AS/NZS 3760 details what the procedure is Sandra, you do have some more interesting items in your labs to test, and some are a bit more problematic to test than the average workplace.

By using modern latest generation Portable Appliance Testers with properly configured test sequences, there are no issues with testing your centrifuges, titration equipment , fume cabinets etc etc, but a certain amount of knowledge and experience is required..

Forklift Safety

When driving my forklift, I must always keep my mast and load as close to the ground as possible



I must not use a pallet as a work platform

Registered electrical workers with a current practicing license can access all Standards cited in the Electrical Safety Regulations as either being mandatory to comply with, or a means of complying with the requirement to ensure electrical safety of installations and equipment or fittings connected to them.

With any equipment Sandra, accurately determining what the risk that damage might occur between one inspection and the next can be trying and somewhat inconsistent.

By this I mean an extension lead that is sitting protected in a tray, plugged into a wall outlet and supplying a large printer could quite reasonably tested (properly) and tagged for retest in five years time, The same lead, laying on a floor, moved, unplugged and plugged back in several times a week, used to supply a variety of different items could be tested yearly. If it was used for commercial cleaning equipment then six monthly. Assuming it was a heavy duty lead, take it on a building site and three months may not be frequent enough.

The thing is, it is up to the person responsible for the equipment, in conjunction with the person testing to determine a suitable retest period with regard to the specific environment it's being used in.

Hmmm seems H&S good faith differs to accounts team — robyn moses

Gosh, that would be unusual Robyn :lol: But it can be difficult, negotiating that fine line between fairness and being taken advantage of.

Sort of in line with your comments Darren, in a thread a few months back, staff working away from home at night, couldn't check into their accommodation until 2-3pm and then having to start work at 5pm, whizz back at 3AM in the morning, sleep and shower and be out by 10:am. With most of their sleep taking place in the company vehicle- so sorting out a suitable accommodation pack would be something to add to your list Sarah.

Hmm, employee was told " you must wear spiked shoes that we supply" chose not to. Employee was told to take both a buddy and a radio with him when performing his duties, chose not to.

Arguably, not having a radio with him to communicate with the ship's bridge watch keeper may not have made a lot of difference given the language difficulties identified in the sentencing report. At least having a ships crewman with him, should have seen him moved to the ships sickbay sooner.

The real issues were, having fallen and being in chronic pain, he had no access to industrial strength pain relief, trust me after falling and breaking the tibia and fibia in several places of my left leg, a few Panadol aren't going to do it. And not being able to communicate his plight directly to Genera.

To really address the courts concerns, a few more things would seem to need to be added to the fix. A Genera buddy, with both trained to at least Offshore Racing Medic level, along with at least a Cat 1 level first aid kit, and a satellite phone to communicate directly with HQ in the event there's a medical issue.

If there's been a District Court Case you are interested in,the judgements of the District Courts of NZ are searchable here Put "Worksafe " in as a search term and you'll get the various cases returned.

In the Genera case, will be interesting to see how they discharge their duties outlined in the case Matt linked.

Done some digging Robb, and you are quite right, Section 10 does apply because of the way logships are effectively chartered to uplift and deliver logs to their destinations by a New Zealand agent consolidating a shipload from different suppliers, and/or brokering the sale of the cargo amongst different purchasers.

Not clear that those sections apply in this this case Robb, vessel was well outside EEZ and not involved with mineral recovery/research so Section 11 is knocked out.

If Bunun Justice was an NZ registered ship then HSWA would apply under Section 10, but it's Panamanian-flagged log ship, and was on its way to China and outside our EEZ when the injury occurred. So this case isn't,or at least, doesn't seem to be covered by the provisions of Section 10, so it will be interesting to find out what Maritime NZ used.

If you read through their other media releases relating to cases they have prosecuted Keith, they have listed what has prompted them to do that, so hopefully they will in this case.

Since it sets a precedent, I'm sure SafeGuard will do a feature piece on it, as will any employment law firm with a blog/monthly newsletter etc.

Moral: get qualified and do your job competently. — Chris Peace

Words to live by, Chris.

WorkSafe has stated the following in regards to a H&S per not being an officer
"Who is not an officer?
People who provide health and safety or other advice, or make recommendations to senior leadership are not officers solely on this basis. — Mark Kenny-Beveridge

Our friends, the regulators, frequently say things that are at odds with the various Acts and Regulations that they should be overseeing and ensuring compliance with Mark. Doubtless, there are many reasons for this.

But whatever the cause, the effects are, a largely static workplace death rate and a steadily growing serious workplace accident rate, with the notable exception of the forestry sector, why is that do you suppose?..

That would be something to suggest Matt, but there are a number of other standards that are mandatory to comply with such as AS/NZS 3000, they aren't free, but totally accessible to the general public if they pay, and are freely accessible by registered electrical workers with a current practicing license.

Since it's Friday

But they look pretty and gives the appearance that we've considered the possibilities, and done something to reduce/control them — Steve H

What about something pretty to replace them Matt? it's all very well to actually reduce the level of risk,but justice must be seen to be done. Said somewhat tongue in cheek, I agree with you.

I also wonder what their response would be if you had followed up their answer with "is that what you would say to a WorkSafe Inspector?" Whilst pulling out a card from your wallet for added dramatic affect! — MattD2

I did suggest that they positively ventilate the hole, and consider what they would tell the nearest and dearest of anyone damaged in the event anyone gets CO poisoned. There is an element of double jeopardy, in the right concentration, CO can also create an explosive environment.

It did become a moot point, as they pulled the Mini Excavator out of the hole the next morning. Then we learned that the local council insisted they dig the hole in a certain location, and it's somewhat off where it needs to be for them to complete the project..

35 parts per million is pretty slight, but the point at which it's effects can affect those exposed to CO.

Hi Amy

HSE UK : Hazardous Area Classification and Control of Ignition Sources

ATEX Safety | Potential Sources of Ignition

ATEX Safety | Hazardous Area Classification

ATEX Safety | Static Ignition & Thermal Instability

The above three links are all part of a series on this topic

Here's another link for you Brendon, UK related but might be useful

Assessing the safety of petroleum fuel tankers (November 2015)

NSW- Safety Alert Fatality From Hot Work On Diesel Fuel Tank

This will be of most interest to you, I think.

ACOP- Flammable Liquids Road Tank Wagons

Here in NZ there do not appear to be any legal precidents regarding the legal liabilities of H&S Professions. The nearest I can find is one in the UK - there may be others - safety-management/director-safety-consultant-jailed-labourers-death. — KeithH

That link certainly shows the potential liability that a "cut and paste job" could get you, nice find Keith :up: