The Risk Management Tool Box Blog

Are you a FIFO worker in the Australian resources sector?

The Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) and the Minerals Safety and Health Centre (MISHC) at the University of Queensland are conducting a survey of FIFO (and other non-residential) resource industry workers.

The purpose of this study is to better understand how different accommodation options may impact on the health, wellbeing and job satisfaction of non-resident workers. So if you are a fly-in fly-out (FIFO), drive in drive out (DIDO) or bus in bus out (BIBO) worker, the CSRM would like to hear from you.

Please click on the following link and let us know your views. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/uqFIFOsurvey

Every year, there are thousands of lost-time injuries (LTIs) which occur when drivers operating mobile heavy equipment and trucks fall or slip from their machines when climbing in or out of the cab or working on the tray.

Sprains, strains, fractures and other serious injuries occur when drivers jump down from all types of equipment, dismount from the cab of trucks, or fall from wet, slippery or poorly maintained access equipment.

Some drivers even lose their lives in these senseless accidents.

So, in order to control the risk, drivers of trucks and other large mobile equipment should always maintain three-points of contact when ascending into the cab or dismounting from the machine.

Other tips to control the risk of falling from a truck include:

●  Mount and dismount facing in toward the equipment;

●  Mount or dismount only when the vehicle is stationary;

●  Don't rush;

●  Don't jump off;

●  Get on and off equipment using the safest access point and using equipment installed by the manufacturer;

●  Keep access equipment free of threats that can cause tripping or falling (e.g., ice, mud, debris);

●  Perform regular inspections of equipment and replace any access equipment that is damaged; and

●  Maintain access equipment appropriately.

The 2012 Emergency Response Guidebook has been recently released for use by fire fighters, police, and other emergency services personnel who may be the first to arrive at the scene of a transportation incident involving dangerous goods.

Developed jointly by Transport Canada, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Secretariat of Transport and Communications of Mexico and with the collaboration of the Centro de Informaciòn Quìmica para Emergencias of Argentina, the guide assists first responders in quickly identifying the specific or generic hazards of the material(s) involved in the incident, and protecting themselves and the general public during the initial response phase of the incident.

This guidebook will assist responders in making initial decisions upon arriving at the scene of a dangerous goods incident.

The Guidebook is not a substitute for emergency response training, knowledge or sound judgment and it does not address all possible circumstances that may be associated with a dangerous goods incident.

It is primarily designed for use at a dangerous goods incident occurring on a highway or railroad.

It may also have some limited value in its application at fixed facility locations.

A copy of the 2012 Emergency Response Guidebook is available here (free).