Health and Safety in Shearing (PDF 917kb) - WorkSafe Victoria

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6.6 Wool and press rooms – hazards and risksHazard or riskContinual bending and reaching to pick up fleecesoff boards increases the risk of back strain.Insufficient space in the wool room may causecollision with other workers and contact with shedmachinery, and difficulty in safely and properlythrowing, skirting, rolling, classing and storingthe wool.An increased workload on the shed hand increasesrisks of sprain and strain injuries.Risk controlRaised shearing boards reduce back strain whenpicking up.The minimum clear space around the shearing boardend and working sides of the wool table shouldbe 1 m, with a minimum of 2 m between anymachine and the wool table.A minimum of one metre around the wool pressmust be kept clear to allow safe operation.Ensure there are no obstacles between the boardand wool table.It is recommended that a ratio of one shed hand(excluding the presser) for each 200–250 fleecesshorn per day be employed rather than a shed handto shearer ratio. The workload in the wool room isa result of the number of fleeces being shorn notthe number of shearers removing the fleeces.“A woolclasser shall not perform wool rolling inaddition to wool classing in a shed where more than900 fleeces per day are shorn.”(Woolclassers Award 1999, Clause 4.2.2 (b))This good sized wool table has good clearance around it.The posture and movement here place strain on the back, shoulders and arms.18 Health & Safety in Shearing
6.6 Wool and press rooms – hazards and risks (continued)A good sized wool table.Hazard or riskSmall wool tables that are not designed for thesize of current fleeces or are the wrong height cancause back strain.Uneven floor surfaces increase the risk of trips,slips and falls.Risk controlA well designed and constructed wool table isessential for safe work with reduced risk of strainand injury. The height of the tables appropriate tothe user is essential in avoiding back pain. The tableheight should be adjustable. This could be achievedon folding leg tables by provision for adjusting thelegs to various angles in relation to the table top.Non-rotating rectangular (1.6 x 3.3 m) wool tableswith rounded corners appear to be the most efficientdesign for two or more wool rollers. Where there isonly one wool roller a rotating round table may bemore efficient. Contoured-height tables sloping downtowards the throwing (shearing board) end mayfacilitate easier and more accurate throwing.Ensure wool tables are large enough toaccommodate fleeces.The floor needs to be kept in good condition.Protruding nails should be countersunk and uneven,loose and slippery boards should be repaired orreplaced.Health & Safety in Shearing 19
Page 5 and 6: Overview1 What this document is, wh
Page 7 and 8: 4.2 Duties of employeesAn employee
Page 10 and 11: 5.3 Practicable risk controlsThe le
Page 12 and 13: 6.2 Sheep pens and gatesHazard or r
Page 14 and 15: The mesh floor of this pen makesthe
Page 16 and 17: In this pen thebattens are parallel
Page 18 and 19: The pen doors are a good design for
Page 22 and 23: Throwing.There is good circulations
Page 24 and 25: 7 Machinery7.1 Overhead gear and sh
Page 26 and 27: 7.1 Overhead gear and shearing plan
Page 28 and 29: 7.3 Grinders (continued)Hazard or r
Page 30 and 31: 7.5 Shearers’ tools and equipment
Page 32 and 33: 7.8 Electrical safetyIn addition to
Page 34 and 35: 8.2 Shearing and crutchingHazard or
Page 36 and 37: 10 Work in heat and cold10.1 Risks
Page 38 and 39: 12 DustsHazard or riskDusts in the
Page 40 and 41: 14 Diseases from animals (Zoonoses)
Page 42 and 43: 16 First aidArrangements for First
Page 44 and 45: 17 Accommodation, amenities andtrav
Page 47 and 48: AppendicesAppendix 1 - Further info
Page 49 and 50: Other publications and sources• A
Page 51 and 52: ItemNo.Machinery12 Before shearing
Page 53 and 54: Shearing Health and Safety - Risk C
Page 55 and 56: Number oneCatching pen floorsTradit
Page 57 and 58: Number threeRelease chutesTradition

Health and Safety in Shearing (PDF 917kb) - WorkSafe Victoria

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