In this issue:

• Rise in dozer incidents
• Register now
• Supervision at mines
• Hearing Awareness Week

Rise in dozer incidents

We have noticed an increase in the number of reported incidents involving tracked dozers, including several incidents in which machines have overturned. In each case, the operator was placed at risk of suffering serious injuries.

These incidents are reminders of the hazards and hidden dangers operators of heavy machinery face daily. Avoid risk taking and shortcuts. In all situations, time should be taken to first perform the necessary risk assessment tasks before attempting any manoeuvre that has the slightest chance of a dangerous outcome.

Register now

Dates are now available for the Mine Safety Awareness Course and Mine Operators Workshop Course in Lightning Ridge. The next course is on 26 March at Lightning Ridge Bowling Club.

Please follow the link below for more information and to register to attend one of the courses.

Supervision at mines

Crucial to the effective maintenance of risk controls and compliance to a mine’s safety management system are the behaviours and leadership of supervisors. The identification of hazards, the rectification of risk management issues and the willingness and ability to address non-compliant behaviours are fundamental to a supervisor’s role.

Recent planned inspections and incident assessments across all sectors have identified an emerging trend around the standard of supervision and its impact on the implementation of key risk controls.

A compliance initiative involving inspectors from all sectors will examine the behaviours and effectiveness of supervisors in dealing with non-compliances to the mine’s own safety management system.

In the coming months, our attention will be on how supervisors manage the implementation of key risk controls.

Hearing Awareness Week 3-9 March

Occupational hearing loss is a permanent but entirely preventable condition with today’s hearing loss prevention strategies and technology.

Repeated exposure to loud noise over time may cause permanent hearing loss. This is called noise-induced hearing loss and it usually happens over several years.

Noise-induced hearing loss can also come from sudden loud noises, like explosions. If the noise is loud enough the damage can be immediate. Noise-induced hearing loss can’t be repaired.

A person conducting a business or undertaking has specific obligations under the WHS Regulations to manage the risks of hearing loss associated with noise at the workplace, including:

• ensuring that the noise a worker is exposed to at the workplace does not exceed the exposure standard for noise
• providing audiometric testing to a worker who is frequently required to use personal hearing protectors to protect the worker from hearing loss associated with noise that exceeds the exposure standard

• visit the SafeWork NSW website
• attend SafeWork NSW’s webinar : Protecting hearing at work
• read the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017 to find out the noise exposure standard for workplaces.
• read SafeWork NSW’s code of practice: Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work code of practice