Vehicle Hoist Safety

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector. Will the minister please inform the council about action taken by SafeWork SA in relation to the dangers of working with vehicle hoists?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:51): I thank the honourable member for his question and acknowledge his role in keeping workers safe. I know it is something he is passionate about in this chamber and it was something that was actually a part of his professional life before coming into this chamber, dedicating his working hours to keeping workers safe in their workplaces.

I am very pleased to have recently been able to work with the Motor Trade Association and SafeWork SA to draw attention to safety issues mechanics face when working with vehicle hoists. The automotive industry in this state employs almost 33,000 South Australians and, like any other industry, has its own set of work health and safety challenges. Vehicle hoists pose a particular danger because they require workers to position themselves directly underneath a suspended vehicle while carrying out work. If there is a failure in the hoist, the risk of a crushing injury is extreme. There are also potential hazards in the process of moving vehicles on and off hoists.

Tragically, back in 2011, a worker died after being found crushed beneath a vehicle hoist in an automotive workshop in Wingfield. SafeWork SA's investigation revealed that the death was significantly contributed to by the poor condition of the hoist. Since then, SafeWork SA has run regular proactive campaigns, visiting automotive workshops across the state and auditing safety control measures in place for vehicle hoists and pressure vessels.

Vehicle hoists are required to be checked annually by an accredited person and have to undergo a major service at least every 10 years. There are also a range of control measures that should be put in place to guard against the risk of injury. These include:

workers not working under a suspended load without checking that the safety features are engaged and working correctly;

moving parts of a hoist should be at least 600 millimetres away from other fixed structures or moving equipment to avoid worker entrapment;

operator controls must be undamaged, clearly marked and positioned for safe and effective use; and

hoists must also have a valid design registration issued by an Australian work health and safety regulator.

SafeWork SA's most recent campaign involved audits of 72 different workshops and resulted in 315 compliance notices being issued. This includes 19 prohibition notices which prohibit an area or piece of equipment from being used until compliance measures are taken. Concerningly, over 80 per cent of workshops audited were found to have a noncompliance issue. The issues identified included hoists not being maintained in line with the legislation and pressure vessels not complying with legislative requirements.

In addition to these audits, SafeWork SA has also published a self-assessment tool for businesses to help them identify risks with their equipment and has been providing businesses with advice and information about hoist safety.

I particularly want to thank the Motor Trade Association and their CEO, Darrell Jacobs, for the support that he himself and the association have provided for this campaign. It is an excellent example of the business community and the government regulator working together to improve safety in their industry and particularly an industry association that is taking the safety of workers in that industry very seriously.