Hire and Rental News - November 2018

INDUSTRY in FOCUS When is trench shoring required? Under the modelWork Health and Safety (WHS) laws, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) who proposes to excavate a trench at least 1.5m deep must minimise the risk to any person by ensuring all sides of the trench are adequately supported by one or more of the following: • shoring by shielding or other comparable means (eg: boxing); • benching; or • battering. So, any excavation that will be 1.5m or deeper must be reinforced to prevent collapse. The only exception to this rule is shoring, benching and/or battering may not be required if written advice is received from a geotechnical engineer that all sides of the trench are safe from collapse. How far from the edge of a trench must safety measures be put in place? The model WHS Regulations do not specify a minimum distance from the edge of a trench at which safety measures must be put in place. Instead, the model WHS laws impose a general duty on persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to manage risks to health and safety arising from work carried out as part of their business. The model WHS Regulations impose additional, specific duties on a PCBU to manage risks to health and safety associated with excavation work including excavating a trench, by: • identifying hazards; • if necessary, assessing the risks associated with those hazards; • implementing control measures in accordance with the hierarchy of control; and • maintaining and reviewing the effectiveness of the control measures. Under the model WHS Regulations, a PCBU also has specific obligations to manage risks to health and safety associated with a fall by a person from one level to another. This includes the following requirements: • Eliminate the risk of a fall, so far as is reasonably practicable, by ensuring work is performed on the ground or on a solid construction; or • If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk of a fall, minimise the risk by providing adequate protection against falling by providing and maintaining a safe system of work. This should include:  providing a fall prevention device, for example a secure fence, edge protection or a working platform, if reasonably practicable to do so; or  if it is not reasonably practicable to provide a fall prevention device, by providing a work positioning system, for example a travel restraint system; or  if it is not reasonably practicable to provide a work positioning system, by providing a fall-arrest system, for example safety nets or catch platforms. So, while there is no minimum distance specified in the model WHS laws about where safety measures are required, each duty holder must take into account the specific circumstances of the workplace and the work being carried out and identify through a risk assessment process what should be done to manage those risks. Other specifications Further information on managing the risks of excavation/trenching work can be found in the model Code of Practice Excavation Work (the model Code). Among other things, the model Code recommends: • where a worker enters a trench and there is a risk of engulfment, shoring, benching or battering should be implemented regardless of the depth of the trench; • a combination of these control measures may be the most effective depending on the work environment and characteristics of the excavated material; and • a competent person (for example an engineer) should design any support systems or be involved in the selection of other ground collapse control measures, such as trench shields. Up to date information on trenching and excavation work The model Code of Practice has recently been revised. The revised version of the model Code is awaiting Ministerial approval and will be published on the Safe Work Australia website in the near future. More information on trenching and excavation work on the SafeWork Australia website (www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au) is up to date, but does not reflect changes in the revised model Code. Visit: www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au WHS trenching safety requirements Trenching information and statistics provided courtesy of Safe Work Australia. 26 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • NOVEMBER 2018 Statistics • In relation to worker fatalities, the latest comprehensive data (up to 2017) indicates over the five years from 2013 to 2017 there were three worker fatalities identified that specifically relate to trenches – two in 2014 and one in 2015 – all of which were due to a trench collapse. Based on more recent preliminary data, we have identified a further three worker fatalities occurred to date in 2018 which involved a trench collapse. • In terms of workers’ compensation claims, over the five year period from 2012–13 to 2016–17p there have been on average 80 serious workers’ compensation claims each year that have been coded as involving a ‘trench or excavation’ as a primary factor in leading to the injury. Please note due to the very small number of claims at this detailed level of breakdown, the data should be used with some caution. Serious workers’ compensation claims refer to claims where the injury or illness has resulted in one or more weeks off work. Finally, data for 2016– 17 is considered preliminary (denoted by ‘p’) and is subject to upwards revision in subsequent years as further claims are finalised. "...each duty holder must take into account the specific circumstances of the workplace and the work being carried out and identify through a risk assessment process..."