Apprentices

TAFE QUEENSLAND PUTS MORE PLUMBERS IN THE PIPELINE FOR THE GOLD COAST

“I’m excited to start training in the new plumbing tower. It’s purpose-built and I’ll be using the same equipment and learning the industry-standard skills that I’ll need when I’m out on jobs” Summer Hodge, second year plumbing apprentice, McKenzie’s Plumbing services.

Training the Gold Coast’s future plumbers has started with the new $6.1 million plumbing tower at TAFE Queensland’s Trade Training Centre in Ashmore now flowing with apprentices.

TAFE Queensland’s General Manager on the Gold Coast, Karen Dickinson said the state-of-the-art facility is exactly what industry needs to help train the future skilled workers in the region.

“There is great demand for more skilled workers in trades and here on the Gold Coast we are experiencing significant growth, while also dealing with worker shortages,” said Ms Dickinson.

“Training more tradespeople in new and industry standard facilities is critical to help facilitate that growth.

The new three-storey plumbing tower includes approximately 1000m2 of practical teaching areas and will double the plumbing training capacity with a more useable and flexible space.

Ms Dickinson said the new tower demonstrates TAFE Queensland’s commitment to creating a highly skilled future workforce for the region.

“Our Trade Training Centre is the largest trade training facility in the region, and the new tower will support almost 800 students currently enrolled in plumbing at the campus while supporting increased enrolments – ensuring we have a bigger pipeline of qualified plumbers coming into the industry,” she said.

“The tower has been designed in consultation with industry to enhance the overall experience for plumbing students as it is important our apprentices are training in modern facilities that offer real learning experiences and prepare them for life on the job.”

A proud Bigambul woman, Summer Hodge is a second-year plumbing apprentice employed by local Gold Coast employer, McKenzie’s Plumbing Services.

The former accountant gave up her career to start a family and now, after raising three children, Summer is following her passion and will complete her Certificate III in Plumbing at the new training facility.

“I’m excited to start training in the new plumbing tower. It’s purpose-built and I’ll be using the same equipment and learning the industry-standard skills that I’ll need when I’m out on jobs,” Summer said.

“I may soon be the only CPA (Chartered Accountant) on the Gold Coast with a plumbing trade qualification – how cool is that?”

For more information visit www.tafeqld.edu.au.

Article provided by TAFE Queensland

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INDEPENDENT PANEL TO DRIVE ETHICAL PROCUREMENT

Australia’s first independent panel, the ‘Tripartite Procurement Advisory Panel’ (The Panel), which will provide advice on ethical procurement for government suppliers in Queensland, has appointed the Board of the Panel.

The Panel will provide government agencies with advice regarding procurement, contracts, audits, and investigations in Queensland as part of the ‘Buy Queensland’ approach to procurement.

The Ethical Supplier Threshold and Mandate Policies are integral parts of the ‘Buy Queensland’ approach to ensure: • Businesses uphold their social, economic, and environmental commitments made in tenders and contracts or required by policies or laws. • Suppliers are treated fairly and not exposed to undercutting and unjust competition. • Queensland workplaces are fairer and safer. • There is a drive to positive behavioural change and not to punish accidents or honest mistakes. • Taxpayers’ money is used to build the local economy and support quality Queensland jobs.

The Board members for the Panel include: • Mr John Thompson (Chair) – 20 years as a Queensland Industrial Relations commissioner, • Ms Jennifer McVeigh (Deputy Chair) – Member of QCAT, partner in construction law firm and Associate Professor at QUT • Mr Jorgen Gullestrup – Former Chief Executive Officer of MATES in Construction. • Mr John Shenfield – 45 years at a senior level as a director for a listed company. • Mr Jason Stein – Specialist Industrial Relations practitioner and experienced business manager with more than 41 years’ experience. • Mr Thomas Campbell – Qualified industrial and commercial electrician with more than 14 years’ experience. • Mr Graham Moloney – More than 33 years with the General Teachers Union. • Mr John Crittall – Senior executive and board member with extensive experience in board and corporate governance, financial management, strategic risk management, compliance and project management. • Mr Stephan Nance – 39 years working with CEOs, Directors, Managers, Supervisors and Employees to improve workplaces and working relationships. • Ms Angela Liebke – Experienced in employment law, industrial relations, and provided high level strategic advice regarding one of the largest construction contractors in Australia. • Mr Shane Kennelly – More than 20 years in senior executive positions. • Ms Elizabeth Milner – Director with significant experience in the building and construction, manufacturing and distribution and legal industries.

For any questions, please contact our HR team on 07 3273 0800.

WHICH WORKPLACE INJURIES AND ILLNESSES ARE NOTIFIABLE?

With October being Safe Work Month, this is a question that the MPAQ HR team are asked on a regular basis. What is a workplace notifiable injury or illness under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (QLD)?

A work-related death, serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident must be notified to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHS QLD) immediately. Notifiable incidents could involve hospitalisation or require immediate attention for serious injuries, burns, lacerations, eye damage, spinal damage, amputation or degloving, or loss of bodily function.

Immediate treatment means the kind of urgent treatment needed for a serious injury or illness and includes treatment by a registered medical practitioner, nurse, or paramedic.

You must also notify WHS (QLD) for any serious illnesses where work is a significant contributing factor, such as zoonotic diseases contracted while handling animals, animal hides, skins, wool or hair, animal carcasses, or animal waste products.

Some types of work-related, dangerous incidents must be notified even if no one is injured. These are near miss incidents that could have exposed a worker to a serious risk, such as the collapse of a scaffold at night, an uncontrolled explosion or fine where no one is hurt, the collapse or failure of an excavation, or the shoring supporting an excavation where no one is hurt, as well as the rollover of registrable plant.

Here are some examples of a notifiable injury: • A circular saw operator severs a finger and is treated at the emergency department but not admitted to hospital. This is notifiable as a serious injury requiring immediate treatment for an amputation. • A worker fell from a ladder and suffers a deep laceration exposing bone, tendons and muscle, requiring 30 stitches at the emergency department. While not admitted to hospital this is notifiable as a serious injury requiring immediate treatment for a serious laceration.

It is an offence to fail to notify immediately after becoming aware that a notifiable incident has occurred, and records need to be kept of these incidents for five years. Work Health and Safety inspectors are currently auditing businesses for compliance with incident notification requirements and contraventions will result in enforcement action, including notices being issued.

If you are unsure whether you need to notify WHS (QLD) of an incident or injury, visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/incidents-and-notifications or contact the MPAQ HR team on 07 3273 0800.

Mandatory QBCC Reporting

It is also a requirement that contractors notify QBCC when there in an incident.

Fatalities and serious injuries on building sites have heightened the need for licensees to notify the QBCC quickly of safety incidents on-site. If you don’t tell them about safety incidents straight away, they can’t do the enquiries needed, making it harder for them to reduce unsafe work practices. If you are a licensee looking after a building site or on a site carrying out work, you must notify the QBCC of a notifiable incident immediately. You may be subject to enforcement action if you don’t notify them.

A notifiable incident is either: • when someone dies or suffers serious illness or injury; or • an incident that exposes a person to a risk of serious injury or illness.

A serious injury or illness requires the person to have either: • immediate treatment as an inpatient in a hospital; • immediate treatment for the amputation of a body part, serious head injury, serious eye injury, serious burns, separation of skin from underlying tissue, spinal injury, loss of a bodily function, or serious lacerations; or • medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance.

Who must report a safety incident?

A QBCC licensee who is in control of, or carrying out building work on a building site, must notify the QBCC if either: • a notifiable incident occurs on the site; or • a person on any site where they are carrying out building work fails to comply with a notice or injunction issued under the either the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Part 10) or Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Part 11A).

If the QBCC licensee on site is a company, an officeholder or senior employee must notify the QBCC on the company’s behalf.

Visit www.qbcc.qld.gov.au/complaints-disputes/report-safety-issue-incident or call MPAQ on 07 3273 0800 for more information.

WHY WAIT FOR HOT WATER?

These ruggedly engineered compact water heaters from Aus J Hot Water Solutions inexpensively solve the annoying problem having to wait ages for hot water to arrive at a tap from faraway main water heaters.

Aqueous six and 10-litre hot water systems provide domestic, commercial, hospitality and industrial users with near-instant hot water while saving time, energy, water and frustration from water going cold in dead-end pipes. Costing a fraction of some alternative instant hot water solutions with price tags of $A2000 to $A3000, Aqueous MK2 heaters have an RRP of just $A350* from www.ausj.com.au, which has sold more than 30,000 of its different compact water heaters worldwide.

When these 6 & 10-litre Aqueous cost just $350 RRP*

*Wholesale distributor rates negotiable Savings and sustainability are ongoing, because the Aqueous curbs wastage of both water and energy by having the heater floor or wall-mounted under the sink, in an adjacent cupboard, or under the floor close to the point of use. Safety and cleanliness is assured with by all-electric operation. Compact design means Aqueous suits uses from domestic to point-of-use applications in offices and factories for hand and small equipment washing to maintain hygienic production and OH&S practices to prevent Covid. Duoetto 12V/240V models are available for mobile uses.