Congratulations to Coffey Services Australia Ltd. for winning the National Safe Work Month People’s Choice Award. Their winning entry was picked by public vote to receive extra funding for the design of an ergonomic hand auger.

Coffey Services Australia are experts in engineering, geotechnical, environmental, testing and project management services. Many workers at Coffey perform the manual task of hand augering which poses a risk of injury due to turning, lifting and carrying the auger.

A large part of workers’ daily duties is to investigate soil composition, contamination, service location and ground water levels. This requires workers to manually turn a handle of the auger for up to three meters into the ground. Coffey will use their prize to investigate and identify design improvements for the hand augers to make it easier for workers and reduce their risk of injury.

Congratulations also to the other four competition finalists.

Preventing rail industry welding fume injuries – Nugroup Rail Solutions Pty Ltd

NuGroup provides services to the rail construction sector and specialise in providing aluminothermic welding services throughout VIC, TAS and NSW. With the recent growth of this industry, particularly in major cities due to the increasing demand for public transport, NuGroup will use their prize to explore the health effects on workers of inhaling fumes given off during the welding process.

NuGroup also plan to educate workers in the industry about the hazards and risks involved in aluminothermic welding, how to manage these risks appropriately and how to minimise the danger to workers.

Customised WHS training for diverse groups – House with No Steps

House with No Steps (HWNS) provides opportunities for people with a disability by helping them find employment and live great lives as valued members of their community. They also provide disability support services to approximately 5,000 people in QLD, NSW, ACT and VIC.

HWNS will use their prize to give people with a disability the opportunity to be trained in and learn more about WHS. The current training available doesn’t cater for people who have intellectual, cognitive and learning disabilities, who are deaf or hearing impaired, who have low literacy, or who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. HWNS plan to develop a customised and accessible training package for people with disabilities and enable them to take part in important conversations about WHS in their workplaces.

Hay bale lifter to prevent back injuries – Taronga Conservation Society Australia

Taronga Conservation Society Australia is a leader in conservation, research and environmental education.

Every day, keepers at Taronga retrieve hay from large bins by manually reaching into the bins to lift out the large bales. Taronga will use their prize to install a spring-actioned hay bale lifter into each bin, resulting in the keepers not having to bend and reach into the bins. This eliminates the risk of back injury and the development of musculoskeletal disorders as a result of the repetitive movement.

Using lighting to create highly visible safety barriers – Arcadian Organic & Natural Meat Company Pty Ltd

Arcadian Organic & Natural Meat Company provides quality organic meat across Australia and employs over 60 people in their offices in Toowoomba and Sydney.

Arcadian would like to build on existing initiatives relating to pedestrian interaction and incident prevention due to the use of forklifts within their environment. They will use their prize to improve the existing pedestrian barriers and walkways by installing ceiling-mounted light projectors. This will highlight where the safe zones are, therefore eliminating injury to workers or other people who may enter the area.

Source: Safe Work Australia, 4 December 2018