Parliamentary question regarding a high number of improvement notices issued to Great Southern TAFE by WorkSafe, raising concerns about safety standards and potential hazards to students and lecturers.

AnsweredQoN 2140Legislative Assembly
Asked
23 February 2010
Portfolio
Commerce

QuestionView source ↗

(1) How many improvement notices were issued at Great Southern TAFE during a site inspection by a Worksafe Inspector in late 2009; and
(a) is this a large number for a TAFE workplace of this size; and
(b) what were each of the notices issued for?
(2) Were either students or lecturers exposed to any hazards prior to the issuing of the notices?
(3) What procedures did Great Southern TAFE have in place to identify and fix any workplace hazards prior to the issue of these notices?
(4) How many registered safety and health representatives were there at Great Southern TAFE prior to the visit?
(5) What recommendations have Worksafe made to Great Southern TAFE as the result of the improvement notices being issued?
(6) Have these recommendations been implemented?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
20 April 2010
Responded by
Minister for Commerce
Response time
56 days
(1) 127 Improvement Notices were issued to Great Southern TAFEin November 2009.
a. Yes.
b. Notices were issued for hazards including:
i. guarding of machinery/equipment;
ii. inadequate or missing labels;
iii. provision/maintenance of emergency first aid facilities;
iv. chemicals, including exposure to fumes and risk of spills;
v. training and risk assessment for hazardous substances;
vi. Material Safety Data Sheets not readily available or out of date;
vii. electrical testing and potential hazards;
viii. slips, trips and falls;
ix. risk of manual handling injuries;
x. access to emergency equipment blocked;
xi. unsecured gas cylinders;
xii. spray booth not in accordance with Australian Standards; and
xiii. Personal Protective Equipment not adequately maintained.
(2) Yes.
(3) The information is not available through WorkSafe's database.
(4) 10 representatives were registered prior to November 2009.
(5) An improvement notice is a written direction issued by a WorkSafe inspector requiring a person to remedy an alleged breach of the
Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984
or the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996. Each of the 127 notices issued to Great Southern TAFEincluded directions.
(6) At 5 March 2010, compliance forms have been returned for 118 Improvement Notices. 9 Improvement Notices are still awaiting compliance.
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