LAW REPORT
Work Health and Safety : Important reminders
Ingrid Pagura | BA , LLB
As many of us head back into the workplace after lockdowns or working from home , I thought it might be timely to have a fresh look at Work Health and Safety . We have spent so much time and effort on our COVID-safe plans that we may have forgotten about other hazards and issues in the workplace .
The most common workplace hazards that lead to injuries are Manual Handling and Slips , Trips and Falls .
In this article , I wanted to remind everyone that as a person conducting a business or undertaking ( PCBU ) it is your duty to create and maintain a safe workplace . This includes regular risk management , starting with hazard identification , followed by risk assessment and control . Let ’ s look at these two main hazards .
Manual Handling and Sitting
Safework Australia defines manual handling as ‘ a manual task that involves using your body to lift , lower , push , pull , carry or otherwise move , hold or restrain any person , animal or thing .’
Injuries can result from several sorts of tasks , such as lifting boxes or stock on and off shelves , carrying around towels and blankets , bending over a client on a poorly adjusted massage table , doing the same task repeatedly , over-reaching and handling heavy items , or helping people who have little or no mobility to move . Interestingly , sitting too long is now classed as a manual handling hazard . All these activities can have a negative effect on the person and on their business .
Prolonged sitting , or sedentary behaviour , poses significant health risks . According to Safework Australia , Australian workers spend approximately 76 % of their time at work sitting , which equates to about 5 hours per day . A quarter of the population report that they sit for more than 8 hours per day .
Healthcare professionals who spend a lot of time doing office and administrative tasks have an increased risk of excessive sedentary behaviour , which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease , some cancers , type II diabetes and musculoskeletal disorders .
For other healthcare professionals who do the more physical tasks mentioned above , manual handling injuries are usually caused when the task uses repetitive or sustained force , high or sudden force , sustained or awkward posture , repetitive movements , or vibration .
So how can you help keep your workplace safe from these injuries ?
Talking to your workers should be the very first step taken . They are the best source of information about the demands of their job , and about what works and what doesn ’ t . Ask them what jobs cause them problems and what jobs they avoid doing . Watch them while they work and look for awkward or difficult movements .
Correct lifting technique training is used as a primary way to control manual task risks in the workplace , but it must address every movement involved in the task . It is great that a person knows to bend their knees when they lift , but if they continue lifting , say , heavy towels without attention to all the musculoskeletal precautions , they could still get injured .
Train your staff to keep the load close to the body for as long as possible when lifting . They should keep the heaviest side of the load next to the body , adopt a stable position and make sure their feet are apart , with one leg slightly forward to maintain balance . They should look around their immediate surroundings before lifting , and remove any obstacles . Equal care should be taken in lifting the load and placing it back down . Knees , not backs , should be bent to brace a load .
220 | vol27 | no4 | JATMS