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Frequently Asked Questions - Armed Robbery Survival
Tool Box talks were probably named after a group of employers sat on their tool box, and
were informed about the work being undertaken that day and potential hazards that may be
encountered.
Essentially Tool Box talks are meetings that you or your supervisors have with employees to
provide them with all relevant information to do their job, particularly pointing out to them a
whole range of potential risks.
An example of this is in the Underground Mining Industry, where crew of an underground
miner, bolting the roof and rib (walls), have regular Tool Box talks addressing issues relating
to for example, instability, and water. During these talks, supervisors provide them with
specific direction and instructions as to methodology to use to bolt these areas and make
them secure.
Tool Box talks can be used in any environment on a regular basis, to provide staff with
direction.
Records including attendance and relevant issues addressed, are kept on file, and used to
defend worker claims.
All businesses which employ staff should have a committee that reviews Health & Safety,
including ensuring that all reported injury, incident, or near misses, are investigated, and risks
are treated
1. The safety officer serves as an advisor to the committee;
2. The Committee acts under the established formal procedure for WPH&S
3. The Committee meets on a regularly scheduled basis to assist WPH&S
4. A meeting agenda issued for each meeting, addressing reported injury, incident, near misses, or other issues of WPH&S concern?
5. Meeting minutes are kept on file and reviewed;
6. The committee and appropriate management review and evaluate reports and take appropriate corrective action(s);
7. Action item(s) regarding treatment are specifically assigned to individuals, with due dates;
8. Follow-up action(s) are monitored by the committee;
9. Data is used to identify trends and recommend appropriate actions, including health education and training programs?
1. The safety officer serves as an advisor to the committee;
2. The Committee acts under the established formal procedure for WPH&S
3. The Committee meets on a regularly scheduled basis to assist WPH&S
4. A meeting agenda issued for each meeting, addressing reported injury, incident, near misses, or other issues of WPH&S concern?
5. Meeting minutes are kept on file and reviewed;
6. The committee and appropriate management review and evaluate reports and take appropriate corrective action(s);
7. Action item(s) regarding treatment are specifically assigned to individuals, with due dates;
8. Follow-up action(s) are monitored by the committee;
9. Data is used to identify trends and recommend appropriate actions, including health education and training programs?
The process in which a job is broken down into its component parts is a JSA. Each part or
task is analysed to determine if there is a better, safer way to accomplish it.
Conducting a job safety analysis consists of four basic steps.
• Select the job to be analysed;
• Break the job down into successive steps or activities, and observe how these are performed
• Identify the hazards and potential accidents.
Develop safe job procedures, for all positions to eliminate the hazards and prevent the potential accidents.
• Select the job to be analysed;
• Break the job down into successive steps or activities, and observe how these are performed
• Identify the hazards and potential accidents.
Develop safe job procedures, for all positions to eliminate the hazards and prevent the potential accidents.
The process in which a job is broken down into its component parts is a JSA. Each part or
task is analysed to determine if there is a better, safer way to accomplish it.
Conducting a job safety analysis consists of four basic steps.
• Select the job to be analysed;
• Break the job down into successive steps or activities, and observe how these are performed
• Identify the hazards and potential accidents.
Develop safe job procedures, for all positions to eliminate the hazards and prevent the potential accidents.
Once the Job Safety Analysis is completed, it is documented and then forms the basis for a Job Safety Instruction (JSI) or Safety Work Method.
All tasks carried out by the business should be assessed, and then documented as a formal instruction, giving the employee the appropriate knowledge and direction to complete the required task.
• Select the job to be analysed;
• Break the job down into successive steps or activities, and observe how these are performed
• Identify the hazards and potential accidents.
Develop safe job procedures, for all positions to eliminate the hazards and prevent the potential accidents.
Once the Job Safety Analysis is completed, it is documented and then forms the basis for a Job Safety Instruction (JSI) or Safety Work Method.
All tasks carried out by the business should be assessed, and then documented as a formal instruction, giving the employee the appropriate knowledge and direction to complete the required task.
The following is a generic job description of a Safety Officer:
1. Develop a safety management system that provides a workplace with minimal employee safety and health risk exposures;
2. Plan, implement, and maintain the Employee Safety and Health Program;
3. Define the business safety and health objectives and performance standards;
4. Developed a safety budget;
5. Assisted managers, supervisors and employees to develop and implement safe work practices for all operations;
6. Developed a management information system to identify and monitor specific types of exposures to risk;
7. Develop a hazard recognition, reporting, and control system;
8. Develop an internal process to report accidents and incidents and for conducting reviews and analyses of accidents and incidents;
9. Conducted thorough, comprehensive accident reviews and analyses in cases or circumstances where necessary;
10. Maintain a safety and health reference library for Business use;
11. Support the Business safety committee as a professional and technical resource;
12. Coordinate with the Business's risk manager, risk management point-of-contact, workers' compensation claims coordinator and other professionals as appropriate regarding health and safety issues;
1. Develop a safety management system that provides a workplace with minimal employee safety and health risk exposures;
2. Plan, implement, and maintain the Employee Safety and Health Program;
3. Define the business safety and health objectives and performance standards;
4. Developed a safety budget;
5. Assisted managers, supervisors and employees to develop and implement safe work practices for all operations;
6. Developed a management information system to identify and monitor specific types of exposures to risk;
7. Develop a hazard recognition, reporting, and control system;
8. Develop an internal process to report accidents and incidents and for conducting reviews and analyses of accidents and incidents;
9. Conducted thorough, comprehensive accident reviews and analyses in cases or circumstances where necessary;
10. Maintain a safety and health reference library for Business use;
11. Support the Business safety committee as a professional and technical resource;
12. Coordinate with the Business's risk manager, risk management point-of-contact, workers' compensation claims coordinator and other professionals as appropriate regarding health and safety issues;
In most jurisdictions, employers are bound by law to have a WPH&S Plan in place. The plan
provides a comprehensive overview of how the business ensures the safety of its workers.
Plans document how employers to establish and maintain effective injury prevention and
management to improve health and safety outcomes for your workers.
Plans should be available to all employees, and also should be reassessed regularly.
Each business must have a formal system, allowing employees to report:
✓ Accidents;
✓ Incidents;
✓ Near Misses;
✓ Work Place system deficiencies
1. The business should encourage employees to report the above, on every occasion. In most jurisdictions, a system of reporting is required by law, and where one is not in place, may be viewed as employer negligence, and a failure to provide adequate duty of care. Employers should want to know about any incident or risk.
2. Although detailed reporting is helpful, even short notifications or disclosures are helpful.
3. Any disclosure, must be recorded, reviewed and analysed by an appropriate, and qualified person, supervisor, or Work Place Health & Safety Officer, in terms of the Risk assessment process.
4. Disclosures, must be treated to ensure the risk identified, is minimised. Where the disclosure relates to an injury accident or near miss, the review and analysis, should attempt to identify treatment that will minimise such accident, or near miss occurring in the future. Where deficiencies in procedure are identified, review and analysis should attempt to identify treatment that will enhance or improve such procedure.
5. Reports review, analysis and outcome (treatment) must be recorded. These records are important to support claims that allege a failure to exercise duty of care, or employer negligence. Workplace injury does occur, but where reporting is encouraged, reviewed, analysed and treated as part of a regular process, such a process makes it more difficult to institute litigation proceedings.
6. In many businesses, a safety committee regularly meets and reviews reports, reviews, analysis and treatment implemented. Such is the importance of such a process.
✓ Accidents;
✓ Incidents;
✓ Near Misses;
✓ Work Place system deficiencies
1. The business should encourage employees to report the above, on every occasion. In most jurisdictions, a system of reporting is required by law, and where one is not in place, may be viewed as employer negligence, and a failure to provide adequate duty of care. Employers should want to know about any incident or risk.
2. Although detailed reporting is helpful, even short notifications or disclosures are helpful.
3. Any disclosure, must be recorded, reviewed and analysed by an appropriate, and qualified person, supervisor, or Work Place Health & Safety Officer, in terms of the Risk assessment process.
4. Disclosures, must be treated to ensure the risk identified, is minimised. Where the disclosure relates to an injury accident or near miss, the review and analysis, should attempt to identify treatment that will minimise such accident, or near miss occurring in the future. Where deficiencies in procedure are identified, review and analysis should attempt to identify treatment that will enhance or improve such procedure.
5. Reports review, analysis and outcome (treatment) must be recorded. These records are important to support claims that allege a failure to exercise duty of care, or employer negligence. Workplace injury does occur, but where reporting is encouraged, reviewed, analysed and treated as part of a regular process, such a process makes it more difficult to institute litigation proceedings.
6. In many businesses, a safety committee regularly meets and reviews reports, reviews, analysis and treatment implemented. Such is the importance of such a process.
Tasks such as, for example, lifting, pulling, bending and twisting, particularly when under load
can, if not undertaken properly, cause injury. As such employers use a range of strategy,
education and training to prevent such occurring. Unfortunately where employees are
undertaking tasks correctly, they may still suffer trauma or injury, by undertaking the same
task over and over again, whilst using the same part of their body, without a break. Often
muscles or other soft tissue will strain, tear or become injured when it is continually used over
and over again.
Business owners need to identify, through Risk Assessment, tasks performed by staff that require repetitive motion, and which could cause trauma. Job Safety Instructions or Safe Work Methods or other instructions are written to guide staff undertaking repetitive motion activity.
1. The use of exercises for employees, and when such exercises should be performed;
2. The use of ergonomically designed equipment, to lessen such activity;
3. Employees who are exposed to cumulative trauma being rotated to perform other jobs;
4. The use of frequent breaks between tasks, where stretching is encouraged or directed.
Business owners need to identify, through Risk Assessment, tasks performed by staff that require repetitive motion, and which could cause trauma. Job Safety Instructions or Safe Work Methods or other instructions are written to guide staff undertaking repetitive motion activity.
1. The use of exercises for employees, and when such exercises should be performed;
2. The use of ergonomically designed equipment, to lessen such activity;
3. Employees who are exposed to cumulative trauma being rotated to perform other jobs;
4. The use of frequent breaks between tasks, where stretching is encouraged or directed.
WPH&S should be a component of induction. Time should be taken to address;
1. The organisations philosophy regarding the safety of its workers;
2. The organisational Work Place Health and Safety Plan;
3. The medium to report accidents, injuries, hazards or near misses;
4. All Job Safety Instructions with respect to the job description;
5. The role of Job Safety Assessments;
6. Specific induction should be carried out with respect to specific sites where the worker may perform duty, or specific hazards which the worker may experience;
7. All rules with regard to WPH&S including the use of Personal Protective Equipment;(PPE)
8. First Aid;
9. Emergency and Evacuation procedures; The induction of the employee with respect to the above is recorded and noted by the employee, and becomes part of the employee’s H.R file.
1. The organisations philosophy regarding the safety of its workers;
2. The organisational Work Place Health and Safety Plan;
3. The medium to report accidents, injuries, hazards or near misses;
4. All Job Safety Instructions with respect to the job description;
5. The role of Job Safety Assessments;
6. Specific induction should be carried out with respect to specific sites where the worker may perform duty, or specific hazards which the worker may experience;
7. All rules with regard to WPH&S including the use of Personal Protective Equipment;(PPE)
8. First Aid;
9. Emergency and Evacuation procedures; The induction of the employee with respect to the above is recorded and noted by the employee, and becomes part of the employee’s H.R file.
Asbestos needs to be treated with caution.
A survey should be performed by a licensed inspector, and all asbestos present must be
identified.
An inventory and assessment of the asbestos condition, including potential for disturbance
must be made.
Where asbestos is not safely contained, it should be professionally removed, or secured.
Audit should be carried out regularly to ensure circumstances do not deteriorate.
It goes without saying that employees need to be trained in all aspects of their job description.
A common link between injury, claims, and litigation, is a lack of specific employee training.
Good training records obviously assist employees and employers to manage employee
training, development and enhancement.
Of major importance, is the role that good training records play in defending claims and
litigation. Proving that an injured worker was adequately trained, through good recording
keeping, greatly enhances an employers position.
Depending upon the nature of the occupation, a business could consider the following:
• Chest X-rays;
• Audiometric tests;
• Pulmonary function tests;
• Vision tests for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or colour blindness;
• Flexibility and strength tests that measure degree of extension and strength;
• Stress tests to identify aerobic conditioning and general physical fitness;
• Tests to determine presence of chemicals and or sensitivity to chemicals and allergens;
• EKGs or similar tests to monitor cardiac health.
• Chest X-rays;
• Audiometric tests;
• Pulmonary function tests;
• Vision tests for nearsightedness, farsightedness, or colour blindness;
• Flexibility and strength tests that measure degree of extension and strength;
• Stress tests to identify aerobic conditioning and general physical fitness;
• Tests to determine presence of chemicals and or sensitivity to chemicals and allergens;
• EKGs or similar tests to monitor cardiac health.
Employees expect, and deserve to enjoy a safe work environment. Employers have a duty of
care to ensure that staff are not physically assaulted, or injured by other employees.
Aggressive behaviour in the workplace is now also a leading cause of worker psychological
type claims, including claims of stress, bullying and harassment. Not managed correctly,
aggressive behaviour can cause business a lot of expense in claims.
Develop a strong policy, and train employees in conducting themselves, without aggression
towards other employees in the workplace.
Ensure you have reporting processes in place which allow employees to immediately report
aggressive behaviour.
Ensure all instances of aggressive behaviour are investigated and deal with appropriately
In most jurisdictions, there are written procedures relating to specific work place tasks that are
approved, as the correct method to undertake these tasks.
They are usually practical guides to allow employers to reach the required standards.
Usually, such Codes or Standards are written by qualified and experienced operators.
Codes and Standards provide specific direction relating to the way we do things in the work
place.
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