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Improving safety and health

More than one in 10 employees are injured every year in the metal-product manufacturing industry. Statistics show that young male workers under the age of 25 are most at risk. Injuries such as strains, open wounds, fractures and amputations are common.

Content

  1. Introduction
  2. Why improve workplace safety and health?
  3. What can employers do?
  4. The three basic steps to eliminate or control hazards are:
  5. Whose responsibility is safety and health?
  6. After injury rehabilitation

1. Introduction

The metal-product manufacturing industry includes the fabrication of structural steel, sheet metal products and aluminium building products.

The two most common activities incurring injury in this industry are:

  • using metal working machinery and equipment, and
  • handling loads.

2. Why improve workplace safety and health?

The industry has a responsibility to reduce workplace hazards, thereby reducing the number of injuries.

Workplace injuries represent a high cost to the manufacturing metal products industry through:

  • lost productivity
  • increased insurance premiums
  • lost competitiveness
  • loss of experienced employees
  • disruption of work schedules
  • extra time interviewing and training new workers
  • pain and suffering to injured workers and their families.

3. What can employers do?

Employers can take an active role in eliminating and reducing hazards, as far as practicable, by:

  • talking to employees and health and safety representatives about identifying hazards
  • deciding how to eliminate hazards and control risks before injuries happen
  • developing safe work procedures, in consultation with employees and health and safety representatives, for each hazardous task.

Toolbox meetings can be useful for identifying hazards and discussing where risk controls can be implemented.

4. The three basic steps to eliminate or control hazards are:


STEP 1. IDENTIFY THE HAZARDS

The employer, in consultation with employees and health and safety representatives, looks for hazards in the workplace and in the systems of work.

Employees report hazards to the employer that they are unable to correct themselves.

Health and safety representatives report hazards, including those noted during their workplace inspections.

STEP 2. ASSESS THE RISKS

The employer consults with employees and health and safety representatives on risks likely to arise from the identified hazards.

The employer decides on priorities for action depending on the likelihood and severity of injury resulting from these risks.

STEP 3. CONTROL THE RISKS

The employer consults with employees and health and safety representatives on how to eliminate and control the risks.

The employer consults with employees before making changes to improve safety and health.

Consultation between all parties at the workplace is important with each of the three steps.

5. Whose responsibility is safety and health?

Employers' responsibilities:

  •  provide and maintain workplaces, plant and systems of work that do not expose employees to hazards
  • provide information, instruction, training and supervision so that employees are not exposed to hazards while they are working
  • consult and co-operate with employees and health and safety representatives on health and safety matters
  • provide adequate personal protective clothing and equipment where it is not practicable to avoid the presence of hazards
  • make arrangements for the safe use, cleaning, maintenance, transportation and disposal of substances, machinery and equipment used in the workplace.

Employees are entitled to ask for a health and safety representative to be elected on their behalf.

Employees' responsibilities:

  • take care to protect their own safety and health and that of others
  • co-operate with their employer on safety and health matters
  • report to the employer any situation at the workplace that could be a hazard, and that they cannot correct themselves
  • follow safety instructions and training provided
  • use and look after the protective equipment provided.

Employees may refuse to do work which they believe would expose them or others to the risk of serious and imminent injury or illness.

Responsibilities of designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers:

    • design and make machinery and equipment so that people using it as directed are not exposed to hazards
    • provide information on how to use the machinery and equipment safely.

6. Post-injury rehabilitation

Injury management should be part of any injury prevention program, so that if an injury does happen, its effects can be minimised.

Proper medical treatment and vocational rehabilitation mean that an injured worker will have a safe and early return to suitable work.

The workplace is usually the most effective place to rehabilitate injured workers. Every workplace should develop a policy and procedures for rehabilitating injured workers. Topic 9 provides more information on good rehabilitation practices.  

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