Working in Dangerous and Remote Circumstances

By Andrew Douglas and Saide Elcheikh

5 October 2012

Mob: 0488 151 503Email: andrew.douglas@mk.com.au

http://au.linkedin.com/in/douglasandrewhttp://leadingthought.com.au/http://twitter.com/leading_thought

Safety Management System

• DO YOU HAVE A SAFE WORKPLACE?

Managing Risks – Hierarchy of Control

1. What are the risks?

2. How can we control them?

In most cases, a combination of the risk control measures should be applied to ensure that the risk to health and safety is reduced so far as is reasonably practicable...

• IF YOU CANNOT ASCERTAIN THE RISK THE LEVEL OF RISK IS HIGH

Reasonably Practicable

1. Likelihood of the hazard or risk occurring.

2. Degree of harm that might result from the hazard or risk.

3. What the person concerned knows, or ought reasonably to know about the hazard or the risk and way of minimising or eliminating the risk.

4. Availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk.

5. The costs associated with available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk.

Take 5 Approach – How to stay safe!

• Stop, think. If there is any doubt, don’t go ahead!

Some cases for a bit of context…

Here are the facts of some cases of dangerous situations for public officials:

• R v Rondo (2001) 126 A Crim R 562– Police requested search of the accused (sprayed someone in the face with a substance)– Assaulted police - punched them– Police were rightly undertaking their duty to search and arrest and were put in danger

• Egan Darius Ross v Darren Stephen Mothersole [2010] ACTSC 125– Accused hit victim in the face with a beer glass– When caught by police he threatened to ‘smash’ their faces in, had a fighting stance– This constituted a threat to the safety of the public officials and obstruction

• Ashley Michael Charnock v Simon James Coady et al [2010] ACTSC 26– Police were doing a routine drive by– A group of males outside the nightclub threw a bottle at the vehicle– Police stopped to approach the mean and further altercations occurred– Police ended up in hospital

CONTACT

VICTORIA

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Andrew DouglasDir: +61 (3) 8615 9915Mob: 0488 151 503andrew.douglas@mk.com.au

NEW SOUTH WALES

SydneyLevel 21, 20 Bond StSydney NSW 2000Tel: +61 2 8298 9533

TASMANIA

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