May 25, 2016
A woman who spent 40 minutes trapped in a potato processing machine, and later had to undergo 30 hours of reconstructive surgery, will be a special guest speaker at the Queensland Rural, Regional and Remote Women’s Network’s latest webinar on Friday (May 27).
Tiffany Ward, who is now a workplace health and safety advocate, will discuss how to manage the risks people face every day, at home and at work.
Her story – she almost lost her right arm in the horrifying accident – underlines why understanding these risks is vital.
She will be joined on the webinar by QRRRWN Board member Fiona O’Sullivan who is the head of the Agriculture Unit for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.
“Until something dreadful occurs in your workplace or you witness a near miss, most of us just think workplace health and safety is a tick and flick process,” Tiffany said.
“Unfortunately some of us understand all too clearly the personal costs of not paying attention to these routines.”
Bronwyn Reid, another QRRRWN Board member and the facilitator of the webinar series, said it was not enough just to identify risks.
“Implementing and developing safety checks as part of everyday routine in the workplace is critical to ensuring businesses are fulfilling their legal responsibilities,” she said.
“Many small businesses and employers are simply not well-informed about their responsibilities under the Workplace Health and Safety Act.
“QRRRWN is concerned that this legal, ethical and financial issue for rural businesses (should be) better understood.
“Tiffany’s session will cover off the basics of WHS responsibilities and what an employer’s duty of care means in relation to the safety of staff.”
The webinar is free for QRRRWN members but non-members can take part for $25.
Registrations can be made on the QRRRWN website.
