Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE has recently won the Best Solution to a Health and Safety Risk Award in this year’s WorkSafe Victoria Awards.
Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE was up against two other businesses.
The Best Solution to a Health and Safety Risk Award acknowledges an organisation for initiatives in the workplace that eliminate or significantly reduce risks to health and safety.
The TAFE won the award for its Lathe Chuck Guard initiative, which protects the operator of a lathe by refusing to close if the key is left in the chuck.
The guard is interlocked to ensure the lathe can only be started with the guard closed.
WorkSafe’s Executive Director, Health and Safety, John Merritt, said the Award recipients, as well as all of the finalists, should be extremely proud of their achievements.
“We commend all the finalists for their strong commitment to creating safer working environments. “The Awards are about recognising these people and acknowledging that with initiative and commitment health and safety improvements can be achieved.
Chucks can spin at 1000rpm or more which can cause the key to fly out from the machine with high force, and can result in serious injury.
The Lathe Chuck Guard is a simple yet effective way of reducing the risk of projectile keys and is adaptable for a range of lathes across industries.
“No matter what the industry or field, progress occurs through people who believe that things can be done differently and better,” said Mr Merritt.