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ACCESS IN ACTION • MAY 2016
ACCESS in ACTION
EWPA – Putting Safety
First
1. The EWPA recently provided a
submission to Safework NSW for the
issue of major inspections of EWPs
to be tabled as an agenda item at
the next HWSA (Heads of Workplace
Safety Authorities) which was
scheduled for mid-March.
2. At the beginning of February,
the EWPA Technical Director,
Queensland President and CEO,
met with Workplace Health and
Safety Queensland to discuss safety
issues regarding EWPs. This was an
informative meeting which covered
what both parties were doing to help
prevent accidents involving EWPs
in the workplace. The EWPA will
continue to work closely with all States
and Territories with the end goal being
a safer workplace for those working in
and around EWPs.
Safety Alert: Dingli
Australia – Product Safety
Bulletin February, 2016
The EWPA was notified in February by
Dingli Australia of a potential stability
related issue with its range of Slab Style
scissor lifts manufactured before 2014.
Dingli Australia advised a retrofit solution
is in development and will be applied
to affected scissor lift models. Dingli
Australia requests all owners register
with them so arrangements can be made
to have a kit fitted.
Dingli Australia has also advised until
the retrofit has been carried out, affected
machines should only be operated
indoors (ie: not exposed to wind) and
the number of occupants in the platform
limited to one person.
Owners of Dingli slab style scissor lifts
are advised to contact Dingli Australia for
further information.
Contact: 1300 623 622 or 07 3804 3334, or
serviceparts@dingliaustralia.com.au or
www.dingliaustralia.com.au
Fuel app will empower
consumers struggling to
make ends meet
A NSW Government-led fuel app allowing
consumers to see in real time what petrol
prices are in their area will help ease
cost of living pressures for people on low
incomes according to the NSW Council of
Social Service (NCOSS).
NCOSS CEO Tracy Howe said: “This
is a great initiative from the NSW
Government that will have a real
impact in terms of easing cost of living
pressures."
“Over the past few years, we’ve seen
everyday expenses skyrocket, pushing
more and more families closer to the
breadline.
“While there has been some easing over
the past few months due to changes in
the global price of oil, the cost of petrol at
the pump is still not as low as it should
be. Having access to petrol prices in real
time will empower motorists to make the
best possible choice.
“Better informing consumers will also
help realise the benefits of fuel retailer
competition and force stations to sell
petrol at more reasonable prices."
PPSA Update
The Commission which includes Tim
Nuttall, Gary Kerr, Oliver Shtein and
James Oxenham, were busy throughout
January meeting with key stakeholders
in the PPSA. These include the office of
the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for
Small Business, the NSW Small Business
Commissioner’s office, the Australian
Bankers Association and the Australian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
As always, members are encouraged to
lobby their local MPs to ensure this issue
is kept in focus.
TSHA Update
On 9 February 2016 the Telescopic
Handler Association of Australia (TSHA)
held its AGM at the Novotel Parramatta.
The TSHA welcomes Chris Taylor, from
Cobra Training Services, on board as
the new TSHA President. The TSHA
thanks Stuart Walker for his support of
the Association as President since its
inception. Stuart will continue to offer
guidance to the Executive Committee in
his role as Past President.
Training Report
Phil Middleton
Training is running smoothly from the
EWPA office perspective. There is a
recommendation to add ‘calculations for
packing outriggers’ to the Yellow Card
Training Program. These calculations
are included in the Accredited Trainers
Application Assignment, however are
only referenced in the Yellow Card
operators training package. Given recent
incidents, the EWPA will look to include
these calculations in the next refresh of
training material.
An EWPA VOC is under development.
It was noted feedback/collaboration
with the industry (particularly Tier
1 companies) is important to ensure
wider acceptance within the industry.
In addition, feedback would be sought
not only for the VOC document but
also standardisation of the parameters
of the program eg: period of validity,
transferability between sites, etc.
This year the EWPA will look to add
Super Boom and Supervisor modules to
the Yellow Card program.
EWPA member, John Glover noted a
recent sighting of an EWP that had
been transported incorrectly to site (not
correctly chained down). He approached
the transporter to point the issue out
and noticed while the transporter was
wearing a harness, the leg straps had
been cut off.
John reinforced to all members that when
they see unsafe practices it should be
acted on by discussing the issues and
addressing it on the spot. The EWPA also
encourages this action and said: "Take
ownership, this is happening every day."
Standards
The review of AS 1418.10 continues,
with the next committee meeting to be
held in August 2016. Chairman of the
committee and EWPA Technical Director,
Peter Wenn has been asked to attend an
EWP manufacturers industry group in the
United States in June.
EWPA News and Actions