WorkSafe targeting manual handling at food manufacturers

A campaign targeting manual handling safety begins on 1 July with WorkSafe Victoria inspectors visiting food manufacturers and processors across the state.

Improvement and Prohibition Notices will be issued where safety issues are found. Prosecutions will follow if serious breaches are identified.

The director of WorkSafe’s Manufacturing, Logistics and Agriculture Division, Trevor Martin, said the industry needs to do more to improve safety.

“There were more than 12,000 workplace injury insurance claims as a result of manual handling injuries in 2006-07.

“More than 900 were in the food manufacturing sector, accounting for 3% of the state’s total injury claims,” Martin said.

“Along with repetitive bending and twisting, the lifting of boxes, drums and bags of ingredients causes nearly 40% of manual handling injuries in the food manufacturing sector.”

For more information, visit www.worksafe.vic.gov.au.