WorkCover improves safety in wood industry

More than $170,000 had been invested on safety improvements by wood products manufacturing businesses across the state as part of a WorkCover NSW project to improve safety and reduce injuries in the high-risk industry.

WorkCover partnered with industry and businesses after 1965 injuries in the three years to July 2010, at a cost of $19.5 million to the NSW workers compensation scheme, made it one of the highest risks in the state.

The project focused on five safety issues:

1. Manual tasks at the workshop.
2. Manual tasks at client sites.
3. Guarding on machines and powered hand tools.
4. Occupational disease from exposure to wood dust and noise.
5. Return to work and injury management.

The acting general manager of WorkCover NSW’s Work Health and Safety Division, Peter Dunphy, said WorkCover had visited more than 740 businesses during the project, providing support to address the five safety risks.

“The Focus On Industry - Wood Products Manufacturing Project involved industry working collaboratively with WorkCover to make workplaces more productive, healthy and safe,” Dunphy said.

“This was achieved through on-site support and advice, safety incentives, promoting the benefits of early recovery and return to work and, where necessary, supporting businesses that needed to improve safety and return to work outcomes to do so.

“More than 60% of the businesses we surveyed reported making safety improvements as a result the advice they received from our inspectors.

“During the project 85 businesses also received rebates of up to $2000 for solutions that improved work health and safety, return to work or injury management.

“Forty-eight businesses completed a Safety Coach Program which involved matching them with an expert from the Furnishing Industry Association of Australia (FIAA) and Timber Trade Industrial Association of Australia (TTIA), who have industry experience of high-risk work practices and assisted them to assess safety and develop an action plan to make the business safer.

“These outstanding results demonstrate that the best outcomes are achieved when industry and WorkCover work together.”

West Gosford business The Cabinet Factory participated in the Safety Coach Program and its owners, Peter and Jocelyn Jones, said the safety improvements they implemented improved productivity across the business.

“The demands on a small business can make finding the time to prioritise safety a challenge,” Mr Jones said.

“Through the support of our safety coach, we developed and implemented an action plan that has seen an improved safety culture across the business.”

Dunphy said WorkCover would continue to work with the industry to drive improvements in safety and injury management.

“All workers deserve to come home safely at the end of the working day and with the support of our industry action partners we will continue to ensure this happens,” he said.

Industry action partners who worked with WorkCover on the project are the FIAA, TTIA, Timber and Building Materials Association, Housing Industry Association, Master Builders Association and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union’s Forestry and Furnishing Products Division.