Safety around earthmoving equipment targeted in Queensland

According to an eSafe Construction Newsletter, ten per cent (140) of the total number of deaths and permanent injuries that occurred in the Queensland construction industry between January 2010 and September 2012 involved powered mobile plant.

A Workplace Health and Safety Queensland assessment and advisory campaign is targeting the safety around earthmoving equipment and mobile plant, with inspectors assessing the level of compliance in controlling risks associated with mobile and operational plant on civil and heavy construction sites.

Operator competence, maintenance, and where applicable, traffic management will be targeted by the project.

Four types of mobile plant: hoists, earthmoving equipment, elevating work platforms and lifting equipment are 'in scope'.

Now that operators of earthmoving equipment and particular crane mobile plant no longer need a licence, operator competence is highlighted as of 'particular importance'.

"Employers instead have a primary duty of care to ensure that operators have received sufficient training, information, instruction, and supervision," the eSafe Construction March 2013 article states.

The campaign will be conducted in Queensland over two years, with the specific aims of checking compliance with high risk construction activities on construction sites and assessing the use of safe work method statements for high risk construction activities on construction sites.