Specific tasks require risk assessments

The New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission has responded to a workplace fatality by urging employers to ensure that they have undertaken risk assessments for specific work tasks.

A subcontractor was fatally injured whilst he was engaged by Universal Cranes Pty Ltd to move a 34 metre concreted bridge girder weighing 67 tonnes from New South Wales to Brisbane. The worker was crushed to death whilst he was in the process of checking remote cabling for the trailer that was carrying the girder and his foot became trapped under the trucks moving wheels.

Justice Kavanagh found that the employer had not undertaken a risk assessment regarding workers being in a position to be struck or run over by the truck and trailer combination carrying heavy loads.

It was considered that the employer should have ensured specific safe work method statements or safe work procedures were in place to coordinate the movement of loads on the worksite.

Examples of some of the risk mitigation measures that should have been put in placed included having safety procedures to ensure that a safe distance was maintained between the truck and workers on the site, that a dedicated spotter was in place to monitor the movements of the truck, that all workers at the site wore high visibility personal protective gear and that specific communication tools such as two-way radios were implemented to ensure that workers were aware of movements taking place on the site.

The Company was consequently fined $140,000 for the safety breaches.

Key Points: Employers should not wait for an incident to occur before undertaking risk assessments. Meeting workplace health and safety requirements is a continuous obligation and employers should constantly be monitoring risks in the business and implementing control measures to eliminate or reduce any identified risks. Safe work method statements and procedures should be implemented by every business for site specific tasks required to be undertaken by employees or other workers.