WorkSafe Victoria Update

BRUCE McCLURE, General Manager of the CMPA reports on the changes to the structure within WorkSafe Victoria which impacts on the Extractive Industries.

In the Feb/Mar Issue of Sand & Stone the Secretariat mentioned that WorkSafe Victoria was proposing internal changes to the department structure. One of the proposals was that the Extractive Industries area which operated at that stage under the Construction and Utilities Division be moved to the Earth Resources area (which already includes mining) in the Hazard Management Group.

As from the 1st July 2012 the new internal structure for WorkSafe is now in operation. The Extractive Industries and Mining are grouped together in Health and Safety Operations and under the Workplace Hazards & Hazardous Industries Group. The Director for this group is Mr Jarrod Edwards.

Hazard & Safety Operations within WorkSafe Victoria will comprise of three Regional operations across Victoria, West, East and North, Operations Support Division, Planning, Performance & Implementation Team and finally, Workplace Hazards & Hazardous Industries Group. Mr Rob Kelly Manager Earth Resources, whose team sits within the Workplace Hazards & Hazardous Industries Group, is the point of contact for all issues involving the Extractive Industries.

Hazards & Safety Operations have stated that the 2012/2013 priorities which will cover all industry groups are:

• Inspector visits/employer programs
• Manual handling
• Dangerous plant and machinery
• Construction
• Agriculture
• Asbestos
• Health and safety representatives
• Dangerous goods
• Psychological hazards and public safety.

It should be noted that WorkSafe intends to recruit twenty three new inspectors in 2012/2013 covering all industries so this will likely increase the possibility of quarry sites being visited by inspections on a routine inspection.

The following Quarries Activity Report comments on visits to quarry sites by WorkSafe from July 2011 to the 15 June 2012.

VISITS

WorkSafe Inspectors have completed 199 quarry related visits in the financial year to date, including 63 new visits since the previous meeting in January 2012.

NOTICES

WorkSafe inspectors have issued a total of 96 notices (inc. voluntary compliances) in the financial year to date, including 20 new notices since the previous meeting in January 2012.

REPORTED INCIDENTS

As noted above, there have been a total of six incident response visits during this period. Five of which were previously reported at the January 2012 meeting.

Although there has been a downward trend in all incidents as shown by the statistics supplied by WorkSafe, all members need to remain vigilant and to ensure that all OH & S procedures are in place and are being adhered to. The biggest threat that we all face is complacency.

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