DuraLabel provides the right tools for you to make the safety signs and labels you need. But, a safe workplace requires not only possessing the right tools; it requires physically using them. The following news story from SafeWork SA, South Australia's occupational health, safety and welfare (OHS) government agency, demonstrates how real the consequences can be when workers fail to apply warning signs and labels where needed.
News Release - SafeWork SA
21 December, 2006
Warning Sign Sits in Drawer While Worker Loses Fingertips
SafeWork SA is stressing the need for safety systems to be implemented and improved as a top priority in all workplaces, after an Adelaide company was fined over the injury of a male worker.
Tyco Australia Pty Ltd was fined $16,800 by the SA Industrial Relations Court yesterday, after pleading guilty to breaching Section 19 of the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Act 1986, in failing to ensure that an employee was safe from injury and risks to health while at work.
The court heard how on 14 April 2005, a 64 year old labour hire worker lost the tip of his right index finger, when it became caught in the rollers of a steel fabricator.
In sentencing, Industrial Magistrate Stephen Lieschke noted there was:
- No guarding of the machine
- No written safe operating procedure
- Inadequate training and instruction
"The safe operating procedure… was intended to take the form of a written notice that was to be fixed to the machine.
"…but at the time (the worker) was injured… It was still sitting in a drawer in the office of Tyco's production manager," Magistrate Lieschke said.
SafeWork SA says the magistrate's remarks emphasise a common failure in workplace safety efforts, namely priority.
"Working out how to do a job safely should be the first item on any list of tasks," says Executive Director, Michele Patterson.
"Workplace safety should not be treated as a luxury in terms of time."
"Cutting corners with safety is a false economy," Ms. Patterson says, "and one that will eventually lead to death or injury for workers, as well as economic hardship for the business involved."
A similar problem arises when a custom label printer is not available. Leaving a safety hazard unmarked while waiting for an outside service to deliver a needed safety sign or label can have the same unfortunate results. With a DuraLabel printer like the economical DuraLabel 4000, you can make the labels and signs right when you need them, eliminating the potential for an accident like this one—or worse—to happen.
If you'd like to find out more about how a DuraLabel printer can help make your workplace safer call us today at 1-888-326-9244 |
