Safe Work Month 2022

Everyone has the right to be safe at work.  Week 1 of National Safe Work Month focuses on injuries  in the workplace.

Over the past three year's at JCU, the most common causes of injury were from slips, trips and falls, hazardous manual tasks, sharp and moving objects.

All injuries which occur in the workplace should be reported, even if these injuries seem minor. Reporting an injury helps to ensure safety issues in the workplace can be addressed to reduce the reoccurrence of injuries to others.

JCU staff/students are involved in many activities that present a range of hazards.  These hazards and associated risk must be managed to ensure the safety of our JCU community.  To assist in identifying and managing risk in your work/study area, a number of resources can be found on the WHS webpage.  If you can not find suitable resources or tools, contact the JCU WHS Unit via safety@jcu.edu.au

For those who experience a work-related incident or injury, JCU have procedures in place.  JCU also work with staff who have non-work-related injuries to facilitate supports to help them stay at work.  For assistance with injury management contact rehab@jcu.edu.au.

JCU Injury Statistics

JCU Student Mechanism of Injury  (202, 2021, 2022)

JCU Staff Mechanism of Injury (2020,2021,2022)

JCU Staff Injury Body Location (2020,2021,2022)

Key work health and safety statistics Queensland 2021

While the health, safety and wellness of staff and students should always be front of mind, October is a great time to collectively focus on the health, safety and wellness of our staff and students, and ourselves.

Mental Health Week is celebrated annually in October, promoting the importance of mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.  The events held during the week are a great opportunity to show  commitment.  Check out some free online events here

Support  Resources

We recognise that dealing with change can be challenging. Listed below are a range of support resources and training options that Staff may find useful as they progress through the change process.

Supporting Staff through change information

Did you know that JCU expects all workers to identify and manage WHS risks?

Have you identified the hazards and risks related to your work?

At JCU we conduct a wide array of activities.  By completing a risk assessment, it helps us to not only identify the sources of harm but ways in which we can prevent that harm occurring.

Activities that involve health and safety risks at JCU include:

How can we prevent the harm from occurring(controls)?

Elimination

Ceasing the use of a piece of equipment, removing a trip hazard from a walkway, disposing of unwanted chemicals, automate a manual task.

Isolation Controls

Barricading, electrical or mechanical isolation, prevent access to areas such as construction fencing.  On campus we can see several areas that are fenced off to prevent  entry to the exposed hazards.

Substitution Controls

Use a scourer, mild detergent, and hot water instead of caustic cleaners for cleaning, replacing a chemical with a less hazardous option or reducing the weight of an item.  Remember, just because a material does not pose the same risk as the one you're replacing, dos not mean it doesn't pose a risk at all.  We need to ensure we are not  replacing one hazard with another.

Engineering Controls

Mechanical devices, guards around moving parts, ventilation systems, use of a drone to inspect the nigh object in stead of a person accessing a height, cranes and winches to assist with lifting.  These controls focus on the source of the hazard, unlike other types of controls that generally focus on the worker exposed to the hazard.

Administrative Controls

Safe work procedures, education, and training, restricted access to areas, job rotation, signs and housekeeping.  JCU has several safety procedures to guide workers on safe practices.  Can you think of any in your work area that assist with preventing harm?

Personal Protective Equipment

The use of safety gear such as gloves, sunscreen, eye, face, head, ear protection.  Some of JCU work areas require workers to wear safety clothing before entering the area or conducting the task.  Can you think of any?

Why do controls fail?

• Inappropriate risk assessment in the initial stages
• Human Behaviours
• Not reviewing the control measures to make sure they work as planned
• No consultation during the identification and assessment stage

What does a Risk Assessment look like?

Plant and Equipment Risk Assessment Template

Manual Task Risk Assessment Template

What systems support managing risk in the workplace at JCU?

RiskWare

Boating and Diving Register

Mex - Access from the Staff Home Page

JCU Safe App

JCU Contractor Management System

Need help with identifying and managing safety risk?

Make contact with the WHS  Unit via email safety@jcu.edu.au

Further information to come in week 4

Work Well 365 Speaker Series is offered FREE and streamed online. Hear from experts who will discuss work-related violence, mental health and wellbeing, corporate accountability for work health and safety, ways to predict and manage injury risks using artificial intelligence, and more.

Each session will provide practical advice to immediately start improving health and safety or injury rehabilitation and return to work at your workplace.