The hustle and bustle of the festive season increases demand across many industries - with higher workloads and extra pressure from clients and customers often contributing to fatigue and unsafe work practices.
In the past five years, 71 Victorian workers have tragically lost their lives in November or December while WorkSafe has accepted more than 20,700 injury claims during the final two months on the calendar.
WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said the greatest gift you can give your family and friends at this time of year is staying safe and healthy at work.
"No deadline or customer demand is ever worth risking a worker's safety, but especially at a time meant for celebrating with loved ones," Mr Jenkin said.
"Victorian employers must resist the rush, set realistic workloads, and ensure appropriate systems are in place to protect both workers and others in or near their workplaces from harm this holiday season."
WorkSafe inspectors will be visiting retail and hospitality venues over the holiday period to ensure employers are meeting their obligations - particularly around identifying, controlling and managing the risk of increased occupational violence and aggression from customers.
Dedicated construction teams will also be checking that builders and contractors aren't compromising safety to finish projects and are properly securing sites before the shut down.
WorkSafe's upcoming 'HomeSafe' campaign is reminding Victorians that the most important reason for workplace safety at the end of the year is getting home safely to their loved ones for the holidays.
Mr Jenkin said while some industries faced extra risks at this time of the year, no sector was immune to workplace harm if workers weren't supported and safety wasn't prioritised.
"Every workplace death and injury is preventable when the right health and safety systems and processes in place," he said.
"This includes ensuring every single worker, including those who might be new to a job or workplace, are properly inducted and trained for the tasks expected of them and adequately supervised in the role."
Employers can manage risks in manufacturing and retail by:
- Ensuring the workplace has adequate space, layout and facilities for employees to safely perform their tasks.
- Ensuring building layout / design limits the need to push, pull or carry equipment or loads (eg good path design, platforms, workstations and counters are height-adjustable, floor surfaces allow pallets to be moved directly to storage areas).
- Adjusting the size or weight of loads by breaking down large loads into smaller ones which can be lifted and handled more easily.
- Ensuring employees are not exposed to repetitive work for long periods or work that requires a significant amount of high force.
- Eliminating double handling by reducing the number of times an object is handled, and where possible moving the stock directly from delivery to display.
- Reducing push/pull forces by removing the need for bending, twisting and reaching movements when placing items on a shelf, rack or pallet, or limiting the number of shopping trolleys to be collected at one time.
- Providing suitable equipment such as trolleys or pallet jacks to move stock, and a stable, sturdy step ladder to allow you to stack shelves at the correct height.
- Reducing task related pressure and fatigue by taking regular breaks, using job rotation, work variation, providing sit-stand stools and anti-fatigue mats.
Employers can manage risks in construction by:
- Securing access points with locks or other mechanical means to deter unauthorised entry.
- Bracing or securing boundary fencing so it cannot be pushed or blown over.
- Blocking gaps under fences and gates so they cannot be crawled under.
- Ensuring electrical safety by turning off the main switch and securing the main switchboard.
- Bracing and securing partially constructed building elements such as walls and roofs.
- Securing or removing roofing sheets and other loose materials which have the potential to turn into missiles in strong winds.
- Backfilling excavations or making sure they are covered or secured.
- Removing unwanted construction materials and waste.
Employers can manage risks in transport, postal and warehousing by:
- Ensuring forklifts around deliveries are fit for purpose and in good working condition.
- Adding pedestrian exclusions zones and dedicated walkways to minimise risk and protect other workers on site.
- Planning for onsite traffic management and exclusion zones can help minimise the risk of incident occurring during loading/unloading.
- Looking for flat surfaces as the safest area to park, ideally off-road where available. Pre-planning deliveries can help ensure a safe place is available for the delivery.
- Using physical barriers to ensure moving vehicles are separated.
- Reducing the need for reversing vehicles can also reduce risk.
- Ensuring surrounding workplace and the ground is clear of hazards.
