Page 27 - Towards better compaction v0.5

Towards Better Compaction

Dust

Dust is a by-product of loading woodchips. You must wear the correct PPE (including dust mask and
safety glasses/goggles to minimise health risks).

Heights

Working at heights includes anywhere there is a risk that a person could fall and injure themselves.
There is no minimum height at which injury or death can occur.
Case Study
A shop fitting company in Melbourne was fined $100,000 after the death of one of their employees.
The employee was involved in a shop upgrade and was standing about 1.45 metres up a ladder when
he lost his balance, fell against a wall, hit his head and slid to the ground. He did not regain
consciousness and died three days later.
Why do incidents occur?
Incidents occur due to:

1. Inexperience (not recognising that a task involves a risk of falling from a height)
2. Taking short cuts (failure to carry out a risk assessment or follow correct, safe working
procedures)
3. Complacency (making assumptions, assuming the conditions remain unchanged)
Make sure you use any restraint equipment provided.

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