Employers urged to think safety

THE best present a boss can give his employees this Christmas is a safe workplace, according to WorkSafe.
The State Government workplace safety body is urging Victorian employers, supervisors and workers to do all they can to prevent serious injuries and deaths before Christmas.
WorkSafe executive director John Merritt urged employers to think of safety first to ensure that no family had to spend Christmas Day grieving a loved one.
“In November and December last year eight people died at work, nearly a quarter of the year’s total of 29,” he said.
There were five fatalities in November and three in December 2006.
Twenty fatalities have been reported to WorkSafe so far this year.
“The Victorian community is increasingly aware of the need to develop and maintain safe work practices but we know much more can be done, particularly when the pressure is on to get something finished or out the door.
“Warehouses, road transport and retailing are particularly busy in the pre-Christmas period, while manufacturers and building trades are trying to finish work before an extended break.
“No one can afford to allow shortcuts to be taken with safety. What is often forgotten is that many serious injuries and so-called near-misses could have resulted in death.”