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When you’re able to get back on site after a flood or storm, here are the hazards, risks and control measures you should consider to help reduce the risk of injury and illness to yourself, your workers and others involved in the clean up and repair effort.

 

 Some common hazards following a storm or flood:

Risk Management 

Safety tips when undertaking the cleanup and repair work

Dust is a common hazard in the construction industry, especially during demolition or refurbishment. When buildings are demolished they can release materials that create hazardous dust (airborne contaminants) which can be hazardous to workers’ health. Understanding the risks will help you to identify how best to manage the risks.

Why is dust dangerous?

Exposure to hazardous dust can lead to serious health conditions, including:

Health and exposure monitoring
As a business, you have a duty to monitor your workers’ health when they’re exposed to certain substances and other hazardous materials. Regular health monitoring helps identify early signs of illness and ensures that the dust control measures in place are working effectively.

 Health monitoring process should include:

It is important that you get your worker’s consent to monitor their health and engage them in this process. 

Health monitoring should be carried out by a trained and competent person. They will also give recommendations based on the health monitoring results.  

How to control dust exposure on-site
Controls to minimise the exposure to dust in the workplace could include:

Making sure your workers have the right tools and information to complete the job safely includes training and understanding the risks involved, what to do if anything should go wrong, as well as the correct use, storage, and maintenance of PPE.

Other controls to consider are:

 

Complete a SWMS for your demolition work through the HazardCo APP. This helps assess the risks and plan safe work processes. Involve your team so everyone can contribute and understand the plan.

Our team of health and safety experts are just a call away if you have any questions or would like to discuss further.

To put it simply, health and safety regulators (WorkSafe / SafeWork) work with you and your workers to keep you safe and healthy. Their main goal is to ensure that across Australia, businesses are safe and healthy environments. It’s important to know that not all visits are pre-arranged and inspectors are allowed to show up at any reasonable time, regardless of whether or not you’re there. So, what should you expect when they come a-knocking? 

What does a site visit look like? 

Typically a visit from WorkSafe/SafeWork follows the below process: 

Step 1: Conversation

A friendly chat isn’t that scary, right? When the WorkSafe/SafeWork inspector first arrives, they’ll have a conversation. This discussion is a two-way street where they’ll be looking to learn about your business, what risks you’ve identified, the actions you’re completing to minimise them and answer any questions you may have. Ensure you use this opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification if anything doesn’t make sense. 

Step 2: Observation

Following the chat, the inspector will usually take a walk around your worksite to have a look around. Sometimes its a general walk around, other times it may be focusing on a particular area or activity. 

If the inspector sees anything concerning during the walkabout, they will discuss this with you further.

Step 3: Processes and Documentation

At this stage, the inspector might ask to see what kind of processes and safe practices you have. This could include anything from your risk assessments, worker’s licenses or training certificates, machine maintenance logs, to incident reports. The focus will be on whether your processes and records demonstrate good health and safety practices for your worksite, workers and business. 

So what are inspectors allowed to do during the visit?

Inspectors have the right to:

What happens if an issue is found?

If the inspector does find an issue, you and the inspector will discuss what needs to be done to fix it. The three main outcomes issued by the inspector are an improvement notice, prohibition notice, or an infringement notice. 

Using HazardCo can cut the time you spend on health and safety admin in half and can guide you through what you need to do to keep your workers and your business safe. 

Of course, if there are any questions or concerns, just call us at HazardCo for help on 1800 954 702.

When you have an incident on-site, whether it’s a near miss, an injury, or a work-related illness, it’s important to document an incident report.

Incident reports don’t need to be time-consuming,  lengthy or use fancy health and safety terms, you just need to describe what happened in your own words so you have a record of the incident. You can use the incident report to help explain what happened to others, such as your direct team on-site, contractors,  other Employers, or the Principal Contractor.

 

What is an incident report?

An incident report is the process of recording incidents on-site, such as near misses, injuries, illnesses and plant/property damage. It involves documenting all the facts (known so far) related to the incident. 

Check out this blog on managing and reporting incidents at work to learn more about what is considered an incident and why it’s both important and helpful to report incidents.

 

How to complete an incident report

Example incident report: Hit body on object

 

Hitting your body on an object is a very common example of an incident. For this incident report example, we will assume someone on-site has hit their body on a door frame and injured their shoulder.

 

 


Pictures speak a thousand words so don’t forget that you can upload scene photos or relevant information in picture form at this step in the app, and if there’s something that you don’t want forgotten you can also create a task.

This is an example of a simple incident report, find out more about what good incident reporting looks like. 

If you’re a HazardCo member, hit the Report an Incident button in the HazardCo App and follow the guided prompts to record the incident. Your membership includes 24/7 incident support, so if you need some extra help filling in the report, would like advice on if the incident is notifiable to the Regulator, or would just like to chat with an expert about how to communicate the incident to your team, we are here to help! 

Remember, when you have an incident on-site, writing an incident report is just one action you need to take. Learn more about what to do when you have an incident on site.

Electricity is essential on construction sites, but if the risks are not managed properly, it can pose serious dangers to people and property. Proper controls must be in place wherever electricity is used to keep everyone safe. 

Because we use electricity differently across a site there are different ways to help manage the risks. 

Residual Current Devices (RCDs) 

An RCD is an electrical safety device designed to immediately switch off the supply of electricity when electricity ‘leaking’ to earth is detected at harmful levels. RCDs offer high levels of personal protection from electric shock.

There are three types of RCD:

Fixed at the switchboard

Built into the powerpoint

Portable 

Testing

Keep you and your team safe while working around electricity by checking your RCD regularly. Across Australia, the testing frequency is based off the standard,  AS/NZS 3012:2019 which sets the specific requirements for construction sites and states:

If an RCD is tested and found to be faulty it must be taken out of service immediately and replaced as soon as possible.

Leads and Cords

Leads and cords are easily damaged, particularly those connected to equipment that is often moved. To protect them: 

Testing and Tagging of leads and cords

Inspection, testing and tagging of electrical leads and cords on construction sites are required to be completed every 3 months* by a competent person. 

Any lead or cord that is damaged or that fails testing is to be immediately taken out of use and removed offsite. If you cannot promptly remove it offsite, consider other means like attaching a durable out of service tag so as to warn workers not to use that piece of equipment.

Monitor and Review

When you complete your regular Site Reviews using the HazardCo App, make sure that you are checking RCD’s and all other electrical equipment are in good working condition and are regularly inspected and tested. 

Further Information 

If you have any questions in regards to this topic or need more support , reach out to HazardCo and speak to one of our expert Health and Safety Advisors. You can contact us on 1800 954 702.

*For Hire equipment, inspection is required prior to each hire and testing is carried out at least monthly. If hire equipment remains on the construction site then the frequency listed applies.

Health and safety is a core part of any business but incidents and injuries on the job can still happen. According to SafeWork Australia, in the construction industry alone there were 15,877 serious work-related injury claims between 2020 and 2021, and in the same period, there were 316 fatalities. 

Construction and trades make up a fair portion of incidents and injuries at work. When you think about the cost of the time off, it adds up to a pretty staggered sum.  As of 2020 the average compensation claim looks like:

With numbers like this, we need to help you find a way to improve the health and safety culture so you can make sure it’s safe and profitable as well. 

The signs of poor health and safety
If you’re concerned that your health and safety policies and procedures aren’t being followed or maybe not quite up to scratch, there are a number of things you can keep your eyes peeled for: 

So, how do you get your crew on board?
When it comes down to it, creating a culture of site safety isn’t as easy as putting new procedures in place and calling it a job well done – it’s up to you to involve and motivate your crew to be proactive and take safety into their own hands. You need to make sure that your crew are on board and are taking the right steps to create a safety culture. 

Some steps you can take include:

Communication
It seems like an obvious one but poor communication can really hinder your efforts to create a safety culture. Having regular honest and open communication with your crew about why you’re talking about all things safety is the best way to help them understand the importance. 

The more transparent and clear you are, the more likely they will be to really take the new initiatives seriously. Make sure that your crew has easy access to your current health and safety guidelines so they can stay in the know about any changes. 

Support your staff
Site safety isn’t just about incidents on your site, it’s also about being a supportive employer who ensures their people are feeling safe and secure when they come to work every day. Make sure that the physical health, mental health and even emotional health of your people is a factor for how you manage them. Those working in construction and trades like other sections of society are  at risk of depression, stress, or anxiety as well. 

If you are taking steps to improve your site safety culture, make sure you factor in both physical and mental health awareness in all that you do for your staff. By providing resources and establishing an environment where your crew feels respected and safe to open up and express themselves you’ll be able to create a support system where you can look after each other’s wellbeing and mental health. 

Training
Ensuring that your crew are trained up on all the correct licenses, procedures and health and safety practices is a sure fire way to make sure that they are fully knowledgeable on correct procedures. With the right training in place, you can have confidence that they know how to safely and correctly perform their jobs. 

Be a leader
We’ve all experienced bad leadership before, and that if they don’t care about something, it’s highly unlikely you will either. So, if your crew sees that you don’t take health and safety seriously, you’re out of luck getting them to foster a culture of site safety.  

You need to walk the walk before you talk the talk. Demonstrate to your crew the importance of following health and safety standards by doing them yourself. They’re a whole lot more likely to follow your example than just take your word for it. 

Reporting
You need to set the tone with your crew that reporting incidents isn’t something they need to feel anxious or uncomfortable about doing. Make it clear that they won’t get in any trouble for making a report but instead see it as a way of finding out what caused the accident or injury and what can be done to make sure it won’t happen again. By making proper reporting a core element of your crew’s job responsibilities it can become second nature to them. 

Make it a team effort
Site safety impacts everyone, so it makes sense that your crew should have a hand in shaping their site’s culture. The more input they have, the more likely they are to follow precautions. 

By having regular health and safety chats with your crew, you can give them the opportunity to voice their own safety concerns and opinions. By having open conversations and allowing input from your crew you’re giving them the ability to implement safety measures that affect their own jobs, ultimately making them more likely to follow processes and encourage others to do the same.

If you have any questions please reach out to the HazardCo team today

We’re going to run you through Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), which is a type of personal protective equipment (PPE) which protects people from inhaling substances that are hazardous to their health. These hazardous substances include airborne contaminants such as asbestos, hazardous chemicals and dust, fumes (such as welding fumes), and infectious substances, but you should keep in mind that RPE should also be worn to protect the wearer from low levels of oxygen such as working in confined spaces. 

 

But, before you even get started with RPE, make sure you have other practical control measures in place such as local exhaust ventilation to minimise or eliminate contaminants in the air. Also, keep an eye on your team’s health and workplace conditions to ensure that they aren’t injured or made sick by their work.

 

We’ve gone ahead and put together a quick guide of factors to consider when providing your workers with RPE. 

 

Types of RPE
Respirators that use filters remove contaminants from the air which the wearer will be breathing. Disposable respirators (often called dust masks) are good for short-term or one-off use and protect the wearer from harmful particles such as dust, fumes, fibres, and biological hazards such as bacteria or viruses. 

 

Powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) consist of headgear and fan assembly that take contaminated air, filters and removes a sufficient portion of these hazards, and then delivers the clean air to the user. These are also known as positive pressure masks, blower units, or blowers. 

 

Supplied air respirators provide a supply of clean air to the wearer from a source such as an air compressor or cylinder. It’s important to note that the air supply needs to be checked regularly to make sure that it is safe to use. 

 

Using RPE
It’s important for your workers to visually check their RPE for signs of damage before each use so that they can let you know if there are any issues, including whether it needs to be cleaned or decontaminated. 

 

Make sure your team stays safe by keeping their RPE on while working in the hazardous area. Removing it for even a short period of time could be a risk to their health.

If your workers are using RPE that requires a tight fit, make sure that they are checking it properly before entering the hazardous area. There are two fit checks which they need to do:

 

Keep in mind that if your worker’s safety glasses fog up while they are wearing a half-face respirator, this is a sign that there is a leak at the top of the respirator. 

 

Life Shavers: shaving your beard could save your life
When your workers are wearing respiratory protective equipment at work, they should be clean shaven to ensure it is forming a seal and protecting them from breathing in hazardous materials. Even a small amount of stubble can prevent RPE from sealing correctly which means your workers will still be inhaling harmful materials which may cause health concerns. A clean shave goes hand in hand with the correct RPE for the job.

It’s your responsibility to monitor your workers’ health. Make sure that you are completing regular Site Reviews on the HazardCo App, as this will help you to identify potential hazards and put effective plans in place.

HazardCo understands that on-site first aid is about more than just sending someone on a course every few years. As an employer or principal contractor on-site, you have a legal and moral obligation to make sure your team has access to first aid equipment and facilities, as well as access to trained first aiders.

To determine the necessary level for your workplace, assess the site by considering:

Don’t forget to involve your workers in the process and if you are working with multiple trades, or are the principal contractor, you should share information and work together cooperatively.

First Aid Kits 

Having a first aid kit on a construction site is essential to quickly address injuries and medical emergencies. Great kits can be sourced from many places – a basic kit should include equipment t to tend to:

 

Basic first aid kits are not always enough given the nature of construction work and increased risk of eye injury, cuts, falls etc, so you’ll need to consider what other equipment to add e.g. eye pads, eyewash, additional dressings and bandages.

Include your team and see if they think your first aid kit is sufficient for the site hazards and team size… and make sure they know who the trained first aider is and where the first aid kit is kept! It helps if your first aid kit is clearly labeled and is made from a material that can protect the contents from dust, moisture and contamination. 

 Lastly, assign someone to be in charge of replenishing the kit. Make sure this happens regularly and keep a list of what’s supposed to be in the kit to make topping it up easier. At the same time, check training is up to date for your first aiders, and if your team size has changed, whether you still have enough team members trained in first aid.

 Keeping first aid up to date is the right thing to do by your team, so make sure you’ve got things covered and that you’re all prepared if any sort of injury takes place.

 

If you have any questions please contact the HazardCo team today.

Did you know that if you’re carrying out renovation work the same risks apply as a new build? Whether you’re carrying out extensions, renovating, flood remedial work, large landscaping jobs or you’re engaging contractors for the work, HazardCo have you covered. 

You will firstly need to think about how you will manage health and safety on-site and how you will communicate this with other people involved in the build, such as the homeowner, or other contractors on-site. This will ensure that everyone is on top of the site hazards and practicing good health and safety during your build. 

HazardCo Projects 

A HazardCo Project is ordered for each significant job, such as a new house build or large renovation. They contain site-specific resources for that job, including:

 

How can you determine whether you need to order a HazardCo Project?

Have a read of the following 5 areas, if you meet these requirements a Project could be needed. 

 

Even if none or only some of the above 5 areas apply, the HazardCo app and hub can still be used effectively outside of ordering a project. So keep reading.

Using HazardCo to manage health and safety

We recommend that you use the HazardCo App and Hub to manage your on-site health and safety. Here are our tips to get the most out of the HazardCo system:

 

Lastly, sometimes renovation projects can be unique and you may still feel unsure about whether you should order a project or how the HazardCo system can help you to manage Health and Safety effectively. So give us a call and we can chat about your upcoming works and how HazardCo may work best for you. So don’t be shy – get in touch with us and we’ll help you make your site a safer one.

 

Hazardous substances refer to chemicals or substances which can be toxic, corrosive and can cause harm. So it makes sense that we document what’s on-site and when.

If you have hazardous substances on-site, there are processes that, by law, you need to follow to ensure they are stored, used, and disposed of correctly and to reduce the risk to anyone that uses or comes into contact with them.

On 1 January 2021, Australia began a two-year transition to the revised edition of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS 7). This new system replaces the previous Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances.

Despite the transition period, we recommend you start making the changes to labelling, SDS, and packaging as soon as possible.

You can find out more about the changes below so you can make sure you are up to date with the latest info.

There has been changes to the Hazard Classifications, and you will no longer use the following classes for your hazardous substances:

The new GHS7 for hazardous substances will be classed as a physical hazard, a health hazard or an environmental hazard, detailed below:

Physical hazards

 

Health hazards

 

Environmental hazards

What this means for you

You will need to ensure that your SDS, packaging and labelling of substances has been updated to reflect the new classes or you are in the process of updating. This can be done by reaching out to the supplier or manufacturer of substances.

 

What is a Hazardous substance register?
This is a list of all your hazardous substances (including hazardous waste) that is used, handled, or stored at any of your sites or workplaces. Having a register will ensure you know the substances you have on-site, the requirements you need-to-know, and what to do in case of an emergency.


Keeping a Hazardous substance register
Keeping your register in a central location on your site means that in case of an emergency, it can be accessed quickly by anyone who needs it. There are some key bits of information that need to be included on your hazardous substance registers. Not only do you need the information below, but you must also make sure that the register is up to date and available on-site. 

Because the register represents the maximum amount of the substance held, it means it’s not going to be a daily task to keep it up-to-date. But if the maximum quantity changes, the register needs to reflect this. We recommend that you review your register each time you make a change to ensure it’s up to date and accurate.

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