Environmental Duty in Workplace Operations

Environmental Responsibility

• The system should meet international standards (ISO 14001) and address environmental issues by integrating the environment into daily business operations.
• General environmental duty is to ensure that all reasonable and practicable measures are taken to prevent or minimize environmental damage resulting from work.
• This can be achieved by:
  • Being more aware and better informed about environmental responsibilities
  • Identifying environmental risks and impacts in the workplace
  • Developing and implementing reasonable and cost-effective ways to minimize environmental risks
  • Asking for help if unsure

Duty to Notify

• If an activity is causing or could cause environmental harm, it must be reported to a supervisor or team leader immediately.
• If the supervisor is unavailable or takes no action, notify a senior manager.

Duties of Management

• Managers, supervisors, and team leaders must:
  • Plan and act to minimize environmental risks and impacts as part of daily operations and emergency procedures
  • Ensure that staff fully understand and are fulfilling their legal duties

Environmental Due Diligence

• Exercising due diligence means taking all reasonable care by establishing a proper system to prevent environmental problems and taking responsible steps to ensure the effective operation of that system.
• Maintaining personal health and hygiene is important, especially for employees involved in sewage treatment, transport, or maintenance.

Safety Precautions

• Safety rules and precautions are essential to prevent accidents and ensure a safe working environment.
• Important safety precautions include:
  • No unauthorised access to workshops without supervision
  • No unauthorised use of equipment
  • Wearing protective equipment (PPE)
  • Wearing closed-toe shoes
  • Avoiding loose-fitting clothing and jewelry
  • Containing long hair and beards
  • Walking, not running
  • Reading and understanding safety signs, instructions, and notices
  • Thinking before acting

Housekeeping

• Cleanliness and organization are crucial to prevent accidents and ensure a safe working environment.
• Important housekeeping practices include:
  • Cleaning up as you work to avoid dangerous clutter
  • Not blocking walkways or emergency exits
  • Keeping work areas and machines clean and well-maintained

Causes of Accidents

• Accidents can occur due to:
  • Inadequate training and experience
  • Inadequate or outdated procedures
  • Inadequate safety precautions
  • Behavioural factors, such as undesirable attitudes and motivations
• Taking shortcuts, not asking for help, and not being aware of hazards can increase the risk of accidents.

Prevention of Accidents

• Accidents can be prevented by:
  • Following safety procedures and precautions
  • Being aware of hazards and taking necessary precautions
  • Asking for help and guidance
  • Not taking shortcuts or making unsafe decisions
  • Updating technical manuals and procedures to ensure they are accurate and relevant.

Consequences of Accidents in the Workplace

• Accidents can lead to valuable production loss, extra workload, and time spent on reports for supervisors and workers.
• Accidents can also affect the State's workforce, upset the balance of trade, and result in significant costs to the community.

Consequences for the Supervisor

• Supervisors may feel responsible for accidents and experience consequences such as lost production, extra work, and time spent on reports.

Consequences for the State

• Accidents can affect the State's workforce and upset the balance of trade if exported goods cannot be produced.
• The community pays dearly for workplace accidents, and enforcing and obeying the law helps reduce these costs.

Manual Handling

• Improper manual handling is a common cause of workplace injuries, with up to 100,000 cases in Australia per year.
• 45% of these cases involve 5 or more days off work, and almost 10% result in periods of up to 6 months lost from work.
• Compensation costs alone are $22,000,000, and total costs to industry and the community are several times greater.
• Poor workplace design, poor work practices, and inadequate training cause most back injuries, which can be controlled to avoid the majority of back injuries.

Advanced Composite Materials

• Advanced composites are used in aircraft to reduce weight while maintaining airframe strength.
• Boron fibre, graphite (carbon) fibre, and Kevlar are used to make advanced composites with superior strength-to-weight ratio.
• Advanced composites are used extensively in military and commercial aircraft for flight controls, landing gear doors, skins, panels, antennas, and radar covers.

Boeing 737

• The Boeing 737 uses approximately 1500 pounds of composite material, providing a weight saving of approximately 600 pounds or 29% compared to conventional sheet metal construction.

Solvents and Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

• Some solvents can depress the central nervous system, causing symptoms like headache, nausea, light-headedness, vomiting, dizziness, poor coordination, and unconsciousness.
• Computer-based ChemAlert system is used instead of paper-based SDSs to access the latest information.

Dust Hazards

• Dusts generated in advanced composite processes can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory tract.
• Prolonged exposure to dusts can cause bronchitis and pulmonary oedema, and contact with skin can cause skin irritation, rashes, and dermatitis.

Composite Damage

• Composite aircraft components are delicate and require extra care when working with and around them.
• A small dent on a composite panel can cause internal damage, greatly reducing the panel's strength.

Process Material Precautions

• Good workplace controls are essential in controlling exposure to process materials.
• Some materials present a potential dermal exposure hazard, while others present an inhalation hazard.
• Ingestion may be a potential exposure hazard, usually involving poor personal hygiene or contamination of dining facilities.

Physical Impairments and Accidents

• Pre-existing physical impairments, such as lower back injuries, slipped discs, or hernias, can increase susceptibility to accidents.
• Visual and hearing defects can also cause accidents if they prevent hearing instructions or warning signals.

Alcohol Abuse and Accidents

• Alcohol is a chemical depressant that impairs judgment, gives unrealistic confidence, slows coordination, and degrades performance.
• These effects can lead to risk-taking behavior and accidents.

Fatigue and Accidents

• Fatigue decreases awareness and reflex actions, making accidents more likely to occur.
• Fatigue can also decrease work output, change attitude, and reduce motivation to observe safety precautions.