OHS 05-09-2023

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OHS Committee 

OHS Meeting Minutes 

Attendees: Henry, Sarah, Lucy, Anthony, Graeme, Paul, Sascha, Tim, Matt

Apologies: 

Jake

Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country: Anthony. 

Nominate minute taker: Matt Windsor

Nominate Chair person (ensures we stay on topic). Sascha

Attendees and Apologies.

Conflicts of interest if any.: none.

Agree minutes of previous meeting 

 Circulated for comment prior to meeting. All approved. 

7. Progress updates from:

• Management update, Employee representative(s)

  1. 1. Tim: In response to chat with Alan (TWU), meetings have now been scheduled for working groups for the next 4 weeks. No dates for draft policies have yet been approved. 2 policies ready for draft approval. 

• Worker representative(s) / health and safety representative(s): Any updates? Anthony - no updates

• Policy working groups.

Privacy Moves: Updates. Meeting held last week, great but no one from management there. Will share after next meeting. Amendment to existing draft policy was discussed, including aim. Focus on making sure phones staff are very well across the policy to make it easy for movers on the day. Management has suggested that the working group members should attend mental health first aid, and any lessons learned shared with Privacy Move Movers. Discussion with Alan (TWU) about getting funding for mental health first aid. Working group members would like all Privacy Move Movers to be trained in Mental Health first aid. 

• Hazardous manual handling: Anthony: Spoke to Alba Ergonomics and have read their documentation. We now have a better understanding on what work Alba have done and what work MWAV needs to do. A draft of the dynamic risk assessment process for movers has been developed and accepted in principle by the sub committee. We have redrafted the first draft of the policy from Alba to make it readable, have added risk matrix, Worksafe legislation. 

• Fatigue policy: Are there any issues with our existing fatigue management policy? It relies on workers to speak up and "self assess", or managers "happening to know" that a worker might be fatigued. We need to develop a better administrative process for identifying fatigue. 

  • Heat policy will be turned into "Environmental hazards"

• Bullying, discrimination and harassment policies: The group is happy with the policy. Next step is to train staff by getting them to read the policy and complete a quiz. Quiz is in testing/development phase. Quiz wording needs to be reviewed. 

• If Time do after section 9 - Diversity and Inclusion.

8. Items for discussion:

• Review of Workplace Health Safety Injury/Incident statistics and data: Management injury report: 7 reports in August, down from 9 in July. 2 knees, 1 ankle, 1 upper back, 1 wrist, 1 lower back, 1 foot. Matt to do a report on the foot injury and publish in next Man's Message. 

  1. • 1. Knee: don't know

       2. Knee 2: Slipped, no treatment

       3. Ankle: missed a step going down stairs. Ice and analgesia

       4. Upper back: lifting heavy table top, didn't have time between shifts to heal. Hazardous manual handling issue

       5. Wrist: lost footing on ramp, stepped on wheel of trolley, tripped and fell. Lengthy time off

       6. Lower back: lifting of heavy goods. "Ache in both areas of spine/back". No more detail.

       7. Foot: Stepped out of moving vehicle, foot got run over. Was wearing steel caps. 2 weeks off. 

Would be good to get ongoing reports on lengthy injuries. Matt and Tim to work on meaningful injury data. Need to include lost time calculations with each injury for 2023. Need to include data on how new they are. 

• New or ongoing hazards or risks.: 

  1. • 1. Toolbox brought up ramps as always, pictures of good and bad ramps from Richie. Need to put out a message about how to report an issue with a truck. If your indicator is clicking fast, a bulb is probably broken. Stop, check it out and report. 

       2. Sarah: Saff were in Ballarat. Headlight popped out and was dangling. Needed to be taped (bandaided) on. First Aid kit should have tape in it. 

       3. 
          

• Emerging WHS issues: Paul: Worthwhile letting people know about exhause brake lever. Tim: We did this in the last Man's Message. 

  1. • 1. Heat and fatigue will be next issue to come this year. this will be the focus once hazardous manual handling is completed. 

• Findings of workplace inspections if any: Anthony: Workplace walk around occurred on 4/9 at new depot site Fairchild St. Looked at entry/exit points, sight lines on exit. Entry is not next to any exiting vehicles. Pedestrian entrance is on the side of the building where most staff will arrive. Roller door will be closed in morning. No pedestrian entry from vehicle exit point. 

• Issues to be considered by workers and management.

  1. • 1. None

• WHS training needs of workers. 

  1. • 1. Hazardous MH will be the main focus. See sub group info.

     • We need to elect toolbox meeting representatives at each meeting.

       2. 1. OHS committee rep for next meeting: Sarah. Talking points will be these minutes

          2. Need to do a toolbox for Cranbourne. Thursday morning when most staff available. Tim to book and inform management.

• Drafting WHS procedures for workplace. 

• Any updates on legislation, codes of practice, guidance materials. 

  1. • 1. Sascha tried to find updates to employer responsibilities on psycho-social harm in the workplace, but not yet available. 

       2. Matt to develop and maintain list of staff with Working With Children check. See if CheckWorkRights can do this?

9. Outstanding actions from previous meetings. 

   1. 1. 1. Stretching Club: Sarah is keen on getting a stretching club going. Format will be (eg) 7am Thursday morning stretching club. Sarah to lead it. Yoghurt and berries afterwards. 15-20 min thing. Thursdays 700 - 730. Bring ur yogamat. Tim to advertise.

10. Other/new business. 

    1. 1. 1. Who will do a welcome to country at each meeting?

          2. Should be added to Toolbox meetings. Tim to do a Welcome to Country. 

11. Meeting close and confirm date and time of next meeting. 

    1. 1. 1. 3 October 2023, 7am.