Hire and Rental News - February 2019

ACCESS IN ACTION President’s message Working for safe work outcomes and following our Code of Ethics S ince the last President’s report we have had our final Board Meeting for 2018, and our Annual General Meeting; both held in Melbourne on the 1st November 2018. I was re-elected, and I am honoured to serve another year as President. The new Board of Directors is as follows: Doug Rawlings – President, Tim Nuttall – Vice President, Rick Mustillo – Past President, Peter Wenn – Technical Director Engineering, Peter Davis – Technical Director Operations, Chris Taylor – TSHA President. Directors: Bob Mules, James Nightingale, Dean Halliwell. State Presidents: John Glover – NSW, Richard Gannon – QLD, Keith Clarke – VIC, Will Reilly – WA, Jason Gaskin – SA. During the Board Meeting the Coroners Report for the 2014 fatality at Royal Adelaide Hospital construction site was released. The report was critical of some work practices; the type of equipment being used and the lack of standardisation of controls on MEWPs. EWPA leads the way on ISO committee We recommend all our members become familiar with the operational instructions in the Australian Standard 2550 Cranes, hoists and winches – Safe use Part 10 Mobile Elevating Work Platforms –Safe Use, be familiar with the specific make and model being operated (referring to the OEM Operators manual) and other guidance documents that are freely available on the EWPA website under information sheets, which include: • Guidance on commonly provided emergency retrieval systems: www.ewpa.com.au/uploads/ InformationSheets/ EmergencyLoweringProcedures.pdf; • Guidance on planning, selection and assessment of MEWPS: www.ewpa.com.au/uploads/ InformationSheets/EWPSafeUseInfoPack- Issue03-March2013.pdf; • Guidance on Crushing Risks: www.ewpa.com.au/uploads/ InformationSheets/StrategicForumBest PracticeGuideforMEWPs- avoidingtrapping-crushinginjuries.pdf; • The EWPA also provides a Supervisor Course for management of MEWP operations: www.ewpa.com.au/uploads/ InformationSheets/MEWPSupervisor Courseoverviewv1.1.pdf With regard to the Standardisation of Controls, work is already well underway at an international level through ISO TC214 in the development of a new International Standard ISO 21455 Mobile Elevating Work Platforms – Operator’s controls – Actuation, displacement, location and method of operation. The EWPA has representation on TC- 214 through our board members Peter Wenn (Technical Director- Engineering) and Peter Davis (Technical Director- Operations). New initiatives The Board has completed a few projects since the last report and I am glad to announce we have streamlined the process of Registered Inspector applications, which will make it easier for member companies to complete. The EWPA has launched the on-line Chain of Responsibility Awareness course in conjunction with the HRIA and we are working hard to develop face to face practical training for loading, unloading and load restraint, which will build on the online Awareness Course. All EWPA Accredited Trainers have now moved across to the digital entry and submission of training records. This speeds up the time taken to issue operators with EWPA Yellow Cards or TSHA Gold Cards and increases the accuracy of data entry. Thank you to all the Accredited Trainers for moving over to the App which links to the national database of trained operators. In November 2018 the EWPA attended the National Construction Equipment Convention (NCEC) as an exhibitor in Sydney. Although the numbers were low, it was a chance for the EWPA staff and volunteers who attended to network with industry stakeholders and experience another side of Conventions. Several leads have since been followed up and we will be doing some work with a new apprentice provider we met at the NCEC. The Online Renewal course has been running successfully since July 2018 for EWPA Yellow card renewals; and in February 2019 it is available for TSHA Gold card holders whose cards are expiring. The courses both feature key safety messages and updates since the operators were last trained (five years prior). A new card with an updated photo is issued upon successful completion. For operators who have not kept their skills current, we would recommend face to face training with an EWPA or TSHA Accredited Trainer. Finally, James Oxenham and the EWPA Board of Directors developed a procedure for improving the communication of incidents to members and access industry stakeholders, which is fair to all parties and in line with our code of Ethics. I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and look forward to a safe and successful 2019. Doug Rawlings President EWPA CODE OF ETHICS Pledge: honesty and reliability in all transactions. Maintain: the high standards of equipment, safety and reliability as stated in AS1418, AS2550 and the Work Health and Safety or Occupational Health and Safety Act as applicable to your state. Encourage: the friendly exchange of information between members on practical, technical and safety matters. Foster: cooperation between manufacturers, renters, suppliers, users and regulatory authorities in the elevating work platform industry. P28 ACCESS IN ACTION FEBRUARY 2019