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

Finding and fixing health andsafety problems in shearing5 How to find and fix health and safetyproblemsThe rest of this document provides help on finding andfixing health and safety problems.Common shearing health and safety problems are listedand discussed along with ways they can be fixed.A checklist and worksheet in Appendix 2 are providedto help employees, employers and health and safetyrepresentatives.Problems are best addressed by a two step methodwhich can be applied to all areas, jobs, machinery andequipment.Step 1 – Identify hazards and assess risksHazards are the jobs, activities, processes,materials, machines, buildings, equipment etc.in the workplace that have the potential tocause harmAssessing risks is about working out how likelyit is that a hazard will cause harm.Step 2 – Eliminate or reduce risks– risk controlIt is a legal requirement, if practicable, for employersto consult the health and safety representative on allproposed changes to the workplace, the plant orsubstances used at the workplace or the conduct ofwork at the workplace that may affect the health orsafety of any member of the designated work group5.1 Step 1 – Identifying hazards and assessingrisksThere are several methods of hazard identification andrisk assessment.Consulting with the workers doing the job.The workers in the woolshed – contractors,woolclassers, shearers, shed hands, cooks, experts andwool pressers – know a lot about the hazards and risksin a particular shed. These workers can offer theirexperiences of working in a wide range of woolshedtypes and conditions and will be helpful in workingout the best ways of improving health and safety.It is a legal requirement for employers to consult withhealth and safety representatives if practicable.Looking at the work and the work areasUsing the worksheet and checklist provided inAppendix 2 will help with this.Using existing informationAny past health and safety incidents, problems andhazards that have not been addressed need to berecognized. Examining injury registers and first aidbooks is helpful. Have there been injuries orcompensation claims before? What were they and whatcaused them? It is important to look at how often andhow long someone is exposed to a hazard.Discussing possible hazards and risks with neighboursand friends on other properties in the district mightbe helpful. What injuries or incidents have occurredon other properties? How did they occur?This document is a good source of information andadvice about hazards and risks. Other sources ofinformation and advice are listed in Appendix 1.6 Health & Safety in Shearing