WorkSafe talks construction tactics at Bulldogs' brekkie

Construction safety was on the agenda at the Western Bulldogs’ recent coaches’ review breakfast, with the launch of a WorkSafe Victoria campaign encouraging tradies to use the right tool for the job.

“The purpose of the coaches’ breakfast is to talk about tactics of the game - we’re using it to discuss tactics for getting construction work done safely,” said WorkSafe’s Construction Director Chris Webb. “Tools used on construction sites across Victoria every day are involved in a third of all construction worker injuries.

“Ladders, scaffolds, nailguns, saws and grinders feature all too often in injury claim reports. As a result, we’re seeing tradies off work, for about a month on average, with nasty yet preventable injuries like serious cuts, broken bones, sprains and strains.

“Tradies need to think about the tools and equipment they need to do a job safely - and make sure they’ve got them on hand before they start the job.

“WorkSafe wants builders and tradies to stop, step back and think. For example, a carpenter erecting a wall frame at a housing site needs to plan ahead to use a saw bench so they’re not working on the ground cutting all the timbers. Nail and ramset guns need to be in good working order and guards in place on circular saws.”

The campaign focuses on subcontractors, builders, site supervisors and apprentices working in the domestic construction industry. It will be spearheaded by a program of inspector visits to make sure tools and equipment that are to be used for the job are suitable for the task.

“Victoria’s construction industry paid out an estimated $91 million in the year to June for claims following tool and equipment injuries,” Webb continued. “The cost of an injury including time off the tools, replacing the worker and re-training comes to over $80,000 - without including treatment costs. It makes good business sense to prevent unnecessary injuries by using the most appropriate tools for the job, and using them in the right way.”

The campaign is the fourth phase of WorkSafe’s Back to Basics campaign, which focuses on the most common injury causes on domestic construction sites. So far, the campaign has focused on basic site housekeeping, planning for a job and site supervision.