Monash Health is dedicated to continuous improvement in safety across the whole organisation. Here’s the latest from the Occupational Health and Safety team.
Introducing Safety Success Measures
Our mission is to keep people safe at work so they can return home safe and without harm. To ensure our goals support this mission, we’re introducing new measures to help us monitor and improve OHS at Monash Health.
Our new measures of success
- 50% reduction in the Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) sustained in 2020-21 with a target of 13.3.
- 100% completion of all Workplace Inspections each quarter with 100% completion of all Workplace Inspection actions by the due date
- 25% increase in claims cleared for pre-injury role and/or full duties (from end June 2021)
- 100% ISR 1-3 incidents have incident investigations completed
Spotlight on Health and Wellbeing
Our Safety Topic this month is Health and Wellbeing. Check out the information pack from Health and Wellbeing for information to help you:
- Self Care – Be your best self
- Create a positive mentally healthy workspace
- Keep you and the team healthy
- Find hints and tips for when you are not well
Read the Health and Wellbeing Communication Pack
Manual Handling
Manual handling is an area of focus for occupational health and safety across almost all industries, and especially here at Monash Health. Here’s what we’re doing to reduce Manual Handling injuriess across the organisation.
Training
Manual Handling Training providers have been selected and are currently working on program content for Nursing, Allied Health and Support Services. The Online Manual Handling program on Latte will be renewed and refreshed in September 2021 ready for roll out in 2022, along with specific modules for Allied Health, Support Services and Nursing/Medical.
Support Services Risk Assessments
An Exercise Physiologist and Physiotherapist have been engaged to conduct risk assessments for all Support Services 138 tasks, to recommend best practice through the development of new Safe Work Practices and training to reduce the risk of injury.
Dock and Delivery Safety update
Our back-of-house areas are critical, managing the timely receipt of all ward and department supplies at Monash Health.
These areas are also potentially hazardous for both truck drivers and employees receiving deliveries, due to uncontrolled access, traffic congestion, falls from raised docks, chemical management and use of powered equipment to take loads off trucks.
To address this, an external provider has conducted dock and delivery safety risk assessments at our five main sites, identifying high risk falls and traffic hazards. Key representatives from each site have formed a Dock and Delivery Safety Working Party site to develop actions, including:
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- Installation of falls protection on docks with a tender underway to select a provider to install edge protection and guarding on docks
- Development of traffic management plans at all sites to reduce congestion
- Preventative maintenance of dock equipment
- Training of users of motorised equipment such as warlike stackers
- Deliveries of supplies to Monash Health Dock
- Access control
- Flow of traffic around docks / traffic management planning
- Systems of work for safe unload and delivery to end user
WorkSafe Legislation – provisional payments
WorkSafe recently introduced legislation to provide financial support for mental health claims. Read more about what these provisional payments mean for you.
Safety café
Join us for the next OHS Safety Café via WebEx
When: Wednesday 18 August 2021
Topic: Health and Wellbeing
Join the event
Event address: https://monashhealth.webex.com/monashhealth/onstage/g.php?MTID=e1148fcaf37a4b7b1db4108a365f6f7c5
Password: SAFETYCAFE
Event Number: 165 464 5538
Use the event link on your computer or the event number on your Webex smartphone app to join this event.
Webex Events require extra steps to log in, including the event password, so please allow five minutes to join before the event start time.
Participate using Slido
To ask a question during the event, log on to slido.com using your web browser or smartphone and enter the code #SAFETYCAFE.
Approved by Karen Lowe.