. Hazardous substances • A hazardous substance is any substance, that is solid, liquid or gas, that can hurt you, eg: chemicals, such as paint stripper. • 4ci. Key point: It is the employer’s responsibility to provide you with safe ways to handle hazardous substances and dangerous goods, and to provide information, training and supervision on how to work safely with them.

14. msds • 4cii. MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet • This is information about a hazardous substance or dangerous goods. It will tell you more information about the item than on the label. • If you’re working with a hazardous • substance, remember: • Follow safety directions • Read the MSDS • wear your PPE • Don’t eat, smoke or drink whilst you’re working • Wash your hands when you’ve finished

15. noise • Loud noise can permanently damage your hearing. Hearing loss can not be reversed. • Key point: every effort must be made to reduce noise at its source. If it can’t be then: • The employer has to give you the correct personal hearing protector, eg; ear muffs or ear plugs • PPE like ear plugs are only temporary • You should not be working for long periods of time in noisy areas

16. electricity • 4 e. Electricity can kill people. Accidents and deaths happen when equipment becomes ‘live’ due to electrical faults, poor maintenance, or short circuits. • Work experience students must be supervised at all times by a qualified worker and never attempt to carry out any work that puts them at risk of an electrical shock.

17. Mechanical equipment • 4fa.Machines and equipment like tools, can cause serious injuries. The most common injuries are to hands, fingers and eyes. • When working with mechanical equipment wear these things: • Protective gloves • Arm guards • Safety glasses • Hard hats • Safety boots

18. ‘Danger’ tags • Key point: Any faulty equipment should be tagged so that it can’t be used until it’s replaced or repaired. Different coloured tags are used for different dangers. • 4fb. Red and black ‘DANGER” tags tell people that the equipment is dangerous. The only person allowed to remove a personal ‘danger’ tag is the person whose name is on the tag. • Yellow and black ‘OUT OF SERVICE” tags are used to stop accidents or damage to machinery that is out of service for repairs.

19. Personal safety - stress • 5. Key point: Stress is a reaction people have if they work with a lot of demands, pressures or expectations. Usually, people feel they have lost control over their lives, or that they can’t cope. • At work, it means that a person’s work performance can drop, mistakes can be made and the health of that person is at risk. • Bullying can cause people stress. It can be: • physical, like being pushed or hit • verbal, like being threatened or intimidated • non-verbal, like being excluded

20. Ppe – personal protective equipment • 6. Key point: when hazards in the workplace can’t be eliminated or reduced, employers must provide personal protective equipment and clothing, (PPE). • This is clothing or other equipment you must wear or use to keep you safe, eg: safety boots in building construction areas.

21. Dealing With An Emergency • 7. Accidents happen sometimes in workplaces, so you must know what to do in an emergency: • First Aid Facilities – there may be a first aid room or a first aid kit with bandages and medicines inside. • Fire extinguishers – these are red cylinders with gas or water inside. You need to know what type of fire it is and use the correct extinguisher. • Alarm signals – if there is a fire or an emergency a siren or bell will sound. You will need to assemble in a safe zone and wait for further instructions.

22. Safety and health laws • 8. There are laws about making workplaces are safe. Employers have to follow the laws to keep employees safe. • The law is called ‘The Occupational Health and Safety Act’, (OHS Act). It allows employers and employees to deal with workplace health and safety through consultation (discussion) and co-operation (team work).

23. Duty of care • The OHS Act describes what the responsibilities of people at work are about safety. • These responsibilities are called ‘the duty of care’, eg: a manufacturer of chemicals has to include information about how to use the product safely. This is their duty of care to the buyer.

24. Duties of employers • 9. An employer’s main responsibility is to make sure that the workplace is safe and that anyone working in or visiting the workplace is not exposed to hazards or harmed by the work going on. • To do this, they must provide employees with: • Information • Instructions’ • Training • Supervision

25. Duties of the employee • 10. Once you have been properly trained and instructed, you must behave correctly in the workplace, look after your own health and safety and not put other workers at risk.

26. Hsr representatives and committees • 11. HSR stands for Health and Safety Representative. This is a worker who has been elected by others to act on their behalf to solve health and safety issues in the workplace and to maintain safe working conditions.

27. The role of inspectors • 12. Worksafe inspectors are responsible for making sure that every workplace is safe. They are responsible for enforcing health and safety legislation, like the OHS Act. • They can tell the boss that something is unsafe at the workplace by issuing a written direction called an Improvement Notice or a Prohibition Notice. • The Improvement Notice requests the employer to fix the problem. • The Prohibition Notice requests the employer to stop activity.

28. Solving health and safety issues • 13. Sometimes employers and employees can’t agree on how to solve safety issues. • If you believe the work you are doing is dangerous and there is a risk of serious injury or harm to yourself or others, then you can refuse to do this work, eg: if you work in a kitchen and you are asked to carry a large pot of boiling water, this is what could happen:

29. Have A Happy And Safe Work Experience!