Greenhouse growers
are getting expert advice on avoiding injuries resulting from falls,
afters a recent series of such incidents in a short space of time.
The Accident Compensation Corporation says falls from height account
for 20% of work related accident claims, most of which are avoidable.
Department of
Labour senior health and safety inspector Rod Gibbon told 30 growers
at a seminar in November that accidents at greenhouse premises have
involved forklifts, ladders and elevating work platforms, including
pipe rail trolleys.
He said growers should first identify whether hazards existed and
then seek to eliminate, isolate or, at least, minimise them.
“Can you fix or re-arrange something so the work can be done
at ground level?” he said.
“If you can’t, move to isolate the hazard by working
from a correctly set-up elevating platform, or a complaint scaffold
or use a forklift cage.”
By law, employers are required to “take all practicable steps”
to ensure the safety of employees while at work, and a workplace
controller is required to do the same to ensure no hazard causes
harm.
Mr Gibbon said ladders were often used for the wrong type of job,
and growers should ensure they used only commercial or trade ladders,
which were secured and had no deformities, or any missing, worn
or splayed rubber feet.
He said it was important for growers to ask manufacturers and suppliers
for manuals for pipe rail trolleys, and to let them know what the
equipment would be used for so it would be appropriate for the task.
A common occurrence was for manuals to be written in a language
other then English, but it was important they could be read by those
using the equipment.
Common errors were also made in the operation of forklifts, he said,
such as inadequate use of guard rails, not locking tilt levers,
unsecured platforms and drivers not being in control of them at
all times when the cage was lifted.
Mr Gibbon stressed the importance of operating pipe rail trolleys
on secured pipes, and ensuring operators were competent to use them.
Growers who attended the seminar said keeping pipes straight and
secure was difficult, with the weight of water and settling and
sinking of ground over time.
One said annual or seasonal crop pull-outs were a risky time, because
staff became unfamiliar with procedures during time, and it was
important to brief them before work began. Some employers said they
asked staff to walk down rows before operating a trolley along them,
while others operated the trolley on a “trial run”,
without staff on them.
Occupational Safety and Health was keen to assist growers to ensure
they were working to industry best practice standards, rather than
“going down the enforcement road”, Mr Gibbon said. He
said there was “no need to re-invent the wheel”, and
growers should use the Approved Code of Practice for Power Operated
Elevating Work Platforms, and European standards for design and
general safety requirements for the operation of pipe rail trolleys.
NSNO
Update
Participants were also updated on the requirements for updating
their own dangerous goods council licences to the new Hazardous
Substances and New Organisms Test Location Certificate. Test certifier
for Dangerous Goods Compliance Aaron Lelean said that of the 130
certifiers nationwide, some could only certify approved handlers,
some give location certificates and some both.
Mr Lelean said certifiers tried to take into account previous training
in agrichemical handling, and sometimes additional training was
required only in the specific use of one chemical.
Information
courtesy of Heath & Safety NZ and NZ Horticultural News Magazine.
