A question often asked by our clients is how often does my fire extinguisher need to be checked/serviced?
The answer is Australian Standard AS1851-2012, requires all fire extinguishers to be checked & tagged every six months. Depending on the type of extinguisher, they also need an overhaul every one to five years.
You can’t manage want you don’t measure.
We have heard it many times before. But is your workplace running the numbers. Do they know what the critical numbers are, what the trends are, are they using the numbers to improve H&S in the workplace. Figures released in Singapore by Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Statistics Report 2011 issued by the WSH Council and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) track that there has been an 11% increase in workplace fataliaties from 2010 compared to this 2011. This has been an increase of 6 extra workers deaths.
The majority of these deaths came from slip, trips and falls from height. 22 % of these incidents was born by the Construction industry.
As a result of this and other injuries there was an increase of 6% in lost time injuries, which if you are managing a business it will be straghtforward to equate what this LTI means to your bottom line. Therefore it is easy to demonstrate to the approving authorities what a small investment in the right personal protective and safety equipment could save in terms of LTI.
So the way I see it, improving safety is a straightforward simple process:-
1. Figure out what your KPI’s are for your company. Number of Days since last accident, LTI’s this month, Near misses this month, Number of incidents in a category falls, hand injuries, eye injuries, No of safety breach notices. I understand collecting data is not easy, however having a system/process in place to capture data makes the practice a whole lot easier.
2. Do a monthly review of data by graphing the results and determine focus of improvement for the following month.
3. Implement monthly initiatives to keep the focus on safety moving on different elements of your business. It will keep safety foremost in peoples mind and it is continual improvment in developing safe work practices. Would a lead hook or lead stand eliminate 20% of your trip hazards and what is this worth to your organisation?
There is a lot of confusion around the life span of hard hats, or when a hard hat needs to be replaced. Hopefully this excerpt below from Standards Australia will help clarify the requirements for you.
Hard hats do not have an expiry date at the point of manufacture. AS1800:1998 states:-
At the time of issue to the wearer, the helmet should be marked with the issue date.
Field tests have shown that generally , helmet shells have a life of at least 3 years from the time of issue. Components of harnesses may deteriorate more rapidly in service and harnesses should, therefore, be replaced at intervals not longer than 2 years.
For helmets that are used infrequently and stored away from sunlight, dirt and temperature extremes, this guideline/recommendation may not be applicable. The user should examine the helmet regularly and discard if any damage is evident.
Extract of Australian Standard AS1800:1998
On behalf of the team at BIG Safety we wish all of our clients and guests the very best for this Christmas season.
BIG Safety customer service will be closed from the 23 Dec – 8 Jan 2012.
Orders can still be placed online, by fax or email during this time and they will be processed commencing Monday 9 Jan 2012.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
If you are looking to toughen up your corporate image or look professional on the worksite then Hard Hats with your company logo could be for you. BIG Safety can print up to five colour logos on all four sides of the hard hat.
Here is a quick video to show how the Pad printing is completed.
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Hello, Earthlings. Everyone knows I am Safety S.A.L.
(Safety Aware Lifeform) from the planet Camino.
First Aid Tailor Made in Dural is, like, so privileged to have me as its exclusive P.P.E. supermodel.
I, like, don’t get out of bed unless I’m wearing my 100% cotton hard hat brim from Big Safety because, like me, it’s soooo cool.
Has anyone seen my, like, P.A.?
Hi, my name’s
N.O.R.M. (Nearly “Or”thentic Rescue Mannequin).
I’m a Training Assistant at First Aid Tailor Made in Dural.
Too easy.
But students keep hugging me, so I keep my Big Safety coveralls on to protect me from girl germs.
All good.
In September 1994, a prominent Queensland horse trainer Mr Vic Rail, his stablehand, and most of his horses fell ill to a sudden and mysterious illness.
Within several days, the trainer and 14 horses were dead.
As the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI) collected specimens from affected race horses and submitted them for testing at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, Victoria, newspapers ran with headlines like ‘Death virus cancels races, threatens Cup’.
AAHL’s diagnostic team isolated and identified what proved to be a new virus that had not been reported anywhere else in the world.
Researchers initially named it equine morbillivirus, however, further genetic analysis showed that the most appropriate classification of the virus was as a new genus within the Paramyxoviridae family.
The name Hendra is now used, after the name of the Brisbane suburb in which the outbreak occurred.
The strength of AAHL’s capabilities was clearly demonstrated by the manner in which the infectious agent was isolated, the disease reproduced in horses and the virus eventually identified using electron microscopy and gene sequence analysis.
With the cause of the disease outbreak known, AAHL researchers developed diagnostic tests.
QDPI, Queensland Health and AAHL tested more than 2 500 horse samples and 150 human samples, not finding any new cases.
In the last 17 years, seven people have been confirmed to have been infected with Hendra virus, four of whom have died as a result of the disease.
In addition to the initial case in 1994, a farmer from Mackay died in 1995 and two Queensland vets passed away in separate incidents in 2008 and 2009.
There have also been 14 clusters of Hendra virus infection recorded in horses since the virus was first identified.
Here is a quick video of how to put on a full body fall arrest Height Safety Harness.
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Is your worksite covered?
Many clients are unclear about exactly what standards are required for an Emergency Deluge Safety Shower. This article aims to clarify in laymans terms to assist worksite Safety Managers in determining the right product to meet their needs.
Unsuitable Equipment
There are a number of myths in the marketplace about suitable substitute equipment for plumbed Emergency Safety Showers and Eye / Face Washes. However the following are not acceptable in accordance with the standard:-
- Personal Eyewash equipment, such as squeeze bottles, do not meet the requirements of plumbed or self-contained eyewash equipment.
- Hand held drench hoses do not meet the criteria of a plumbed or self – contained eyewash.
- Self closing shower valves do not meet this standard and should be replaced with stay open valves.
If these are the only means of protection, they should be replaced or supplemented with equipment meeting the requirements of AS4775-2007.
When Required
There are a number of reference documents relating to when and where the emergency safety showers and eyewashes are to be located. Below is a brief summary of the main ones
Workcover requirement – Where the eyes or body of any person may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes and body shall be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use.
AS19400 – 2004 para 4.6 (c) The following items shall be provided within 10 m of, but not nearer than 2 m, to stores where packages are opened:
i. Eye wash facilities complying with ANSI Z358.1
ii. Water for the washing of hands
(d) A Safety Shower shall be installed where –
i. the quantity of liquids exceeds 2000L; or
ii. required by risk assessment or regulation.
NOTE: Safety Showers should comply with ANSI Z358.1
AS3780 – 2008 Explains the regulations regarding eye/face wash or a deluge shower to be located within an area used for the charging and maintenance of electric storage batteries.
Self Assessment
A simple first step in determining if you worksite requires a Emergency Safety Shower or Eye/Face wash can be a simple self assessment. This Self Assessment will be the first step and will assist you in determining if a more detailed risk analysis is to be completed.
- Look for containers used to handle or store these materials and make sure ANSI Z358.1 – 1998 compliant Emergency Equipment is within 10 seconds travel distance.
- Look for areas where workers are using Personal Protective Equipment such as goggles and liquid proof gloves. These are found in areas where hazardous materials are being used and eyewashes and/or showers will/may be required as secondary protection.
- Look for signs of hazardous materials and make sure eyewashes and showers are within the required distance.
- Make sure emergency equipment is properly located near these hazards.
- Review the storage, transfer and use of flammable liquids in your workplace and these areas may require showers and/or eyewashes as secondary protection.
Requirements of Emergency Deluge Safety Showers
The following features are essential when considering selection of an Emergency Deluge Safety Shower or Eyewash in commercial and industrial environments. This includes schools, universities and hospitals.
- ANSI Z358.1 – 1998 requires that shower valves be of simple operation, turn off to on in one second or less, and provide hands free operation once activated.
- ANSI Z358.1 – 1998 requires that flushing fluids shall be tepid. Make sure that supplied water temperatures are in the range of 15º C and 35º C. This is important in hot environments where the pipes are exposed and heated during the day.
This article is just a general introduction to some of the requirements and myths surrounding Safety Showers and emergency eye / face washes. This article needs to be considered in conjunction with the following relevant standards for Requirements of Emergency Deluge Safety Showers and Safety Eye washes:-
- ANSI Z358.1 – 2004 Emergency Eye Wash and Shower Equipment (This is the base document that was used in the production of the Australian Standard AS4775-2007)
- AS4775-2007 Emergency Eye Wash and Shower Equipment
- AS3780-2008 The storage and handling of corrosive substances
- AS1940-2004 The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
Here is a general video on the Speakman Emergency Deluge Safety Showers and Eye / Face Wash to get an understanding of some products available.
A supplier of the Speakman product range of safety showers and eye washes in Australia is Big Safety. There range can be viewed by clicking Emergency Deluge Safety Showers .
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