Safetypride in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Occupational safety and health service

Safetypride

Locality: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 409 267 939

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• Commercial and industrial
• Occupational safety and health service

24.01.2022 Does your centre have a work health and safety representative? Displaying a current list of health and safety representatives Section 74 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 states that a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must ensure that a list of health and representatives and deputy health and safety representatives (if any) for the business or undertaking is prepared and kept up-to-date. A copy of the up-to-date list must be displayed in a way that is r...eadily accessible to workers in the relevant work group or work groups: at the principal place of business of the business or undertaking at any other workplace that is appropriate taking into account the constitution of the relevant work group or work groups. A copy of this list must also be emailed to the Regulator at [email protected] or by calling 1300 362 128. Please include a contact phone number and email address for each HSR. This information will not be publicly available. See more

24.01.2022 It was refreshing talking safety with the delegates from a number of Childcare Centres, Kindergartens and Schools who attended the Annual ECTA conference last Saturday. One of the best discussions was over the question - What are the advantages of obtaining an external safety audit? Best answers were - 1. An independent authentication of your organization’s health and safety management system demonstrates transparency and integrity to the public. Safety reassurance is a grea...t marketing tool that generally comes with a competitive advantage. 2. It demonstrates due diligence and the organisations adherence to legal and ethical responsibilities for health and safety. 3. It is very cost efficient. For a small fee you actively mitigate potential damages or injury claims and potential law suits that tend to arise through carelessness, negligence or simply being unaware about some safety issues. 4. Client and staff satisfaction of knowing your safety systems are in place and are working as intended. See more

21.01.2022 Contacting centres throughout SE Qld this week offering free safety inspections where centre only pays for detailed safety audit report. This is a great marketing tool to show the centre is serious about safety - important features of Quality Area #2 and Quality Area #3 in the NQF Framework. We spot the hazards that staff may not be aware of in terms of standards and compliancy. By mitigating and managing risk, directors and owners are not only saving the reputations of their centres, but are also reducing the chances of embarrassment and possible claims. Best of all, they are putting the safety of their children, staff and visitors above all else.

20.01.2022 Congratulations Kim and committee on another inspiring annual conference at Sheldon College yesterday. I had the pleasure of presenting and attending yesterday and felt proud to be part of the event. Thanks to the wonderful audience who participated with me in presenting 'Everyday Steps to Ensure your Centre is safe, compliant and achieving best practice" . I was thoroughly comfortable speaking with such a committed group of professional people who shared the same safety standards as me. I will send out copies of the presentation to those folk who requested it asap. Best wishes for a safe year.

19.01.2022 Completed a refresher upgrade on whs with National Safety Council Australia today; interesting to see the new laws relating to Industrial Manslaughter in the light of tragic work fatalities in recent years.

16.01.2022 Shame about the negative publicity recently in the media, particularly about unethical childcare and OSHC centres and the low numbers that have achieved the highest ratings set out by ACECQA. Sadly, ‘The most frequently breached section of the National Law in 2016/17 related to the protection of children from harm and hazards, while the most frequently breached national regulation related to premises, furniture and equipment being safe, clean and in good repair? (ACECQA’s ann...ual performance report’ (Dec 17) Evidence shows a number of centres are struggling to attain an ‘Excellent’ NQS rating in both Quality Area #2 Children’s Health & Safety and Quality Area #3 Physical Environment, but what is not certain is the reason why? Is it because of a lack of compliance knowledge by owners / administrators or is it because of a reluctance to spend money calling in experts? What is Compliance? According to the International Compliance Association, compliance describes the ability to act according to an order, set of rules or request. The only assurance of compliance is to have an external independent safety check. It is essential that Directors place safety compliance at the head of their 'Must Do' list. Children, staff and visitors must feel safe at their work place and the reputation of the centre must be protected.

13.01.2022 Congratulations to staff at Montessori Noosa on the high standard achieved with their recent safety audit. Considering the basic state of the buildings and facilities when first opened 12 months ago, Richard and his team have brought the centre into a new zone. The staff can feel proud of the way they have addressed traffic and signage, attended to registers, tidied up the playground and become compliant with fire and evacuation procedures. This is a very impressive safety achievement.

13.01.2022 Does your centre have a Softfall Surface in the playground. Be aware there is a standard of safety compliancy - AS / NZS 4685. The purpose of this standard is to ensure a level of protection for children using outside playground equipment in the event of falls or accidents. While the best protection is effective supervision and education on correct use of equipment, AS 4685 is intended to reduce serious head injury using rubberised cushion, particularly when children may be jumping from heights. When barks or composts are used, they must be regularly checked in the event of compression after rain or windy weather.

12.01.2022 After visiting a number of childcare centres and kindergartens in SE Qld, it is clear there is a gap between what the governing bodies (including WHS Qld) want and what some directors and staff understand in terms of everyday safety compliance. I would urge parents , grandparents and carers to look at the attached checklist, ask the questions at your local centre, and if you are not happy with an answer, ask 'Why not?'

09.01.2022 All centres have playgrounds for children to explore and burn up energy through physical adventure. As the person responsible for providing and maintaining the safety standards of the playground, directors must have regular safety checks of play areas, sand pits and apparatus. As well, centres must keep records of inspections and maintenance. These checks must be done by a competent person and done on a regular basis. Importantly, any incident that results in an injury, shoul...d be recorded and investigated. Records should include details of location and installation, type of surface (in case soft fall material required), manufacturer details and warranty. Inspection certificates, schedules, maintenance procedures, incident reports and corrective actions must also be kept. Inspections / checks should be done as follows: Daily/Weekly a routine visual inspection to identify obvious hazards (e.g. deterioration if left in the weather; check for wear and tear on moving parts (swings, ropes, chains); foreign objects in the grounds or in sand pits; spiders in tyres or under platforms Monthly/Quarterly to check stability of structures; look for deterioration or wear in moving parts; look for integrity of metal frames and timber; check edges for roundness; look for corrosion (rusting) of bolts and chain links; check integrity of soft fall fibres for subsidence below rubberized surfaces Annually have a qualified / external person undertake a thorough inspection based on AS 4685.0:2017

08.01.2022 Did you know? Although employment sites are required to have at least ONE fire evacuation drill (rehearsal) each year, schools and childcare cenres (kindergartens) fall under a different regulation. Emergency and evacuation procedures are required under Regulations 97 and 168 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations.... Childcare centres must rehearse their emergency and evacuation procedures every 3 months. Details must be documented in a Fire Safety log book. Schools must have at least ONE fire evacuation drill each year and at least TWO lockdown drills per year.

05.01.2022 Following recent audits, some centres are still unaware of the dangers of having CCA treated timber in their playgrounds. While this type of timber is readily available to homeowners and gardeners through hardware chains and some timber suppliers, it was recommended about 12 years ago that CCA treated timber should NOT be used where children play because of the toxic chemicals used to treat pine timber to extend its life.

05.01.2022 Looking forward to attending and participating in the 44th ECTA Early Childhood Conference at Sheldon Event Centre, Thornlands, Brisbane on Saturday 29th June 2019. Last year was my inaugural attendance and I was overwhelmed with the professionalism of the organisation and enthusiasm of those attending. This year’s range of workshops looks to be just as inspiring and I would recommend it to any forward-thinking member of the profession. Congratulations Kim and your team on what looks to be another excellent exposition.