The School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering All of School OH&S Meeting October 2014

School OH&S Meeting October 2014 HoS Introduces “Workplace Assessments” Annual lab audit: Being the guineapig Dr Michael Heitzmann School OH&S Committee Update (HoS) Executive Dean provides an overview of OH&S in the Faculty AGENDA

UQ HEALTH AND SAFETY AUDITING The University conducts regular internal health and safety audits, and participates in scheduled independent, external audits. The objective: continual improvement of OH&S systems School OH&S Meeting October 2014

UQ HEALTH AND SAFETY AUDITING General OH&S Workplace Assessment All workgroups within the University are required to assess their workplace at least annually. Carried out by the local Safety Coordinator (WHSC – Eddie Platt), with assistance from the local Health and Safety Representative (HSR – Doug Malcolm) Records must be maintained locally for auditing purposes School OH&S Meeting October 2014

UQ HEALTH AND SAFETY AUDITING Corrective Action Plan (if required) Developed following health and safety inspections and assessments Summarises recommendations to ensure ongoing and continual improvement of OH&S Management Systems. Is to be tabled at the relevant local OH&S Committee Meeting - discussions and progress minuted for auditing purposes. School OH&S Meeting October 2014

Goals of a Workplace Assessment Identify issues in individual laboratories for immediate correction Share best practice with all individuals working in laboratories Share best practice and how to embed safe work practices throughout the University An annual analysis of data will show if we are making improvements or not School OH&S Meeting October 2014

Use the data gathered to concentrate our education and training efforts where needed e.g. If storage of incompatible classes of chemicals is a repeated issue and we have the evidence to show this, we can target our safety education campaign towards this issue. School OH&S Meeting October 2014

How would we achieve this? Annual workplace safety assessments to be done systematically according to a pre-determined schedule. These should be done by research groups as an ‘in house exercise’, followed by a more formal inspection. School OH&S Meeting October 2014

What is in the Inspection Checklist? 1.Management 2.Training 3.Work Environment 4.Ergonomics 5.Amenities 6.Personal Protective Equipment 7.Housekeeping and Waste Management 8.Floors and Aisles 9.Special Work Procedures 10.Mechanical and Heat Hazards 11.Electrical Equipment School OH&S Meeting October Chemicals 13.Flammable Liquids 14.Compressed and fuel gases 15.Biological hazards 16.Emergency Equipment 17.Egress and Evacuation 18.Fire Protection

School OH&S Meeting October 2014

How do we proceed? Research groups select a lab (or labs) for inspection School sends the pre-inspection checklist to the group so they know what they are expected to do The group completes their own safety check list (2-4 weeks) Book an inspection with nominated people Undertake the inspection Prepare a report Prepare a corrective action plan (CAP), if required Submit the report and CAP to the relevant OH&S Committee OH&S Committee considers and determines if additional work is required (e.g. audit). School OH&S Meeting October 2014

Annual lab audit: Being the guineapig Dr Michael Heitzmann CRICOS Provider No 00025B

Situation About me: –Michael Heitzmann –Lecturer –Composite materials & processes UQ Composite Lab: –AEB Level 5 – Room 523 –Lab Manager: Luigi-Jules Vandi –Lab Supervisor: Michael Heitzmann –High use lab: 10+ regular users –Manufacturing lab CRICOS Provider No 00025B

My view on OH&S CRICOS Provider No 00025B

Why did we have to go first? CRICOS Provider No 00025B

The OH&S lab audit process 1.Pre-audit Check list with all the audit questions Time required: ~30 h (over two weeks) 2.Audit Going through the checklist with the “audit committee” Time required: ~ 3 h 3.Post-audit Fixing/corrective actions for all non-conformances Time required: ~ 5 h CRICOS Provider No 00025B

How did we go? CRICOS Provider No 00025B

Working in AEB labs Hazardous Area Classification (HAC) Can be restrictive in regards to storage quantities of flammable liquids Apparently very expensive to change Need clear understanding of what is possible Other issues Activities in labs were not anticipated well Modifications are complex and costly CRICOS Provider No 00025B  Need high level (school/faculty) initiative to rectify issues

My view on OH&S II Have to accept that risks are a part of life Have to develop a corporate understanding of what an acceptable risk is Have to take responsibility, not avoid/delegate Solution: Everyone needs to be constructive about OH&S CRICOS Provider No 00025B

School OH&S Committee Members Chair: Prof David Mee Prof Mingxing Zhang Dr Bo Feng Dr Micah Nehring Dr Kevin Austin Mr Munirud Dean (Postgrad student rep) Mrs Kim Lamb Mr Bojan Vlacic Mr Eddie Platt (WHSC) Mr Doug Malcolm (elected WHSR) School OH&S Meeting October 2014

School OH&S Committee School OH&S Meeting October 2014

School OH&S Committee School OH&S Meeting October 2014

School OH&S Committee Recent Items: Purchasing of chemicals and hazardous goods Ensure that all chemicals are ordered through the UQ Chemical Store Check for whether goods are hazardous on ChemWatch Chemical labelling Particularly for decanted chemicals Print labels from ChemWatch Chemical Storage Segregation Amounts School OH&S Meeting October 2014