Issue Date:  -  Friday, 9 July 2004

Designing healthier workplaces for health workers

A national campaign aimed at reducing the number of work-related injuries sustained by Australia’s hospital and community service workers is now underway.

Nationally, more than 15,000 health and community service industry workers lodged compensation claims for work-related injuries during 2001-2002.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said today that the majority of these injuries were caused by high-risk manual handling using poorly designed equipment and procedures.

“The Design 4 Health campaign now running throughout Australia focuses on helping workplaces to manage manual handling risks related to the design of their equipment and work environments,” Ms Lyhne said.

“The campaign, developed by occupational safety and health authorities throughout Australia in conjunction with the health and community services industry, involves workplace inspectors visiting 110 hospitals and aged care facilities in WA.

“During these visits, inspectors will conduct safety audits and be able to provide practical guidance and information on how to manage manual handling risks.

“In WA, manual handling injuries cost the health and community services industry around $23 million each year.

“This doesn’t include the social cost and the pain and suffering faced by those injured at work, or the loss in productivity from average absences from work of around 15 weeks for each injury.”

As well as helping to reduce manual handling risks, the campaign will help occupational safety and health authorities to develop uniform auditing processes and benchmarks, while also allowing for the collection of industry data.

The Design 4 Health safety audits will run until September, with results expected by the end of 2004.

Further information on manual handling hazards can be obtained by telephoning WorkSafe on 9327 8777 or on the website at www.safetyline.wa.gov.au.

Information on best practice designs for the health and community service industry is also available by logging on to the Design 4 Health website at www.dir.qld.gov.au/design4health.