WorkSafe have announced that from 1 November 2008 they will be conducting a state-wide inspection campaign targeting musculoskeletal disorder injuries, more commonly known as manual handling sprains and strains.
WorkSafe's Executive Director, Mr John Merritt is quoted as saying: "Preventing injuries from manual lifting and slips, trips and falls of less than two meters are the focus of this campaign. These injuries accounted for more than 60% of all workplace injury insurance claims in 2007-2008."
Mr Merritt also indicated that in many cases there were simple mechanical solutions that could eliminate or control the risks of musculoskeletal injuries and that unfortunately businesses were ignorant of or reluctant to implement such measures.
Under section 21 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) an employer will breach their duty to provide a safe workplace if they fail to:
- provide systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health; or
- maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, each workplace under the employer's management and control in a condition that is safe and without risks to health; or
- provide such information, instruction, training or supervision to employees of the employer as is necessary to enable those persons to perform their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health.
Further to this, Part 3.1 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007 (Vic) deals specifically with employers' responsibilities in relation to manual handling. Employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, identify any task undertaken involving hazardous manual handling and ensure that any risks of a musculoskeletal disorder are eliminated so far as is reasonably practicable. If elimination is not possible then the employer must reduce the risk by:
- altering the workplace layout, the working environment or the systems of work used to undertake the task; or
- changing the objects used in the task; or
- using mechanical aids; or
- any combination of the above.
In addition, an employer must review and revise any control measures used to eliminate or reduce manual handling risks when there are changes within the workplace to manual handling tasks or equipment, when a musculoskeletal injury occurs or when a notifiable incident that involves a musculoskeletal injury occurs.
WorkSafe has indicated that during its campaign it will be issuing improvement and prohibition notices where there are safety issues observed at workplaces and prosecution will be considered in the case of serious breaches.
Employers should be aware of the manual handling risks within their workplace and ensure that risk assessments have been conducted, control measures have been implemented and staff have been trained in manual handling.
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