EDUCATION UPDATE (Issue 17)

Work Safely Training

Become involved in what has proven to be an extremely successful course. All successful participants receive certification for the “Work Safely Competency” in Certificate II – Quarry Management from the Nationally endorsed Extractive Industry Training Package.

Would you be confident that your efforts to train your employees/yourself in OH&S could stand up in court? Ask yourself these two simple questions:

1. Was the person conducting the training from a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)?
2. Was the training accredited by a nationally endorsed training organisation such as ANTA?

If you answered ‘NO’ to either of these questions, you may want to consider doing this course!

Resources and Infrastructure

Supplied by Australian Training Magazine

The multi-billion dollar resource sector has a hotline to the vocational education and training system, thanks to the formation of the Resources and Infrastructure Industry Skills Council.

The council covers the extractive, metalliferous, coal, drilling and civil construction industries. As the first industry skills council formed, it is strongly connected to enterprises in the industry and is targeting changing skills needs and future workforce requirements.

A key priority in 2004 is implementation of the industry wide ‘Attract, train and retain’ strategy.

Work Safely Training

Briony Rowley, CMPA Administration Officer

The Construction Material Processors Association aims to assist the extractive industry in protecting the safety of employees,contractors, customers and the public. The Work Safely Training Course provides detailed information encompassing a wide variety of safety issues. The BoxHill TAFE trainers provide interesting industry examples and allow discussion amongst attendees which personalises the course for each individual, hence increasing the effectiveness of the information presented and the amount actually taken in.

The Occupational Health & Safety Act is concerned with providing a safe working environment for all employees. This Act is therefore an integral part of the Work Safely Course. Other Acts covered in the Work Safely Course include:

• Dangerous Goods Act;
• Accident Compensation Act;
• Environment Protection Act;
• Extractive Industries
• Development Act; and
• Electricity Safety Act

The first day began with a short multiple choice activity before getting into the content of the course. We individually filled out a quiz to the best of our ability, and were then put into groups in which we went through the questions together and were required to submit one response agreed upon by the group as a whole. The results and their relevance to the course were discussed, and it was made apparent that the purpose of the activity was to enforce that ‘two heads are better than one.’ i.e. the accuracy rate was much higher when possible solutions to the problems were discussed within the group, rather than making independent decisions.

The Work Safely Training Course began by covering a variety of General Safety Rules which are common rules that should be upheld on all construction material processing sites. Whilst the topics covered were only general areas, and may have seemed simple at the time of discussion, (such as reporting accidents, observing danger tags, etc) I have discovered that it is often the small things that have the greatest potential to cause the most damage to a person or business, as they are easily overlooked.

The trainer then moved onto a more detailed discussion of the various aspects of Workplace Hazards and the prevention and control of these hazards. There was a wide variety of topics covered and those that I found to be the most beneficial/ appropriate to my circumstances (as an Administration Officer) included:

• Housekeeping and Storage
• Heat Stress
• Manual Handling Tasks
• Office Safety

We then moved onto General Safety Measures within construction material processing sites. These included areas such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Safety Signs, Danger Tag and Lockout Systems, Explosives,
Shots, and Incident Reporting.

Slides were presented and discussions followed regarding accidents that had taken place within the extractive industry due to negligence with respect to PPE.

The use of photos increased the impact of the information presented to the attendees as we were confronted with disturbing images portraying the consequences of the misuse/absence of PPE.

The five main types of Safety Signs commonly used at construction material processing sites were discussed, including the differences between these main types. Following on from this was information on Danger Tags and Lock Out Systems, and the importance of following the correct procedures. It was made clear through actual examples that noncompliance with these tags/lockouts can be extremely dangerous.

There were various discussions amongst attendees regarding Explosives and Shot Firing. Slides and photos of accidents that had occurred in Australia were shown to encourage a greater understanding of the dangers of being an employee in the extractive industry, and to encourage attendees to do the right thing for both their own personal safety and the safety of others.

Finally, to complete this section of the course there was a discussion on Incident Reporting. The various types of incidents were discussed, along with the appropriate procedures that must take place in the follow up after an incident. i.e. who to call/notify, etc.

The final section of the course encompassed ‘the employee’. This section covered health monitoring, accidents, discrimination and disciplinary procedures. Thorough discussion followed regarding the procedure to be followed if an accident/incident/emergency were to occur, along with a short discussion regarding the Equal Employment Opportunity Act with respect to discrimination in the workplace.

Each of the two training days finished with a test to determine whether the training had been successful, and if the attendees of the course would leave with a greater understanding of the essential safety procedures to be maintained within a construction material processing site.

Those enrolled in the course which I attended ranged from First Year Apprentices to Office Staff to Quarry Mangers, and I believe that each and every one of these attendees would have learnt a great deal and genuinely benefited from the Work Safely Training Course.

I believe that all employees of companies associated with construction material processing sites would benefit from the experience of attending the CMPA Work Safely Training Course.

Box Hill Institute of TAFE
Extractive Industries Training Certificate IV and Diploma

This course will address the Certificate IV and Diploma Level for MNQ03 Extractive Industries competency training package requirements

• MNQGEN401: Apply site statutory compliance Management plan
• MNQGEN500: Implement and maintain Management plans to control risk
• BSBMGT503: Prepare budgets and financial plans

Course Duration
Tuesday 14th September Friday 17th September 2004, 8:00am—4pm daily
Venue
Nelson Campus, Nelson Road, Box Hill
Presentation
Online with lectures and tutorials
Assessment
Online assessment
Class Size
10 to 12 participants
Parking Available
At Nelson Campus, first in basis
Trainer
Charles van Breda International Risk Control Academy
Course Fee
$950 per participant. Confirmation and payment is required ten days before commencing the course, as a student number is required to be issued before the start date so as to be able to access the Box Hill intranet online training support system. The enrollment form will need to be completed.
Course Cancellations
If sufficient enrollments are not obtained, notification of cancellation and a rescheduled course date will be provided before the course is due to commence. Please provide a contact phone number and address on the application for so you can be contacted.

COMPETENCIES

• Implement operational plan
• Apply site statutory compliance management plan
• Monitor a safe workplace
• Implement and monitor environmental policies
• Apply site risk management system
• Apply site risk management processes
• Conduct safety and health investigations
• Supervise dust and noise control
• Implement and maintain management plans to control risk
• Undertake business planning
• Promote the business
• Coordinate implementation of customer service strategies
• Conduct sales in construction materials operations
• Facilitate and capitalise on change and innovation
• Manage an operational plan
• Undertake financial planning
• Prepare budgets and financial plans
• Manage finances
• Report on financial activities

Explosive Licence Renewal

Please note that this is the final call for those wishing to complete an Explosive Licence Renewal Course. Bookings are now open for all courses and can be made by calling the CMPA. Please be aware that on 1st of July 2005 some older licences under:

• Mines Act 1958
• Mineral Resources Development Act 1990
• Extractive Industries Development Act 1995

will expire. If you wish to continue using your Explosive Licence once the new legislation comes into force in July 2005 you must have completed a renewal course prior to that date, as all old licences will become invalid.

Completing the refresher course through the CMPA will most likely be your easiest option. Successful completion of the course will lead to the reissue of your explosives licence under the Dangerous Goods (Explosives) Regulations 2000.

The CMPA has organised with the Department of Primary Industries and Box Hill TAFE to provide training for the renewal of explosive licences. The trainer for the courses will be Mr Spence Herd, and there will be two DPI inspectors present at all courses.

Course details:
Dates:
Melbourne (DPI) Friday 8th October
Bendigo Friday 15th October
Traralgon Friday 22nd October
Ballarat Friday 29th October
TBA Friday 5th November

Cost:
$375 per person. (Of this $225 covers trainers, lunch, and all course materials. $150 is for DPI licence renewal fee).

Trainer:
Spence Herd
Mr Herd held a “Permit to use Explosives” for 30 years, and serviced the quarry industry for 20 years as an explosives supplier with ICI/Orica. He will be coming out of retirement to conduct the training for the Explosive Licence Renewal Courses.

David Crosby, Quantec Solutions

Firstly, Quantec Solutions would like to congratulate the CMPA for organising a very informative and enjoyable Annual General Meeting in Ballarat.

This was our first appearance at a CMPA AGM and we found it to be very impressive. Not only did we meet many people and have a great time, but we also gained valuable insight into the goals of the CMPA.

During the meeting it was obvious that safety requirements and the skill level of workers on site is of great concern to the CMPA. The need to improve skills and provide a safer working environment for workers is at the top of the list of priorities and a goal that we believe we can help the CMPA to achieve.

I believe that the CMPA can achieve its safety goals by following these principles:

1. Commitment: Commit to the goal and ensure that those around you are as equally committed.
2. Policy: Develop practical policies that will enable the realisation of these goals.
3. Investment into Resources: Invest in the resources that you need to achieve your goals.
4. Planning: Carefully plan and schedule your training and assessment and make sure you set deadlines for the achievement of goals.
5. Implementation: Implement policies and commence oxy/fuel, arc assessment and training
6. Measurement & Evaluation: Measure your results and evaluate their effectiveness.
7. Management Review: Managers give an objective review of the project and determine its overall success rating.

Where to start?

As with all big projects, knowing exactly where to start can be tricky. To help you, I have created the following steps to make the process a little less daunting.

1. Once committed, your organisation should carry out an oxy/fuel, arc/mig hazard and risk assessment on all equipment. This assessment should take into full account the legal requirements associated with all welding equipment (I provided an overview of these in the last CMPA newsletter).
2. Consider the training gaps and requirements of your organisation and then set objectives and targets. For example, three of my unqualified welders will be qualified by December.
3. Delegate responsibility to a select group of individuals within your organisation so that they can be accountable for certain duties that will keep you on track with your safety plan. This will ensure that your staff feel ownership over the project and will also lessen the burden on yourself. For example, your maintenance supervisor could check the oxy and arc equipment monthly.
4. Carefully monitor the progress of your safety plan by keeping a diary or log book.
5. After 1 year, evaluate what you have achieved and determine whether your oxy/fuel, mig/arc processes have improved.
6. Seek feedback from your staff, asking them if they feel their overall skill levels have progressed, and if they feel they are part of a safer work environment.
7. Request that more senior staff members review your progress and ask them for feedback and recommendations.

If you follow the above steps you should notice an improvement in the skill level of your staff and the overall safeness of your workplace within a year.

In 2-3 years you will notice a significant improvement, with a higher skill level in all your workers, increased productivity as a result of improved skills, and fewer workplace injuries.

By now, you should realise that the rewards of such an investment cannot be underestimated. If you want further information about anything in this article, please do not hesitate to contact me on 0425 768 094. Thanks for your time and I wish you well with all your welding safety goals.

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