David Crawford was injured working as a builder when a roof rafter he was walking across gave way. He one of the Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week ambassadors raising awareness of spinal cord injury. His work with SCIA’s Teamsafe program sees him travelling to worksites across the country to prevent others having an accident like his own.

DREAMWORLD has been issued three prohibition notices by Workplace Health and Safety QLD (WHSQ) inspectors over its Buzzsaw ride, relating to safety harnesses and staff access.

WHSQ issued the notices relating to “maintenance safety harness anchor points” on the BuzzSaw, ordering the company to undertake additional certification.

Buying Tips

• Ensure the ladder is the right height for the jobs you are likely to use it for.
• Check the weight capacity of the ladder.
• If you are a senior citizen or a person with disability you may be eligible for assistance with home maintenance from either your council or local agencies.

ROOF HANDLES GENERAL SAFETY RULES.

WARNING! PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL INSTRUCTIONS.

Working up high is dangerous. Falling from any height can lead to death or long-term injuries.

Over the past three years more than 13,000 workers were injured after falling from a height at NSW workplaces. Nineteen died and more than 200 were permanently disabled.

These incidents largely happen in the construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, transport, agriculture and forestry industries.

Alert: Petzl ASPIR harnesses modified by malicious third parties are being sold online. They pose a mortal danger to users.

The Occupational Health and Safety (Prevention of Falls) Regulations 2003 require employers to implement the most effective fall prevention measures reasonably practicable when employees are working at height.

Unions are calling for tougher safety regulations and enforcement to stop workers falling to their deaths at worksites, saying more people will be killed unless self-regulation is scrapped.

Falls from heights are a major cause of death and injury in Australian workplaces, according to Safe Work Australia.

Of the 800,000 Australians who work at heights, including tradesmen, cleaning, and maintenance workers, on average 26 of them fall to their death each year, and almost 8,000 are injured.