tlif107c - follow ohs procedures - learner guide

TLIF107C

Follow OHS Procedures

Armstrong’s Driver Education Learner Guide

TLIF107C Follow occupational health and safety procedures

© Australian National Training Authority 2003 ADELG1006 Customised and Developed by Armstrong’s Driver Education P/L July 2009

Contents

What this Learner’s Guide is about ........................................ 4

Planning your learning ........................................................... 5

How you will be assessed ...................................................... 8

Section 1........................................................................................... 10

Occupational health and safety responsibilities ................... 10

Section 2........................................................................................... 30

Potential hazards and remedial action ................................. 30

Section 3........................................................................................... 47

Accident and incident emergency procedure ....................... 47

Section 4........................................................................................... 58

Stress related factors and recommended strategies............ 58

Additional resources....................................................................... 64



What this Learner’s Guide is about

This Learner’s Guide is about the skills and knowledge required to follow and apply OHS procedures when carrying out work activities, including identifying and following workplace procedures for hazard identification and risk control, contributing to arrangements for the management of occupational health and safety, and completing occupational health and safety records.

The Elements of Competency from the unit TLIF107C Follow occupational health and safety procedures covered in this Learner’s Guide are listed below.

Follow workplace procedures for hazard identification and risk control

Contribute to arrangements for the management of occupational health and safety

Complete occupational health and safety records

This unit of competency is from the Transport and Logistics Training Package (TLI07).



Planning your learning

It is important to plan your learning before you start because you may already have some of the knowledge and skills that are covered in this Learner’s Guide. This might be because:

• you have been working in the industry for some time, and/or

• you have already completed training in this area.

Together with your supervisor or trainer use the checklists on the following pages to help you plan your study program. Your answers to the questions in the checklist will help you work out which sections of this Learner’s Guide you need to complete.

This Learner’s Guide is written with the idea that learning is made more relevant when you, the learner, are actually working in the industry. This means that you will have people within the enterprise who can show you things, discuss how things are done and answer any questions you have. Also you can practise what you learn and see how what you learn is applied in the enterprise.

If you are working through this Learner’s Guide and have not yet found a job in the industry, you will need to talk to your trainer about doing work experience or working and learning in some sort of simulated workplace.



Section 1: Occupational health and safety responsibilities

Are you able to: Yes No

1. explain a brief history of occupational health and safety in the road transport industry?

2. list employer, supervisor and employee responsibilities, rights and obligations relating to occupational health and safety in the workplace?

3. state the role and functions of safety committees and representatives in a work document?

Section 2: Potential hazards and remedial action


1. identify physical, chemical, behavioural and environmental hazards that may cause injury or health problems in a road transport environment?

2. recommend remedial action to control potential hazards?

Section 3: Accident and incident emergency procedure


1. outline the emergency procedures in the event of an accident/incident in the workplace?

2. identify an accident/incident report form and any other documentation required?

3. list the First Aid facilities that should be found in the workplace and identify their location?



4. describe the role of and identify the location of the First Aid officer in the workplace?

Section 4: Stress related factors and recommended strategies


1. list stress related factors that may influence an individual’s capacity to work according to the established safe work practices?

2. outline strategies that could be implemented to improve an individual’s capacity to work according to the established safe work practices?



How you will be assessed

Assessment of this Unit of Competency will include observation of real or simulated work processes using workplace procedures and questioning on underpinning knowledge and skills. It must be demonstrated in an actual or simulated work situation under supervision.

You will be required to:

• give a verbal report about an OHS issue in a road transport environment and its solution

• report on workplace procedures and safe work practices

• report on the resolution of an OHS issue in the workplace.



Section 1

Occupational health and safety responsibilities



Section outline

Areas covered in this section

The background to Occupational Health and Safety in your industry

Roles and responsibilities of key people

Safety committee and safety representatives



What is the background to occupational health and safety in your industry?

Each state/territory in Australia has laws known as Acts of Parliament to make sure all workplaces are safe and healthy. These acts try to prevent accidents in the workplace and encourage employers and employees to cooperate to solve health and safety issues at work.

These laws also set out what everyone should be doing to help make working conditions safe.



Activity 1: Occupational health and safety legislation

What do you know about the legislation for occupational health and safety? What legislation particularly relates to your work?

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Who is your OHS Safety Officer?

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What do they do at your site?

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Why?

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Activity 2: What OHS legislation applies in your workplace?

Ask your OHS officer to show you the main OHS legislation that applies at your worksite.

What is the name of that legislation?

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What is the name of the government body that has the job of making sure this law is obeyed in this state/territory?

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Legislative framework

Accidents cost a lot to everybody in:

• pain

• time

• money.

There are acts, regulations and codes of practice.

The acts, such as the one you looked at in Activity 2, are laws about health and safety at work.

Regulations are made from acts to give details on how parts of the law are to be carried out. Examples are:

• manual handling

• noise

• machinery

• general safety regulations.

Codes of practice are not laws. They are developed so that people can carry out the requirements of acts and regulations in the day-‐to-‐day operation. They can be used as evidence in court cases so you need to know what applies at your workplace.



Activity 3: Codes of practice

Ask your OHS officer to show you a list of current codes of practice.



Standards

There are minimum standards developed to make sure that we produce safe, high quality goods and services. Standards Australia is a private organisation that produces Australian Standards. Worksafe Australia produces National Standards.

There are also Guidance notes and guides to help you on suggested work practices to follow.

Measuring safety performance

At many work sites, there are records kept of injuries that occur at work. Any accident that results in a person losing a day or affecting a shift usually requires a report and is looked at in depth. these are sometimes called lost time injuries. To compare to the number of hours worked by people at the worksite gives the lost time injury frequency rate, which can then be compared to industry averages.



Activity 4: What is the lost time injury frequency rate?

Do you know what the current lost time injury frequency rate is? Ask your OHS officer or trainer.

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Rehabilitation

This is an important aspect of OHS management. The aim is to get the injured person back to work as soon as possible after an accident. Work may have to be changed a bit, or the injured person may need other duties for a while. The company needs to monitor the return to work to make sure that the injury does not get worse or happen again. An injured person on rehabilitation will:

• retain job skills

• continue social contact with fellow workers

• continue to receive all pay benefits.

In addition, the company continues to keep the services of a valuable skilled employee.

Roles and responsibilities of key people

The key people are the employer, the employee and the trainer. These people are working to keep the workplace healthy and safe. However, each person at work should be committed to making the workplace a safe place. It is very useful to involve employees in changes to the workplace, as everyone the feels that they can support that change and co-‐operate.

Employer

Employers have a legislative duty to make sure that the workplace is safe and healthy. These duties may include:

• provide and maintain safe machines and systems of work

• organise for the safe use, handling, storage and transport of substances used in the workpalce such as toxic chemicals

• provide a safe working environment by controlling hazards such as dust, noise and fumes

• provide welfare facilities such as washrooms, change rooms and meal areas

• give out information on hazards so that all people in the workplace understand how to manage hazards

• provide instruction, training and supervision to employees to make sure work is carried out safely



• monitor the work environment and employee health

• keep information and records on health and safety.

Employees

The laws say that the employee has a duty to take care of their own health and safety and also other workers. The duties include:

• follow safe practices and methods of work

• use the safety clothing and equipment provided

• not purposely interfere with or misuse any equipment, or do anything that may be a danger to others.

Each person at work should be involved in making the workplace safe and healthy. Employees know their work best, understand the work processes and know the dangerous aspects of equipment and the environment they work in.

It is also important to know what your responsibilities are while you are on a customer’s premises. Check with other drivers and your trainer to find out what the health and safety issues are relevant when visiting other workplaces.



Activity 5: Working safely

Discuss with another work mate or your trainer a specific work task or tasks. List three things you must remember to do so that the work is done safely.

Work task:

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To make it safe:

1. ___________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________

What you can do to make it safe for others:

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Safety committee and safety representatives

It is important to involve both employees and employers in the input on how to identify and improve workplace hazards.

Legislation has outlined several ways of involving employees in health and safety.

These include:

• designated work groups (DWG)

• health and safety representatives

• health and safety committees

• issue resolution procedures.



Activity 6: Who is involved in OHS in your workplace and what is their role?

How are people involved in health and safety at your workplace?

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Who is your health and safety representative?

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Do you know what your health and safety committee does?

Specify

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The government used to tell the workplace what to do about health and safety, but this didn’t work very well, because there was no reason for companies to improve conditions unless they were told to. The approach now is that employers and employees can best work out what is needed for a particular situation, following general government guidelines.



Designated work groups

These are formed to link people together depending on:

• how many workers there are

• the type of work done

• who does similar work

• who works similar hours or shifts

• which workers are located close to each other

• the kinds of hazards present.

Members of each DWG can elect their own health and safety representative. This person can then represent the group’s interests in health and safety issues.



Activity 7: Designated work groups

Who is in your designated work group?

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Who is your elected health and safety representative?

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Is there a deputy to take over when the representative is away?

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Explain the role of your representative

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Health and safety representatives

This person is a link between workers and management. The rights and responsibilities of this representative relate to the DWG for which they have been elected. Some duties are:

• after giving notice inspect the workplace at any reasonable time (managers and health and safety representatives may inspect together)

• go with an Inspector during an inspection of the workplace

• organise with management to have safety problems fixed

• if practicable, be consulted on changes to the workplace which may affect the health and safety of people in their DWG

• be given time and facilities to carry out duties and to receive training

• attend health and safety committee meetings

• be present at an interview between an employee and an inspector after consultation with management and with the employee’s permission

• have access to information about workplace hazards and the health and safety of employees.

Health and safety committee

This committee’s main jobs are to improve health and safety systems in the workplace and to concentrate on the long term issues. Day-‐to-‐day issues are handled by the health and safety representative and/or management representative of the area, but any of these issues which are unresolved may be discussed at the committee.

The committee is composed of managers and employees, this helps to have both groups working together.



Activity 8: The OHS committee

Does your company have a Health and Safety Committee? Yes/No

Who are its members?

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How often does it meet?

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How can you find out what is happening in the committee and what decisions are being made?

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Government inspectors

The government has a team of workplace inspectors who have the right to enter, search and inspect a workplace at any reasonable time of day or night. The Inspector’s job is to check the safety of the workplace. Inspectors can advise to help employees and management work together to find a solution to problems. An Inspector may also be called in to make decisions when there is a dispute about health and safety.

The procedures for dealing with OHS issues

If there is a health and safety problem someone needs to know about it. You should talk to:

• your trainer

• OHS officer

• employee OHS representative

• a health and safety committee member.

Some organisations have had management, health and safety representatives, the health and safety committee and employees together to establish steps for dealing with health and safety issues and how to settle any disagreements. These are called Grievance Procedures, or agreed issue resolution procedures. Consider the following sample steps -‐ you should really have most problems fixed by following steps 1 and 2.

Step 1: Issue -‐ consultation with OHS employee rep./trainer.

Step 2: No resolution -‐ consultation with OHS management rep. and manager.

Step 3: No resolution -‐ advice from OHS manager and medical officer.

Step 4: No resolution -‐ refer to OHS committee.

Where the issue involves an immediate threat to health and safety, the health and safety representative should immediately contact the manager. Some work may need to be stopped in that area and employees given other work to do.



Activity 9: Case study

You are standing near your truck, waiting for the loading of some pallets. You notice that the Forklift operator is loading some old pallets which don’t look very strong. Some of the pallets are crooked on the Forklift. When the operator tries to put them on the truck several fall sideways and one falls onto your foot. It is not a serious injury but the work area has pallets spread out over it, and the area is potentially dangerous for other loading.

What would you do first?

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Who would you go to with the issue?

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How would you resolve it?

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Section 2

Potential hazards and remedial action



Section outline


Hazards

− physical

− chemical

− environmental

− human behaviour

− biological

Remedial action



What is a hazard? A hazard is anything which has the potential to cause injury or illness.

Any type of work has hazards that are common to that work. This can include the working environment, the pace of work, equipment or chemicals used and the tasks performed.

Hazards can be put into five categories as follows.

Physical

Hazards in this category include noise and vibration, extremes of temperature and humidity, poor ventilation and lighting of the work area and a workplace which is cluttered or untidy. Electrical, fire and dust hazards are physical.

Chemical

One aspect of these hazards is poor ventilation which can cause problems with dust, fumes, vapours, gases and liquids.

Another aspect covers the range of dangerous goods and chemicals. These include: explosives, gases, miscellaneous dangerous substances and articles, flammable liquids, flammable solids, infectious substances, poisons, oxidising agents, organic peroxides, toxic substances, radioactive material, corrosive substances.

Environmental

Hazards in this category include ergonomic issues such as the condition and design of equipment and furniture and occupational overuse injuries such as incorrect lifting. It also includes storage and manual handling of dangerous goods and other loads, spills and leaks, slips and falls and the danger of falling objects. Job and task design, and tool and equipment design are a part of this category.

Human behaviour

Because of the nature of the industry, shiftwork and its effects should be considered as a potential hazard. Other hazards in behavioural aspects are: dealing with customers, loss of control over work, boredom, overwork, skill levels, harassment, noise, discrimination and abuse.

Biological

This category includes hazards such as infections, bacteria and viruses.



Activity 10: Identifying hazards

Ask three different people in your workplace what hazards they have come across. List the hazards they give under the five category headings.

Physical Chemical Environmental Human behaviour

Biological

Which categories do they clearly see as hazards?

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Put in any other hazards you can think of. Make sure you have at least two items in each column.



Taking action to fix it

Having identified the hazards it is important to assess them, then control them continuously. It is the responsibility of each worker to be alert, and to continuously review their work practices and potential hazards.

The first step in managing hazards is to have a system or systems of analysing and reporting on them.

Identifying hazards

There are several ways that you can find out about hazards in the workplace. Some companies use just one or two methods, others use many. Here are seven identification methods which can be used:

• inspections and audits

• hazard reports

• job analysis

• health monitoring data

• injury and disease trends

• Material Safety Data Sheets

• workplace environment monitoring data.

Inspections and audits

One way to check hazards is to audit the workplace. This usually requires an inspection. The people involved in this should be the people working in the area, health and safety representatives, health and safety committee members, trainers and managers.

It’s best to involve the people working in the area in assessing their own workplace, as they know the place best, and would be the potential accident/incident victims.

The audit should be performed as often as required by the type of work being done. If it is a place storing and moving chemicals, the audit could be weekly.



Hazard reports

When hazards have been identified, there needs to be a type of reporting system to make sure the information goes to the right person, so that something is done about it. Hazards need to be identified, assessed and controlled continuously, so that you have a safer workplace.

Job analysis

This is a way of checking carefully the tasks a person has to do in their job. The tasks are broken down into steps and any hazards that may be involved are identified. Safe operating procedures can be written from this.

Health monitoring data

What you monitor depends on the type of work being done. Health monitoring includes hearing, asbestos, lead and pesticide testing. It would be useful to carry out some of these tests before a person starts the work so that the results can be compared later.

Injury and disease trends

Most companies keep records of injuries that cause time-‐off work. These are called Lost Time Injuries or LTI’s. These figures can then be worked out as a rate by comparing them to the number of hours worked by people at the work site where these injuries occurred. This rate is called the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) and can be compared to other company sites or industry averages. From this, particular hazards or hazardous processes can be highlighted.

Material Safety Data Sheets

Most workplaces use or store some chemicals or hazardous substances. Employees need to have access to the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for any substances used in the workplace. The MSDS provide information to assist in safety handling potentially hazardous or dangerous materials such as solvents, chemicals and poisons.



Workplace environment monitoring data

Sometimes the work site may need to be looked at closely using specialised testing equipment. You may use someone within the company, or an outside expert. Tests could include lighting, noise and toxic substance levels.



Activity 11: Hazard reporting

Find out about the hazard reporting system at your company. Answer the following questions.

List the steps people need to take when they become aware of a hazard or hazardous situation.

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What happens to the information once it has been passed on? You may need to speak to someone else in the company to find this out.

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Practise filling out your company’s hazard report form.

Show you completed form to your trainer for feedback.



How do you decide which hazards to sort out first?

Some hazards have the potential to be more dangerous than others. You need to sort out the priorities, assessing the risk. Risk is the likelihood of injury or illness arising from exposure to any hazard. You work out the risk by talking to people who know about the hazard, and have experience.

Let’s consider the simplest way. You could work out how likely it is that an incident will happen, and balance that against how serious the resultant incident could be. Your priority becomes the incidents that could happen often and could have serious consequences. Naturally, all hazards will eventually need to be assessed and acted on, so you need to make a priority order of the hazards you have identified in your workplace.

Controlling the hazards

There are several control methods which can be used to control the risks effectively.

Elimination:

• removing the risk.

Substituting:

• using a better or less risky piece of equipment or substance.

Engineering controls:

• finding ways to better design the work area, such as better ventilation, redesigning the layout, enclosing the area.

If these are not productive or feasible methods of controlling the risk, then it’s possible to use methods which generally rely on human elements to work.

Administrative controls:

• using a range of administration methods which will systematically reduce risk, such as training, work scheduling and job rotation, supervision and housekeeping.



Personal protective clothing and equipment:

• includes gloves, ear muffs, overalls and masks, which provide a barrier to the hazard. This is the last option to consider when treating risk as it is more effective to try to remove or eliminate the hazard.

Let’s look at some aspects of the controls and risk management in more detail.

Training

One of the most important aspects of workplace health and safety is to be trained in what safe processes and procedures are. Your company will regularly run OHS courses, both when you start at the job and as the need arises during your time in the workplace. These courses could include dangerous goods storage and handling, manual handling skills, First Aid. It is in your interest to make sure that you are always up-‐to-‐date on OHS requirements in the workplace.

Safety procedures manual

There are often details given in safety procedures manuals developed by the company. You should make sure you have read these, and follow them. Check your area’s OHS Manual to revise the safety rules for your particular work area.



Activity 12: Manual handling procedures

Find out from your company OHS Manual the safety rules on manual handling procedures.

Comment on how much you are familiar with and follow these procedures. Give an example.

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If you do not have safety rules on manual handling procedures, write out below what you believe to be appropriate procedures.

Check these with your OHS officer.

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Ask your trainer to observe how you lift and handle materials and to give you feedback on this aspect of your work.



Housekeeping

Your work area should be clearly planned and laid out, so that you can avoid potential hazards. Make sure you keep the area clean and tidy remove any rubbish from the site and regularly maintain this. It’s not just a matter of it looking good, it’s important to make a habit of having an uncluttered work area so that you avoid accidents.

Work area layout

Not only do you need to have orderly and clear work practices, you also need to have an environment which is logically laid out with clear signage to indicate various aspects of the workplace activities.

• The physical layout should include marked walkways, clearly marked exits, clear access, and aisle ways and separate food/eating areas and wash facilities. There should also be designated smoking areas.

• In case of accident you need to know where the emergency equipment and spill collection devices are stored, how to access fire fighting equipment and oxygen apparatus. In your First Aid area there will need to be eye wash kits and showers or hand basins to deal with minor spills and leaks.

• The machinery or equipment will need to have safety guards or shields where necessary, and guard rails to indicate safe working distances.

• Security is an important aspect of your work area layout. All personnel should be identified and provided with clearance to enter work areas (perhaps after a safety induction program); the area should be supervised, and good security such as gates and locks installed where required.



Activity 13: Workplace layout

Is your workplace clearly marked with exits, walkways and hazard areas?

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Where do you find the fire fighting equipment?

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Protective clothing and equipment

Protective clothing and equipment provide a barrier to a hazard. If you remove the clothing, or it is not properly maintained (i.e. a hole in your overalls) then the hazard could cause harm immediately. Consider the following checklist, and answer the questions according to your specific work area.



Activity 14: Checklist

Do you wear the following?

Yes No Sometimes

Hearing protection (ear muffs or plugs)

Safety footwear

Protective clothing (overalls, dustcoats)

Eye protection (safety glasses, chemical goggles)

Respirators

Hand protection (gloves)

Are the areas appropriately signposted indicating what equipment should be worn?

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If not, where should signs be posted and what type?

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Information systems

Your workplace has a range of ways of informing you about hazardous situations. They could include:

• procedures manuals -‐ could be individual work area or more general

• sign posting -‐ should be part of the physical layout

• labelling -‐ clear labelling is vital to your industry functioning safely and efficiently

• Material Safety Data Sheet -‐ these must be available for any substances used.

The workplace also sets up procedures to deal with potential hazards:

• safety work permits

• confined space entry procedures

• lock-‐out and tag-‐out procedures

• health and safety policy.

You should know about each of these. If you are unsure about your company’s policy and procedures, contact your training officer or OHS officer.



Section 3

Accident and incident emergency procedure



Section outline


Emergency procedures

First Aid facilities



First Aid facilities emergency procedures

Emergency procedures in the workplace

You are probably aware of site plans at your workplace indicating exits and evacuation points. It is important to know what to do if there is an emergency.



Activity 15: Emergency procedures

How do you know if an accident has occurred?

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What is the initial emergency response?

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What is the plant or workplace evacuation plan? Where do you go?

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Who is in charge of the evacuation?

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What are your responsibilities in emergency situation/evacuations?

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You should know the workplace emergency procedures, which will cover:

• what a person should do

• how to raise the alarm

• a plan to evacuate the site.

Emergency phone numbers should be displayed near telephones.

What can cause an evacuation? Well, it could be the result of a spillage, gas leak, or an emergency such as a fire or explosion. Your worksite should practise the evacuation procedures at least every six months, and it is important that everyone recognises the signals and reacts to them immediately.

The person in charge in an emergency is the fire warden with the authority to direct people in emergency situations. Once the fire services or other emergency services arrive, the fire chief or officer-‐in-‐charge is the person who will direct the emergency situation.

Your workplace can also include the customer where you are picking up or delivering. If you have been delivering to the one customer for a while, you may know what their procedures are.

You may be in the truck when there is an emergency. The more you know about emergency procedures, the more you will react quickly and instinctively if there is an accident or incident when you are on the road. Make yourself familiar with your company procedures so that you can respond immediately.

Accident/incident reporting

It’s best to try to stop accidents or incidents before they occur, so it can be important to report accidents or incidents even if they don’t seem too serious. The reporting should then lead to the situation being improved.

These could include:

• minor injury

− an injury which requires First Aid, but there is no time lost from work except for rest and treatment

• property damage

− no-‐one is hurt but there is some damage to equipment

• near misses



− no-‐one is hurt although something has gone wrong. There is potential for the incident to have damaged someone or property.



There are accidents or incidents which must be reported by the employer to the relevant authorities. These involve serious injury or death of one or more workers, and the loss of time from work, including hospital treatment.

Procedures for accident reporting are similar to being involved in a car accident. You need to know exactly what information is required by your company, and make sure that you obtain all those details.

There will be procedures for this, such as the completion of an accident book or accident/incident forms. These provide not only a description of what happened but an official log which can be used to maintain accurate records. Talk to your trainer about the procedures in your workplace.



Activity 16: Accident report form

Ask your trainer to show you the workplace accident reporting procedures. Make sure you complete at least one accident report form with feedback from the trainer.



First Aid facilities

You should have the following First Aid facilities at your workplace, depending on what is stored in your work area:

• First Aid kit

• emergency equipment

• spill collection devices

• fire fighting equipment

• oxygen apparatus

• eye wash kit

• showers/hand basins.

All First Aid kits should be easy to find, and should be well-‐stocked. Do you have a First Aid kit in the truck? Make sure it has a list of its contents, and they are there. In an accident on the road you will need to react quickly and be sure of having the relevant materials.

The application of First Aid requires a person to be trained. There should be training courses in First Aid at your workplace, and you should know who is qualified to deliver First Aid.



Activity 17: Location of First Aid

Draw up a site plan, indicating where the First Aid stations are located.

Who is your First Aid officer?

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What are the responsibilities of the First Aid officer? If you are not sure, talk to your First Aid officer.

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You are driving over the Westgate Bridge when there is an accident involving your truck. You have obtained details of the accident as required by your company. You will be unable to complete the delivery as the truck has damage requiring workshop repair.

What do you do immediately?

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What do you do when you return to the worksite/despatch?

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Section 4

Stress related factors and recommended strategies



Section outline


Stress related factors in the workplace

Strategies to improve work practices



Strategies to improve work practices

Stress factors in the workplace

Working in the transport industry, you will have times when you are under stress. It may be because of the pressure of delivering to a difficult timeline, or having to do deliveries at peak hour within time constraints. It could be working to the difficulties in another company’s workplace, such as computers going down when you’re waiting to pick up a delivery.

Other factors which could cause stress are:

• working hours

− you may be required to work an 11 to 12 hour day, or longer

• shift work, overtime

− it can take a while to get used to different shifts and overtime could put on added personal pressure

• fear or worry

− it is often said that driving is a young man’s game, and the pressure of injury or change could cause you to worry about your future employment prospects as you get older

• environmental factors

− there may be temperature variations such as extreme heat or cold, or your cab may be uncomfortable because it’s old or badly designed

• technology

− new technology systems could be added to your job, when you already feel uneasy about technology.

Everyone reacts to stress in different ways. You could have strategies such as talking to your trainer about the hours, or finding ways to make your truck more comfortable and yourself more injury-‐free.

One thing to avoid is to use substances such as alcohol or drugs as a way to relieve the stress -‐ these are definitely not safe work practices, and will be in contravention of company policy!



Activity 19: Stress in the workplace

Write down three factors which have recently stressed you or a workmate.

1. ___________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________

What have you or your workmate done to help with the stress?

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________



Talking to others

The first person to talk to is your trainer, and/or your OHS representative, who will consider with you ways to improve the work practices in your area. These could include:

• changing shifts to suit different personalities

• regular vehicle checking and maintenance schedules

• encouraging drivers to do training in defensive driving

• regular communication about changes in the work environment

• training in manual handling and other aspects of injury prevention.

If you have a persistent problem with some of the stressors listed above, you may need to talk to an expert about it. There are specialists in counselling and general health who could provide you with some strategies to overcome some of your stress-‐inducing issues. Talk to your OHS representative or your trainer.

Strategies

There may be strategies to make your job safer and more efficient.

• Job redesign

− this involves looking at the way a series of tasks are carried out and minimising the risks by changing some of the tasks to safer work practices. You may need to use some mechanical device or other support to lift heavy objects.

Another strategy which can relieve boredom or working longer hours than you are used to is to take scheduled breaks

• Job rotation

− this involves people try different jobs within the work unit. This then means they get variety and they have more flexibility in their skills.

Rehabilitation from injury could require either job redesign or modified light duties.




The trainer is worried about Don, aged 43, who has been with the company for 20 years and has been one of their best drivers. He has recently been bad tempered and is a bit rough on his truck. It is requiring more maintenance time, particularly as Don has been involved in three minor accidents over the last month. They seemed to be the result of Don trying to do more deliveries in less time. Don is working overtime whenever he can. He had a back injury about six months ago, was on lighter duties for about four weeks and really didn’t like it. He wants to prove that he can still do the driving job.

What should the trainer do?

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Outline some strategies he could suggest to Don.

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________



Additional resources



Web sites:

• Unionsafe (sponsored by Workcover Authority if NSW) http://www.unionsafe.labor.net.au

• Workcover Authority of NSW (use links to locate relevant authorities in other states/territories) http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au

• Workplace OHS http://www.workplaceohs.com.au

• National OHS Commission http://www.nohsc.gov.au

Publications:

• The union may feature OHS information and issues in their newsletter or on their web site (speak to your union representative).

• Ackerman K.B. Practical Handbook of Warehousing, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.

• Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations (federal and state/territory)

• Approved Code of Practice (federal and state/territory), for:

Labelling of workplace substances

Control of workplace hazardous substances

Occupational health and First Aid in the workplace

Manual handling

Videos:

• Head over heels – Safety Image Pty Ltd. (Part of the Safety Awareness Video Programmes)

• Slips, trips and falls – Safety care services

• Hand tools safety – Vo-‐tech training services

• Safety matter OHS, A joint approach – Workcover corporation.

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