SAFETY UPDATE: OPERATION ELIMINATE FINGER CRUSHING
Dear SHS Crew Members,
A Show Support Joint Safety Committee was held at SHSHQ on 4 April 2024 among the elected and appointed members of the committee to continue our tireless and imperative work of doing everything in our power to eliminate workplace accidents and injuries.
During the meeting, we discussed a new Return to Work Program (RTWP) that is being developed in consultation with our Return to Work Coordinator, Martin Carbine, our Payroll department, senior management and SafeWork NSW so that everyone can be on the same page when it comes to the processes we go through to transition injured workers back to work. The program is still in draft mode and will be released in due course.
As a result of the RTWP, our Incident Report Form (IRF), accessible through your CrewCard app in the upper right menu of the Job Details Page for every job you work, has been updated to include a new Workerβs Declaration to provide extra information about the consent workers provide to share their confidential injury details for the purposes of managing their return to work.
Worker’s Declaration
I have discussed this consent form with my employer. I understand that any data gathered will be maintained within a confidential case file, accessible only to those directly involved in coordinating and overseeing my return to work process. I am aware that I retain the right to modify or retract my consent at any point by informing Show Support Pty Ltd.
I understand that my employer will:
- only collect personal and health information that is relevant and necessary to manage my recovery at work and facilitate the workerβs compensation claim
- only use and disclose information for the purpose for which it was collected
- keep any information collected separately from my other personnel records
- take reasonable steps to protect my information by ensuring it is stored securely, kept no longer than necessary and disposed of appropriately
- allow me to access my information without unreasonable delay unless providing access would be unlawful or pose a serious threat to another personβs life or health.
A recent incident was discussed (with the injured workerβs details redacted) concerning a βfinger crushingβ incident that led to the worker requiring stitches and some time off work. There have been quite a few of these incidents and we are obliged to do whatever we can to minimise such injuries, preferably to eliminate them completely.
It is important to note that most times we refer to a finger crush injury, whilst it is clearly most unpleasant for the Crew Member involved, their finger is not completely crushed and 99% of the time they can be expected to make a full recovery in short order. However that is how Crew Members feel at the time they report the incident, which is why we see the words β finger/s crushedβ in some of these IRFs.
Our Toolbox Talk was updated with a new section on Finger Crushing (see below):
FINGER CRUSHINGΒ
- Always be ready to remove fingers from a potential crush, even if it means equipment may get damaged
- Always keep fingers clear of danger
- Keep open palms when pushing equipment
- Ensure effective communication for the duration of each task
- Gloves recommended (not mandatory)
- Stop and reassess safety prior to conducting any task you are unsure about
- Crew Members have the power to invoke the Stop Work Policy P005 if they feel they are being requested to do anything unsafe
- Take care to remove hands from the sides of cases when pushing through doorways, hands on front and rear of cases is safer
- Consider alternative methods of lifting such as forklifts or other mechanical aids
- Keep your hands and fingers safe at all times, always be ready to quickly remove them from danger.
Please spread the word, we do not want crew engaging in any dangerous activities at work. They are allowed to refuse dangerous tasks. They must consult with the client or supervisor on the safest way to do things. Communicate. Communicate. Communicate. Always discuss the task at hand (pardon the pun) throughout so that everyone knows what each other is doing. Junior crew must defer to senior crew. Use your common sense.Β
When I started in this industry, it was drummed into me to always be ready to remove my fingers from a potential crush, even if it meant potentially damaging equipment. No item of equipment, regardless of its cost, is worth more than your health or the health of any SHS Crew Member.
It was also discussed that certain injuries occur as a result of third party suppliers onsite. These cases are most frustrating because they are often outside the control not only of Show Support and our Crew Members, but also of our clients. And, as usual, we see patterns forming of repeat injuries. We propose to analyse the injuries as a whole, make a list of the most common injuries and somehow spread the word to as many companies as possible in our industry to suggest standard safety practices. An industry wide Safety Committee was also discussed. But for now, common causes of injuries caused by third party providers to our crew are:
- Truss standing upright falling onto a Crew Member
- Stage pieces or scenery flats standing upright falling onto a Crew Member
- Stage pieces being removed during a bump out and Crew Members falling into the gaps
These types of incidents are entirely avoidable. I know it is not really the place of Show Support Crew to advise our clients or other companies onsite how they should operate, but as it is our crew sometimes injured by these unsafe practices, and until we can get some type of across-the-board, industry-wide standard safety practices in place, do what you can, when you can, to spread the word in any way possible, tactfully, to stop these dangerous practices from taking place. Failing that, keep as large a space as possible between yourself and any truss or stage pieces that standing vertically.
Kind Regards,
David Neil
Operations DirectorΒ
Show Support Pty Ltd