NGMW262
Individual / Organisation name: paul wirth
What state/territory: WA
Review of the National Guidance Material for Working Safely on the Waterfront
Public Comment Response Form
Complete and submit this form by 5PM AEST FRIDAY 10 AUGUST 2012 to
stevedoring@safeworkaustralia.gov.au
Comments on content of the national guidance material
Section/page no.
Comment
Comments on additional issues identified in section 4.2 of the Discussion Paper
Section/page no.
Comment
Hatchmen
Steel is by nature a very unforgiving element when it comes into contact with
the human body. Working Gracht boats or other steel vessels is by far the
most dangerous activity undertaken by stevedores here at Fremantle. Minor
injuries are highly prevalent during routine discharge on these ships, couple
this with factors such as working in tight stowage, working above suspended
loads, climbing over sharp steel edges, loose dunnage and generally lifting
out fairly heavy loads. Cuts, crushing and an array of trips, slips, falls,
grazes etc await you down the hatch of a steel job. Statistically steel jobs
have the highest mortality rate by a mile when we break down the duties
being performed when a fatality occurs on the wharf!!Yet for some years
now, management has waged a relentless battle to remove one of our
safeguards against possible injury or death, by wanting to remove our
hatchman. The hatchman is used as a set of eyes positioned on deck above
the hatch to oversee safe discharge of cargo. From his vantage point he can
see any obstacles that may be obscured from the crane drivers or the crew
working the hatch belows view. I have experienced a number of occasions
where the hatchman has seen an unforseen danger and immediately got on
the radio to stop the lift or make the lift safe. It is imperative that we keep the
hatchman on the job. I think making it home at night is a priority above
company greed in trying to shed the numbers of a gang...Paul Wirth
Stevedoring
qualifications
Should the guidance material refer to the qualifications (Cert II, Cert III and
Cert IV in Stevedoring) that have been developed for the stevedoring
industry?
This most definitely must be included in the next code of
conduct...experience brings knowledge ,which leads to safe work practise
NGMW262
Safety Induction
skill-set
Should the newly developed stevedoring ‘safety skill-set’ be used to
underpin safety inductions?
New employees should be exposed to a safety induction at all times to be
made aware of safe work practises and potential hazards they may be
exposed to in a new working environment.
Use of checklists
Should the safety checklists, which set out examples of the types of
hazards, and acceptable/unacceptable ways of handling those hazards, be
maintained in the guidance material?
Case in point is that the majority of high level management we have had at
Fremantle have had very little exposure to the intricacies of day to day
stevedoring. How then is it that we should endorse a set of general pointers
from an inexperienced person when we have safety reps from within the
ranks who do the job everyday to advise on the safest way of performing a
task.
Comments on the implementation of the national guidance material in each jurisdiction
which may have included launches, information and training sessions, and whether it
has been useful in the workplace as a resource for improving safety practices.
Section/page no.
Other comments
Comment