Another example from the Health and Safety Handbook publishers:

Falls from height are one of the deadliest health and safety risks that employers are continually failing to address.
This time, the director of a Victorian company has found himself in court for not taking obvious precautions that would have prevented a tragic and entirely avoidable workplace death.
John Paul Kenneally and his company Entire Shopfitting Pty Ltd were fined a total of $330,000 after the Melbourne County Court found both parties guilty for failing to implement fall prevention measures to protect its workers.
In May 2017, two of the company’s workers undertaking construction work for an extension to a new indoor children’s play centre were directed to work on a two-metre high mezzanine level to start framing works.
One of the workers positioned a stepladder at the edge of the mezzanine where the balustrade had been removed.
When the other worker climbed the ladder, one of the ladder’s legs went through a gap in the floor, tipping him over the edge of the mezzanine where he fell to the ground below.
The worker suffered serious injuries and later died in hospital.
Entire Shopfitting Pty Ltd was fined $300,000 for failing to provide or maintain systems of work that were safe, as well as failing to prepare a Safe Work Method Statement before the workers carried out the high-risk work.
John Paul Kenneally was personally fined $30,000 for failing to take reasonable care.
Julie Nielsen, Health and Safety Executive Director of WorkSafe said this incident was a tragic reminder of the catastrophic consequences that working from height can have.
“The combination of a ladder and an unguarded void is a deadly one. There is no excuse for failing to protect workers from falls from height. The risks are well known and WorkSafe will not hesitate to prosecute employers who do not control them,” she said.
WorkSafe says employers should take the following steps to prevent workers falling from heights:

• Eliminate the risk by doing all or some of the work on the ground or from a solid construction.
• Use a passive fall prevention device such as scaffolds, perimeter screens, guardrails, safety mesh or elevating work platforms.
• Use a positioning system, such as a travel-restraint system.
• Use a fall arrest system, such as a catch platform or safety nets.

Use a fixed or portable ladder or implement administrative controls

When an employee is killed or injured at work, not only is the employer liable for fines like those detailed above, but their workers compensation premium can also be seriously impacted.

Some important advice from our friends at Portner Press and the Health & Safety Handbook.

Forklift accidents due to poor traffic management are an ongoing problem in Australia.
Despite the huge penalties that can be imposed for not implementing suitable traffic safety measures, this is still an issue that many employers are failing to address.

Below, we outline 6 steps every employer must take to identify traffic hazards in the workplace and determine what controls to put in place to manage the risks from those hazards:

Step 1: Consult your workers
When identifying traffic hazards, you should consult with:

• site managers;
• mobile plant drivers;
• health and safety representatives; and
• other workers who are familiar with the worksite.

This will help you comply with your consultation obligations under health and safety legislation. It will also help you to acquire accurate traffic movement data, which can be useful for developing your traffic management plan.
Be sure to consult all affected workers, particularly if there are some who work different shifts.

Step 2: Identify all collision points
Map out all movement of mobile plant and vehicles inside the premises, including:

• entry and exit points;
• the number of daily movements by mobile plant; and
• pick-up and drop-off points.

Then, map out pedestrians’ regular routes to identify possible collision points with mobile plant or vehicles.

Step 3: Identify the safest routes on the site plan
Determine the requirements of pedestrians, mobile plant and vehicles in your workplace. Then identify the safest routes and mark them on the site plan.
You must display your site plan in a clearly visible place.
The safest route may not be the most direct route. You will also have to account for the fact that workers may try to take shortcuts.
Using physical barrier to separate mobile plant from pedestrians may help to prevent dangerous shortcuts.

Step 4: Consider the effectiveness of current controls
Consider whether the current arrangements for separating pedestrians from mobile plant and vehicles are effective, or whether better options are available.
To make this assessment, ask yourself the following questions:

• How many collisions or near misses have occurred on the premises? Where did these occur?
• What controls are currently in place? Are these effective at minimising the risk?
• Does your workplace have an existing traffic management plan? If so, are your workers adequately trained in it?
• Would upgrading the mobile plant help to reduce risks, e.g. new forklifts that allow speed limits to be controlled?

Step 5: Determine additional controls using the hierarchy of control
Once you have identified the hazards and their associated risks, use the hierarchy of control to determine appropriate risk controls.
The hierarchy of control is a risk control method that sets out approaches you can use to control risks and hazards in the workplace, in order of implementation.
Elimination is the most effective control. If this is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risk as much as possible by working through the other alternatives in the hierarchy, in order of effectiveness.

The following lists some examples, using the hierarchy of control, to minimise traffic hazards:
Hierarchy of control Examples

• Eliminate the hazard
  Eliminate the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians by designating exclusion zones.
  
  
• Substitute the hazard with something safer
  Substitute mobile plant with other suitable load-shifting equipment, such as a walker stacker or an automated conveyor system.
  
  
• Isolate the hazard from pedestrians
  Reduce the frequency of pedestrian and mobile plant interaction by physically separating them, e.g. use sturdy barricades or isolate a delivery area from other pedestrians or work activities.
  
  
• Re-route traffic to avoid collisions
  Schedule the operation of mobile plant to times when pedestrians are not allowed to enter the area.
  
  
• Use engineering controls
  Use proximity devices to trigger signals, boom gates and warning signs.
  Use alarms, horns and flashing lights to warn pedestrians of approaching mobile plant.
  Install designated pedestrian walkways and crossings with physical barriers to ensure workstations are separated from vehicle routes.
  Use speed-limiting devices on mobile plant.
  
  
• Use administrative controls
  Install or improve signs, including clear warning and traffic signs.
  Enhance visibility at intersections and blind corners with overhead dome mirrors and convex mirrors.
  Require workers and visitors to get approval from the plant operator before entering a designated exclusion zone.
  Require light vehicles to give way to heavy vehicles, e.g. have forklifts give way to trucks.
  Require passengers to wear seatbelts whenever they are in a vehicle.
  Enforce one-way traffic flow, e.g. require all vehicles to keep to the left.
  Use flagmen or spotters in high-risk areas.
  Create and clearly mark ‘no-go zones’.
  Implement a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy.
  
  
• Issue personal protective equipment
  Provide high-visibility clothing to workers who are at risk of collision, and ensure it is worn whenever necessary.

Step 6: Communicate controls to workers and visitors
Communicate controls and display the new site plan in prominent locations throughout the workplace. You should require all workers and visitors to the site to comply with it.
Learn more in the Health & Safety Handbook