From Monday 15, all staff working in the Library Warehouse will be expected to sign in and out of the premises. This change in practice is to improve our health and safety practices in relation to staff working in remote locations. I have advised the UC warehouse staff that for the crate deliveries signing in is not required. However if their work inolves being in the building longer than 5 minutes they must sign in. Please complete the forms as required when you are in the Library Warehouse.
Thanks Joan Simpson

The library is part of the Service 2 Health and Safety group. Members of this committee from the library are
Library – Macmillan Brown Jill Durney
Library – EPS Jenny Owens
Library – College of Education Jane Agnew
Library – Support services Wendy Wu
Library – James Hight Tim O’Sullivan

We will be looking for someone to replace Jill when she leaves UC in May.
The first meeting for 2013 was on Friday 1st of March and the minutes will appear on the Health and Safety site in due course. https://intranet.canterbury.ac.nz/hr/healthsafety/committee_minutes/index.shtml Further meetings during the year are:
Friday 03 May 2013 10am – 11am Erskine 121
Friday 02 August 2013 10am – 11am Erskine 121
Friday 01 November 2013 10 am – 11am Erskine 121
UC Health and Safety offer training in health and safety and various related matters. The list of upcoming training opportunities is here: https://intranet.canterbury.ac.nz/hs/toolkit/04_info_train/index.shtmlPlease check and see what you may need as a refresher then talk through with your line manager.
Any form of accident or injury should have an event report form filled out and this is available on the H&S homepage: http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/hr/health_safety.shtml. Please note that a form should be filled out for any incident. In the unlikely event that what seems to be a minor incident turns into something serious and ACC becomes involved then a paper trail is important.
Coral and Anne have convened a task group to address the deficiencies noted in the library Health and Safety assessments last year it is hoped that by the end of May the library will achieve 100% compliance in Health and Safety. Committee members are Anne, Coral, Isabel, Wendy Wu, Joan and Tim O’Sullivan.

Tim O’Sullivan

The Library DPI Awareness Group is offering DPI Refresher training sessions. These sessions cover DPI awareness, prevention and tips for working safely. All Library staff should attend one of these sessions every 2 years. The sessions are:

Tuesday 19 March 2-3pm Central Library
Tuesday 19 March 4-5pm EPS Library
Thursday 21 March 11-12, Central Library

Tuesday 16 April 2-3pm Central Library
Thursday 18 April 11-12 Central Library
Thursday 18 April 2-3pm Central Library

Please check with your manager and register to attend one of these sessions by emailing Jenny Owens. I will let you know the room once you register.

Jenny

Due to all the amazing work that has occurred over the past few months in the Library warehouse, there has been a significant reduction in the health and safety risk to staff working in this area. In most cases the height reduction in the shelves and the placing of heavier items on lower shelves means that the stacks are much more stable and the risk of heavy items falling off in the event of an earthquake or other mishap has been greatly reduced. Aisles are now clear, shelves are sensibly ordered and items are much easier to locate thereby considerably reducing the irritation factor!

The need for 2 people to retrieve together from the area is therefore deemed no longer necessary. However, to ensure that your safety is always paramount, please make sure that you signout on your whiteboard in your home workplace when you go across to do retrievals or other work, so that we know where you are if an earthquake or other event occurs. Wear sensible shoes when mounting ladders or using footstools. If at any stage you feel that your safety is compromised for whatever reason (like trying to lift an item that you find too heavy), err on the side of caution – don’t do it – and let your manager or supervisor know. Similarly, if you identify a new hazard or think that old hazards are still an issue, notify it as soon as possible. If you do hurt yourself while in the warehouse or indeed anywhere at work, remember to fill in an Event Report Form. This is important for you if something that seems small at the time becomes an issue a few days down the track and helps us to identify real and potential hazards and mitigate their risks.

Macmillan Brown Library staff are likely to continue to work in twos because of the awkward and often heavy nature of the material they are retrieving.

Jill

Here is something to add to your New Year’s resolutions under the “keep fit” heading. (Warning: Be careful if you are using a wheelie chair when doing this!)

Hey you at the computer

Caroline Anderson

Hello everyone

Over the past month the Library has undertaken a Health & Safety Assesment. There are a number of areas that both Library Support Services and Library Research and Information Services need to update to ensure that the Library is able to comply with current Health and Safety legislation.

Over the next few weeks, items will be posted on CounterCulture to ensure that all staff are made aware of the changes that have been made.

You can also check in Camelot under the Health and Safety tab to see what has been updated.

Heather Jenks
Co-University Librarian

Keep those loads close to your body!
From the September ACC connected newsletter:
“Large horizontal or vertical reaches: A 1kg weight held close to your body puts 1kg of pressure on the muscles in your hand and arm. The same weight held straight out to the side is equivalent to holding a 30kg weight close to your body. Find ways to keep loads close to the body or consider using mechanical assistance.”

Remember to keep your nose and toes in line – avoid twisting your body to reach something.

The University Health and Safety group that includes the library is “Service Group 2.” Members of the Library staff in this group are Jill Durney, Jane Agnew and Tim O’Sullivan. The group meets four times a year and minutes are posted on the Health and Safety website after each meeting. Draft minutes of the most recent meeting on 3rd August are here: intranet.canterbury.ac.nz/hr/healthsafety/committee_minutes/index.shtml

Tim O’Sullivan

If the desk is too low for you when standing, move your feet apart. This will save pressure on your back.
Caroline Anderson