Worksafe inspector Phillip Ritchie (right) with RA Steel proprietor Graeme Aberline and operations manager Anthony Wright during an inspection in Warrnambool on Friday
WARRNAMBOOL businesses have been targeted in a week-long blitz by WorkSafe with figures revealing more than 220 people were injured on the job across the region last year.
Inspectors have walked into 100 workplaces this week and expect to issue about 40 notices for safety breaches.
About half of all reported injuries last year involved sprains, fractures and strains according to WorkSafe figures.
A team of eight inspectors entered the west Warrnambool industrial estate in an effort to lower the figures, which can lead to businesses paying high insurance premiums.
Arriving at RA Steel on Walsh Road yesterday, inspector group leader Phillip Ritchie said they had found relatively few safety breaches.
“The workplaces have been generally pleasing, we have also let the businesses know that we’re coming this week,” Mr Ritchie said.
“There are no fines, simply just a notice with a date and if the job is done by that date then everyone is happy.
“Primarily we’re looking at compliance, which could involve electrical safety, fire prevention or first aid preparedness … all sorts of issues.”
Times have changed over the 50 years since RA Steel opened its doors.
Proprietor Graeme Aberline said a younger generation of tradies and workers were more aware of the issues than their older mentors. “We’ve put in place as much as we can to stop an injury,” he said.
“The new people coming through, they’re a lot more aware of the safety aspects than the older people.
“It’s an impost on the job because they’ve come out of an era where there was nothing … trying to bring them up to speed can be a problem.”
