Safe Work Australia has released their Notifiable Fatalities Monthly Report for January 2016. While there have been 81 preliminary worker deaths this year, as at 7 July, Safe Work Australia’s report highlights the notifiable fatalities that have been reported to each state and territory’s relevant WHS authority.
The reports shows of the 15 work-related notifiable fatalities in January 2016, six occurred as a result of a vehicle incident on a public road (two workers and four bystanders died). This highlights the risk of death and injury in workplaces where vehicles, mobile plant and pedestrians share the work area.
To combat these statistics and aim reduce the rate of fatalities and severity of injuries involving people being hit by mobile plant and vehicles, Queensland WorkCover is actively visiting and assessing workplaces, starting in July 2016 through to September 2017.
While you may not operate in Queensland, and therefore not be subject to these visits and assessments, why not self-assess your own workplace and review it for effectiveness and to make sure it is adequate.
Remember, traffic management is just about the signs and people we see directing traffic at road works. It could be restricting access to an area of the work site, using bunting, due to excavations being undertaken. Or marking out lines on a warehouse floor identifying where workers and pedestrians are only allowed to walk. Or allocating designated delivery areas on a construction site.
Safe Work Australia has a comprehensive library of guidance materials on how to manage traffic risks in the workplace. If you’d like help generating ideas and opportunities to improve work practices, click here.
