Manufacturing News

NSW launches wood manufacturing safety project

NSW’s wood component manufacturing industry is among the state’s highest risk industries. In response, WorkCover NSW has announced a new project to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses and improve injury management.

The Wooden Structural Component Manufacturing Project designed to assist employers and workers to make their workplaces more productive, healthy and safe.

“In the past three years, the industry has had $19.5 million in workers compensation claims, placing it among the State’s 10 highest risk industries,” said WorkCover’s Work Health and Safety Division general manager, John Watson.

“In fact, there have been 1,965 claims for a range of injuries and illness, the most common being muscular injuries when carrying or putting down timber and wounds from industrial guns or saws.”

According to Watson, young workers still make up almost a third of all workers compensation claims for the industry, which is largely made up of small businesses (with fewer than 20 employees) and an aging workforce.

As part of the project, WorkCover will visit 45 wood manufacturing businesses in the Hunter, Illawarra and metropolitan Sydney over the next fortnight to compare risks identified by WorkCover with what employers and workers are experiencing at their worksites as well as the possible barriers to improving safety.

“Every worker wants to return home safely at the end of the working day and WorkCover recognises that the support of employers and workers is essential to developing effective work health and safety solutions,” Watson said.

“Feedback from the visits will help us identify and develop safety programs that can reduce injuries and illnesses within this industry.

“The 10/5/5 program is about working with employers to develop relevant and effective work health and safety improvements and sustainable injury management, return to work and workers compensation outcomes.”

The Wooden Structural Component Manufacturing Project is part of WorkCover’s new flagship work health and safety program, 10/5/5, which involves working with the NSW community to improve safety in what it has indentified as the state’s 10 highest.

Leave a Reply

Send this to a friend