Free workplace injury prevention webinar

With manual handling one of the top five causes of workplace injuries in NSW, WorkCover NSW will hold a free webinar on Wednesday 29 August to help business understand how to better manage hazardous manual tasks in their workplaces. The webinar is part of WorkCover’s Focus on Industry program which targets the 10 highest risk industries in NSW as well as the five most common injuries and illnesses within these industries, said General Manager of WorkCover’s Work Health and Safety Division John Watson.

“Between 2006/07 and 2008/09 there were more than 100,000 claims for manual-handling injuries, accounting for a third of all workplace injuries and almost double any other cause of injury," Watson said.

The webinar will outline the basic requirements for managing hazardous manual tasks, including lifting, carrying and restraining, and will also cover how to control risks, including who is responsible for checking and identifying manual-handling risks. The webinar will be held from 11 am - 12 pm. All webinar participants must pre-register at: http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/newlegislation2012/assistance-and-support/Pages/whs-webinars.aspx.

The Hazardous Manual Tasks webinar is the first of several as part of the Focus on Industry Program. During September and October WorkCover will also hold webinars on slips, trips and falls and sun safety. As an added incentive, small business owners with 20 or less full-time employees may also be eligible to claim a Small Business Rebate of up to $500 towards the cost of purchasing and installing eligible safety equipment after attending the webinar.