Preparing for renovating old buildings or homes

 Look, check and prepare

It's important that home renovators and owner-builders plan the renovation work they do.

Look

If your house or building was built before 1990, there is a good chance that it contains asbestos. Before carrying out any renovations, maintenance or repairs, it’s important to know where asbestos is likely to be lurking  so that you can take the proper precautions before starting any work around your house.
Asbestos containing materials can be:

• inside and outside your house,
• in large amounts (e.g. a roof, under vinyl floors) and in small amounts (e.g. the backing board inside an electricity meter box), and
• in wet areas (e.g. wall sheeting in kitchens, bathrooms and laundries) and dry areas (e.g. wall sheeting in bedrooms and lounge rooms).

Check

The age of a house and the location a material are good indicators for asbestos. However, if you are not sure whether a building material contains asbestos, assume it does until a sample of the material is tested by an accredited laboratory.
Laboratories that test building materials for asbestos can be found by contacting the Asbestos Industry Association. The laboratories can also give you advice on how to correctly take and send a sample. There will be fees involved.

Whether you are planning to do something as minor as putting up a new towel rail in the bathroom or undertaking a major extension in your home, before you get started it's important you get the facts; it's an investment in your health, your family's health and the health of others. Under public health laws , you have a responsibility to make sure that you protect your health and the health of your family and neighbours by not releasing asbestos fibres into the air during your work.
You should also speak to your neighbours about the work you are about to do. It is particularly important to explain the safety precautions you will be taking to minimise the chance of asbestos fibres getting into the air.
Queensland Health provides advice for things you need to know  before every asbestos job.

Prepare

If materials containing asbestos are in your house and are in good condition, sometimes the safest option is to leave them alone and not disturb them.
Minor work can be done safely by following established safe work practices  or methods to prevent hazardous asbestos fibres becoming airborne and reduce the risk of them being inhaled.
There are laws about the removal of non-friable asbestos from your home.
Homeowners and owner-builders  must hold a certificate obtained under arrangements approved or established by Queensland Health to remove more than 10 square metres of non-friable (also known as bonded) asbestos materials.
There are different law for tradespeople, contractors and business operators working on a domestic property. These businesses can only carry out removal work under the authority of a Class B or Class A asbestos removal licence issued by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.
You are obligated to comply with laws about transporting and disposing of asbestos . Contact your local council for more advice about where you can dispose of asbestos waste. An alternative is to employ a licensed asbestos waste contractor to remove this on your behalf.
Friable asbestos must only be removed by holders of an 'A' class licence.

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To help with flood damaged homes across Queensland the Queensland Health Department has engaged KeysHR to deliver this approved homeowners course.

keyshr.com.au/OnlinehomeownerDIYasbestosremoval

Maintaining sufficient clearances when lifting or lowering the crane hook or load close to structures

On 21 July 2012, a worker was seriously injured after being hit by a falling scaffolding component on a high-rise construction site. The incident occurred when a tower crane was hoisting up its lifting gear near scaffolding. As the tower crane equalising sheave was being hoisted, it appears the lifting gear may have snagged on the scaffolding, causing a scaffolding component to fall.



Planning
The siting of tower cranes should only occur after a competent person(s) in consultation with relevant stakeholders has carefully considered the work environment. Where cranes are required to operate near buildings or structures, crane loadings and access should be considered at the project design stage.

Factors to be considered include:

• personnel movement within the crane working area
• contact or collision between the crane with other plant and structures e.g. scaffold and other cranes.

Work systems
When lifting or lowering the crane hook or load close to structures make sure that:

• the raise and lower speed is slow enough so that contact with a structure can be avoided
• the dogger has a clear view of the hook and load at all times.

Crane crew

• The number of people in the crane crew should be determined by a risk assessment and be appropriate to ensure the safe operation of the tower crane at the workplace. The size of the crane crew should especially be considered in relation to minimising the risk of collision between cranes and other plant, and loads contacting other structures, overhead powerlines and workers.
• The risk assessment should consider the size and complexity of the work to be undertaken when determining the number of operators and doggers to work together in a crew. The risk assessment should also consider the need for the appointment of a crane coordinator.
• Directions to a crane operator must only be provided by a licensed dogger.
• When the crane is being guided by a dogger in close proximity to other structures, including scaffolding, the dogger should ensure that other people are not exposed to risk of injury from contact or collision between the crane or its load with the structures.

Communication

• There must be a reliable method and system of communication between the crane operator and the doggers.
• A safe system of rules for communication should be developed and implemented, including:
  • how people communicate over the radio (e.g. terms to use for consistency)
  • that people are appropriately trained and examined in relation to their competency in the system
  • that records are kept in relation to the system and training.
• When more than one dogger is involved in a lift, each dogger should understand when responsibility for their part of the lifting operation should be handed over to another dogger.
• Work should stop immediately if there is a loss of communication.

Scaffolding

• Ensure sufficient clearance between tower cranes and scaffold to limit a risk of injury from a collision between the crane or its load. Contact or collision of the crane and scaffold can potentially affect worker safety and the safe use and structural integrity of scaffolding.

Clearances from overhead electric lines (Look up and live)

Operators of cranes and other plant are also reminded to maintain safe distances from overhead electric lines. For information about exclusion zones and safe working around these lines refer to the Electrical Safety Code of Practice 2010: Working Near Exposed Live Parts.

For more information refer

Tower Crane Code of Practice 2006, the Scaffolding Code of Practice 2009, and the Work Health and Safety, Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination Code of Practice 2011.

Visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au or call the WHS Infoline on 1300 369 915.

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What is demolition work and when is a licence required?

Coming from a demolition back ground I am often asked:

What is demolition work and when is a licence required?

Demolition work under the Regulation means any work to demolish or dismantle a structure, or part of a structure, that is load bearing or otherwise related to the physical integrity of the structure.
A person conducting a business or undertaking must hold a licence to carry out certain demolition work.
The scope of demolition work requiring a licence is intended to remain the same as the demolition work that required a certificate under the repealed WHS legislation. Therefore, a demolition licence is required for the following demolition work:

• Demolishing or dismantling a structure that contains pre-tensioned or post-tensioned structural components.
• Demolishing or dismantling a structure that involves use of load shifting equipment (for example a combination front-end loader and backhoe, skid steer loader, excavator or crane).
• Demolishing or dismantling a structure that involves the use of explosives or another induced collapse method.
• All other demolition work also requires a demolition licence unless the structure being demolished or dismantled is a domestic house; a structure built as, and still generally having the characteristics of, a domestic house or a structure that is ancillary to a domestic house or a structure with the characteristics of a domestic house.

Demolition work does not include:

• the dismantling of formwork, falsework or other structures designed or used to provide support, access or containment during construction work (for example scaffolding, barricades, gantries, hoardings, perimeter containment screening or tower cranes); or
• the removal of power, light or telecommunication poles.

In addition, a PCBU who proposes to carry out any of the following demolition work must ensure that written notice is given to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (under section 142 of the Regulation) at least five days before the work commences:

1. demolition of a structure, or a part of a structure that is load-bearing or otherwise related to the physical integrity of the structure, that is at least 6m in height
2. demolition work involving load-shifting machinery on a suspended floor
3. demolition work involving explosives.

Any site will still be considered a construction site and all workers must holder proof of construction induction training ie: white card, blue card, red card or green card depending on state or territory.

For more information in relation to this topic please follow link:

http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/legislative-guide-licensing-demolition-work.pdf

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What is considered working at Heights?

General provisions for managing the risk of falls

The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 contains a number of provisions relating to the management of the risk of falls that apply to construction work.

The Regulation requires that any risk of a fall from one level to another that is likely to cause injury must be managed

In the first instance, duty holders or a person in control of a business or undertaking (PCBU) are required to carry out work on the ground or on a solid construction. Where this is not possible or not reasonably practicable, PCBUs must provide adequate protection that minimises the risk of a fall.

In identifying appropriate controls PCBUs must work through the hierarchy of control outlined in s.79(3) of the Regulation, using higher order controls (e.g. edge protection) wherever it is reasonably practicable to do so.

These provisions aim to ensure that each hazard that may result in a fall that causes death or injury is identified, assessed, and that control measures are implemented to prevent or minimise the exposure to risk. This is an effective continuation of the requirements under the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008, section 317(3), which applied to construction work at less than 3m, for housing construction, and less than 2m, in all other construction work.

So in effect any work carried out not on the ground is now considered working at height and risk assesments must be undertaken.

For more information please follow this link- http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/publications/safe/construction/may12/working-at-heights/index.htm

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Fatigue In Construction Industry a Safety Concern

Reference group examining fatigue in the construction industry

Research showed that fatigue was associated with a significant increase in near misses at work as well as an increase in work-life conflict. Other key findings included:

• construction workers in all jobs reported fatigue to be highest between 2pm and 4pm
• workers associated November, December and January with higher levels of fatigue
• older workers reported higher levels of fatigue
• the longer the work hours, the higher the level of fatigue
• the longer the commuting hours per day, the higher the level of fatigue.

Factors to consider when managing fatigue

Roster design

When determining if roster design is contributing to fatigue, consider the following:

• Length of shifts - depends on physical and mental load of the work;
• Distribution of leisure time - allow for adequate rest and recovery;
• Regularity of shift system - allows workers to prepare for work;
• Length of shifts worked - this can contribute to fatigue;
• Previous hours and days worked - the effects of fatigue are cumulative, workers may have sleep debt due to the length of previous shifts;
• Type of work being performed - pay particular attention to the level of physical and/or mental effort required; and
• Time of the day when the work is being performed - remember that disrupting the body's circadian rhythms can cause fatigue and affect performance.

The key to managing fatigue successfully is ensuring that workers are given sufficient time between shifts. Adults require approximately seven to eight continuous hours of daily sleep. One way of doing this would be giving workers two successive full days off within a seven day period, so workers can catch up on their night sleep.

Commuting

Excessive hours spent travelling to and from work can extend the effective length of a shift, reduce the time available for sleep and recovery between shifts, and may have significant effects on fatigue levels. When combined with work-related fatigue, driving to and from work can be hazardous.

Shift rotation

If the starting times of shifts vary, the cycle should begin with an early start and move progressively later. Where a rotating three shift system is in operation the preferred rotation is day, afternoon, and night. This will allow workers the maximum opportunity for rest between shifts.

Sleep inertia

Sleep inertia can occur if a person is woken after sleeping for more than 40 minutes. They may be slow to respond, may feel drowsy and disoriented. It may it may take up to 30 minutes before complex tasks can be performed efficiently.
Sleep inertia has implications for safety when workers are on-call for emergencies. Suggested measures to control sleep inertia and the subsequent impairment in work performance include:

• Minimising naps taken at work that exceed 40 minutes; and
• Planning for recovery times of up to 30 minutes for workers who may be subject to sleep inertia, before they are to perform hazardous tasks.

Breaks

Time spent away from the work environment allows workers to recover from fatigue and improve performance, vigilance, safety and efficiency. For this reason breaks should be taken during work shifts, and should not be traded for an early finish time.
Consider the following when deciding on the length and frequency of breaks within a shift:

• Type of work being performed ¿ the greater the physical and/or mental effort required, the longer the total break time required per shift; and
• Length of shifts worked¿ the longer the shift the longer the total break time required per shift.

Occupational exposure levels

Extended working hours increase the risk of exposure to hazards such as noise, heat and chemicals and should be carefully monitored. National and international exposure standards are usually based on five 8 hour days per week. Workplaces where extended hours are worked will need to monitor exposure levels.
It is recommended that expert advice is sought in adjusting exposure levels, because the increased exposure of workers over a 10 hour shift may not be simply 1.25 times the exposure for eight hours. Models need to be used, to take into account the reduced recovery time after exposure to hazards when extended shifts are worked. Workplaces should always aim for best practice, to keep all exposures significantly below the specified standards which will ensure workers are not over-exposed to a hazard.

Manual tasks

The prolonged performance of repetitive tasks without the adequate chance of rest and recovery may result in an occupational overuse injury. The risk of a musculoskeletal injury occurring may also be increased within extended shifts due to the cumulative effects of muscle fatigue, strains and sprains. Workers involved in repetitive manual tasks should have regular breaks.

For more tips goto

 http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/fatigue/managing/factors/index.htm

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Victoria lets untrained workers onto construction sites for upto 28 days????

Can you believe this! Victoria in its wisdom lets a employer have a untrained worker on a construction site for up to 28 days. Of course the employee must be enrolled in an induction course and the fee's paid. But how would this stand up in a court of law if the worker was injured or worst killed!

As an employer myself, I know the liabilities of having trained workers on site, but I can't imagine the added stress of  an untrained worker on a construction site.
                                                                     

                                                                     
Why would anyone risk it when online training is available and can be accessed 24 hours a day 7 days a week?

Why risk losing your house, business, life savings, super and everything you have worked so hard for.

Send your untrained workers straight to Keyshr.com/onlinewhitecard induction training and have peace of mind!

Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007

5.1.23 Temporary exemption

Did you know under the new Model Code of Practice for the Construction Industry it states -

6.1 General construction induction training

If a worker has either not successfully completed general construction induction training, or has successfully completed general construction induction training more than 2 years previously but has not carried out construction work in the preceding 2 years, a person conducting a business or undertaking must:

 not direct or allow the worker to carry out construction work, and

 ensure that general construction induction training is provided to a worker engaged by the person who is carrying out construction work.

So if you have or your worker has taken a leave of absense from the Construction Industry for over 2 years

Re-training of the construction industry induction white card is COMPULSARY!
So if you find yourself or one of your staff members in this situation, simply log onto whitecardonline.info or keyshr.com/whitecard to carry out easy to use convenient online white card training.