A company in Victoria accused of breaching safety laws, in failing to conduct monthly inspections of scaffolding, has responded to a serious fall by employing an OHS compliance officer, overhauling its OHS register and entering a $55,000 undertaking.

In 2017, a worker was inspecting the eaves at a Victorian construction site, controlled by TS Constructions Pty Ltd, when he fell more than three metres through a gap in the scaffolding, where two planks had been removed. He suffered broken facial bones and a broken wrist.

It was later found that the TS site foreman recalled the planks being moved by bricklayers, probably so they could access a window area, but failed to conduct a follow-up inspection to ensure the planks were replaced.

TS was charged with breaching the State OHS Act and Regulations in failing to ensure the scaffold was complete and safe by properly inspecting it at least once every 30 days and failing to ensure no work was performed from incomplete scaffolding.

WorkSafe Victoria accepted TS’s bid to enter an enforceable undertaking, in lieu of prosecution. The regulator heard the company responded to the painting worker’s fall by engaging a compliance officer with extensive experience in the construction industry, whose primary role was overseeing the company’s safety policies and procedures and ensuring best practice performance of the company’s OHS compliance.

TS engaged external entities to review its OHS management system, while also updating and expanded its AS/NZS 4801-accredited OHS register. The company rolled out additional safety training to supervisors and contractors, invited WorkSafe representatives to provide relevant OHS updates at quarterly meetings, and, in the space of twelve months conducted almost 150 site compliance inspections.

With scaffolding safety such a serious issue in our industry, another jurisdiction is conducting ‘Operation Scaff Safe 2019’. SafeWork NSW is targeting scaffold compliance across all sectors of construction. They are looking to ensure scaffolds are built to Australian Standards and are not missing components; those erecting, dismantling or altering scaffolds (where the risk of an object or person falling is 4 metres or more) hold the correct HRW scaffolding licence, and scaffolds remain safe and compliant throughout the build process.

On-the-spot fines of up to $3,600 may be issued to PCBUs placing workers lives at risk by not protecting them from falls from heights, or for those conducting high risk work without a licence (this includes scaffolding work where a person or object can fall more than 4 metres).

SafeWork Australia has a guide that provides information on how to manage risks associated with scaffolds and scaffolding work at a workplace. It is supported by guidance material for specific types of scaffolds and scaffolding, suspended (swing stage) scaffolds, scaffold inspection and maintenance, and advice for small businesses and workers on managing the risks associated with tower and mobile scaffolds and related scaffolding work.

Do you know how to safely store the chemicals you work with and the obligations you have under WHS legislation? Are you responsible for developing safety data sheets?

Working with and around chemicals can be dangerous if you don’t know the right way to use them and store them. Let’s look at some of the common health and safety risks of storing chemicals review how to manage those risks.

Hazardous chemicals are defined as substances, mixtures and articles that can pose a health or physical hazard to humans. They may be solids, liquids or gases.

Health hazards are properties of a chemical that cause adverse health effects. This could include toxic chemicals, carcinogens and chemicals which may cause infertility or birth defects. Exposure to these chemicals usually occurs through inhalation, ingestion or skin contact.

Physical hazards are properties of a chemical that can result in immediate injury to people or damage to property. For example, flammable liquids, compressed gases and self-heating substances. Corrosive chemicals can have both physical and health hazards and could damage skin and eyes.

Even when you’re not using them, chemicals can still pose a risk. Flammable and oxidising chemicals may cause or contribute to a fire, corrosive chemicals can injure workers and damage structures they come into contact with and toxic chemicals can poison. Compressed gases can also suffocate or poison workers if they leak.

Also, some chemicals are not compatible with other chemicals. When incompatible chemicals mix they can explode, release toxic, flammable or corrosive gases, or corrode chemical containers, causing them to leak. It’s important to identify which chemicals are incompatible and ensure that hazardous chemicals are stored safely to minimise the chance of an incident occurring.

When using and storing hazardous chemicals, you should always follow a risk management approach, by:

  • Identifying the hazards – what could cause harm?
  • Assess the risks, if any – how could it harm workers, how serious is the harm and how likely is it to happen?
  • Eliminate these risks so far as is reasonably practicable
  • Control the risks – if it is not practical to eliminate the risk, implement control measures
  • Review and maintain control measures

This might include considerations such as:

  • Where possible, perform the task without using hazardous chemicals
  • Where possible, substitute hazardous chemicals with less toxic alternatives
  • Isolate hazardous chemicals
  • Ensure storage areas are separately ventilated from the rest of the workplace
  • Make sure workers are thoroughly trained in handling chemicals safety
  • Always use personal protection equipment (PPE) such as respirators, gloves and goggles
  • Regularly monitor the workplace with appropriate equipment to track the degree of hazardous chemicals in the air or environment
  • Consult with your workers to maintain and improve existing safety and handling practices
  • Keep emergency management plans up to date, and share them with workers
  • Eliminate ignition sources, but if not practicable then control them
  • Clearly label all hazardous chemicals, including those decanted into other containers.

NOTE: When labelling chemicals, the GHS1notes warning labels on hazardous substances should feature hazard pictograms, signal words (such as danger and warning), hazard statements (such as fatal if swallowed) and precautionary statements (such as wear protective gloves).

Before you use or store any hazardous chemicals, you must get a current safety data sheet from the manufacturer or supplier. You must also maintain updated safety data sheets and ensure your workers, emergency services personnel or anyone who asks is provided with that information.

You also need to keep a register that lists all the hazardous chemicals (except certain consumer products and certain chemicals in transit) which are used, stored and handled at your workplace. It must include the current safety data sheet for each chemical listed. Make sure everyone affected by the hazardous chemicals can view the register.

If you store chemicals, use a checklist to help keep them safe and ensure you are storing them correctly (see our one-page checklist at the end of this article).

For more information, visit the work health and safety regulator in your state.

  1. Globally Harmonised System (GHS) of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals

With only two weeks to go until the end of another financial year, there’s no time like the present to get the books in order.

We’ve taken a look at what the ATO wants you to know in the lead up to EOFY…

Instant asset write-off extended and increased

Businesses with a turnover from $10 million to less than $50 million are now eligible for the instant asset write-off. This applies to assets purchased and first used or installed ready for use up to $30,000 each from 7.30pm (AEDT) on 2 April 2019 to 30 June 2020.

Businesses may purchase and claim a deduction for multiple assets each under the $30,000 threshold… e.g. you may purchase a new van worth $22,000 and then purchase new equipment at a cost of $14,000, in the same financial year, and claim both of these as each of the assets are under the $30,000 threshold.

For assets over $30,000 the general depreciation rules apply.

Small businesses (turnover up to $10 million) are also eligible for the instant asset write off of $30,000 for assets purchased from 7.30pm (AEDT) 2 April 2019 to 30 June 2020. For purchases prior to this date different thresholds apply for small businesses.

Single Touch Payroll – don’t forget changes

As we’ve reported previously, if you are reporting through Single Touch Payroll (STP) your end of financial year process has changed.

These changes mean you are no longer required to provide a payment summary to your employees or lodge a payment summary annual report for any information that has already been reported and finalised through STP.

If you won’t be providing a payment summary to your employees this year, remember to let them know. Your employees will be able to see their information reported through STP in their ATO online account via myGov. This information will now be referred to as an income statement. If your employees don’t have a myGov account, they can create on and link it to the ATO.

If you started reporting through STP during the 2018–19 financial year, you will have until 31 July 2019 to make the finalisation declaration within your software solution.

FBT – get it right

If you’re an employer, the ATO is warning they’re looking out for FBT mistakes… In this year’s updated list of ‘What attracts our attention’, there are six items that specifically relate to fringe benefits tax (FBT). To stay off the radar, make sure you’re on track with:

  • failing to report motor vehicle fringe benefits, incorrectly applying exemptions for vehicles or incorrectly claiming reductions for these benefits
  • mismatches between the amount reported as an employee contribution on an FBT return compared to the income amounts on an employer’s tax return
  • claiming entertainment expenses as a deduction but not correctly reporting them as a fringe benefit, or incorrectly classifying entertainment expenses as sponsorship or advertising
  • incorrectly calculating car parking fringe benefits due to:
  • significantly discounting market valuations
  • using non-commercial parking rates
  • not being supported by adequate evidence
  • not reporting fringe benefits on business assets that are provided for the personal enjoyment of employees or associates
  • not lodging FBT returns (or lodging them late) to delay or avoid payment of tax.

Improving super guarantee compliance

A number of measures have been enacted to protect the super entitlements of employees, focusing on improving employers’ compliance with their Super Guarantee (SG) obligations.

Starting back in April, in summary:

  • employers who feel they could benefit from more knowledge in relation to their super obligation will have access to a new, free, online education course (and assessment) that they can complete at a time that suits them.
  • employers who are not meeting their SG obligations may be directed to complete the course.
  • business owners/directors may be held personally liable for amounts owing through Director Penalty Notices and security deposits.
  • The ATO can provide employees with information regarding the non-payment of SG by employers, including what actions we are taking to recover the outstanding amounts.

Getting your tax responsibilities sorted as early as possible can be a big weight off your shoulders AND get you a well-deserved return sooner rather than later. With only a couple of weeks to go, put aside some time and get your files ready so you can start the next financial year on the right foot.

Channel Nine has reported on a spate of horrific injuries to small children and toddlers, following falls onto shopping rack and hooks in retailers including Target and K-Mart.

Several children have had to have emergency and reconstructive surgery to their eyes after colliding with metal hooks when they’ve fallen over or bent to collect an item off the floor, leaving them with catastrophic injuries.

The investigation by the television network has uncovered a range of incidents across various retailers and has led leading ophthalmologists to warn that placing any type of hook or rack at small children’s height is clearly fraught with danger. The potential for severe and permanent damage is incredibly high.

It would appear some retailers are beginning to make changes with the way they design and fit out their displays but the industry as a whole has been slow to follow.

Designers and shopfitters have a responsibility to ensure their installations are as safe as possible, not just for workers but also shoppers, of all sizes.

One of the five national priorities in the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-22, safety in design aims to prevent injuries by considering hazards as early as possible in the planning and design process, which includes design of plant, structures, substance as well as the work itself.

Safe design is the integration of hazard identification and risk assessment methods early in the design process to eliminate or minimise the risks of injury throughout the life of a product being designed. Of 639 work-related fatalities from 2006­­ to 2011, one-third (188) were caused by unsafe design or design-related factors contributed to the fatality. Of all fatalities where safe design was identified as an issue, one in five was caused by inadequate protective guarding for workers.

This lack of design around guarding extends beyond workers, and into the customer space, as the recent spate of horrific injuries on toddlers would prove.

What should you consider when designing a fit out to manage work health and safety risks?

  • The physical design of a product, or the way that product will be used.
  • Work layout to reduce the possibility of hazards occurring in the space.
  • Applying risk management principles to the design process to eliminate hazards that may occur – in this case, removing the dangers of hooks and hangers to small children
  • Designing work to minimise risk. Creating healthy and safe work requires jobs and tasks be designed to accommodate the abilities, diversity and vulnerabilities of workers, and providing them with the tools needed to conduct the work safely for everyone.

A design should also consider the functional requirements of the space. Make sure your store design considers the needs of both your business and customers. Safety is paramount for anyone who will spend time in the shop, so it should cater for people with disabilities or prams by providing ramps, handrails, lifts, wide aisles and hearing loops for sound systems, keeping any potentially dangerous hooks, rails or stands away from children, and providing easy and safe access throughout the space to move freely.

SafeWork Australia has developed a Model Code of Practice on Safe Design of Structures, developed to provide practical guidance to anyone conducting a business or undertaking who design structures that will be used, or could reasonably be expected to be used, as a workplace. This includes architects, building designers and engineers. This model Code is also relevant for anyone making decisions that influence the design outcome, such as clients, developers and builders*.

*To have legal effect in a jurisdiction, the model Code of Practice must be approved as a code of practice in that jurisdiction. To determine if this model Code of Practice has been approved as a code of practice in a particular jurisdiction, check with the relevant regulator.

Set midway between Port Macquarie’s coastline and hinterland, the 25,000+m² Sovereign Hills Town Centre, Sovereign Place – currently in Stage 1 of construction – will be the epitome of a development striving to meet the demands of the modern customer without sacrificing the connection to its natural surroundings.

According to the designers and developers of this centre, experiential retail is the future, with modern customers eager to embrace a more immersive shopping experience that goes beyond simply visiting a centre, making a purchase and returning home. Today’s discerning shopper wants variety and entertainment housed in an accessible, aesthetically pleasing and environmentally-conscious package so that a centre visit is not just about practicalities, but also the creation of pleasurable and memorable experiences.

The predominantly outdoor centre features lush landscaping, locally-sourced recycled timber arbours and natural sandstone, blending seamlessly with the environment. The overall offer strives to meet the demands of an increasingly savvy regional consumer base that seek a blend of quality retail and social connection.

Starting as a 5,200m² neighbourhood shopping centre and then growing over time, Stage 1 will be operational by end 2019 and will include a full line supermarket, chemist, café/restaurant, specialist retailers and service providers. The future Stage 2 will bring a community centre, entertainment precinct, commercial offices and additional retail spaces.

Globally renowned architects Buchan provided the architectural services, the interior design of public spaces, centre graphics and signage for Australian developer Lewis Land Group.

Managing Principal of Buchan’s Gold Coast studio Brett Saville said the design team embraced the opportunity to pay homage to the natural beauty and idyllic climate of the Port Macquarie region in their design.

“Port Macquarie is an expanding coastal city, with Sovereign Hills Town Centre and the surrounding Sovereign Hills master planned community very much the focal point of this expansion,”

Our design for stage 1 of the Town Centre maximises the opportunities that the ideal climate of Port Macquarie offers, but in addition to that also draws on the rich traditions of agricultural and timber industries of the Port Macquarie hinterland,” Saville said.

Lewis Land Group Head of Development Michael Long said incorporating biophilic design principles and sustainability measures were important to the development’s modern appeal.

“Sustainability has been considered throughout the design, with electric car charging stations, reclaimed water usage and roof-mounted solar panels, aimed at reducing the centre’s energy footprint and operating costs.

On an economic level, providing a sustainable community is at the centre of our vision for the Sovereign Hills Town Centre and we have been particular in appointing local contractors and tradespeople, and leasing to local retailers to ensure the community continues to prosper,” Long said.

Collectively, Stage 1 of the construction and subsequent employment opportunities within the centre are expected to generate more than 600 permanent and casual positions in the region.

Source: Shopping Centre News

 

 

While most of us will be making plans for Friday night, some Australians will be wondering where they’ll sleep. More than 116,000 people experience homelessness every night, and 32% are children.

That’s not a reality ASOFIA CEO Gerard Ryan is comfortable with and that’s why on Thursday 20 June, Gerard will spend the longest and coldest night of the year sleeping on the concrete at White Bay Cruise Terminal in Sydney as part of the 2019 Vinnies CEO Sleepout.

This year Gerard is hoping to raise at least $15,000. Over the past 3 years with tremendous support from the industry along many of his friends, Gerard has been able to raise over $50,000 for this very worthy cause. Last year ASOFIA formed a team and together they raised over $45,000 in just one year.

All monies raised will go towards crisis accommodation options for families and individuals at risk of homelessness, case management and counselling, educational and living skills courses, health services and home packages for those people Vinnies helps transition to housing.

To reach Gerard’s fundraising goal, he needs your help. Donations are tax-deductible and can be processed online.

Having a safe place to call home should be the right of every Australian.

Help Gerard fight 👊🏽homelessness by donating at ➡️
https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraise…/gerard-ryan/sydney