A compliance blitz across WA’s regional abattoirs has revealed widespread safety issues, with 562 improvement notices and six prohibition notices issued across 19 facilities.
WorkSafe said the most common reason for an improvement notice was guarding of machinery (81), followed by provision of a safe layout (52), maintenance (20), and emergency stops (18).
The watchdog, in a statement, said the most common tool used in the industry and the cause of the most lost time injuries was the knife.
“Common issues relating to knives included workers walking around with knives, knives being left unsecured around the workplace, workers sharpening knives near other workers, and workers using damaged knives,” it said.
“The best practice system seen in workplaces involved asset tracking, where workers received a sharp, sterilised knife at the start of their shift and returned the knife at the end of the shift for resharpening and storage.”
Worksafe said it would continue to monitor the sector.
Detectives are investigating an arson attack on a convenience store in Kelmscott that was ram raided and set on fire during the early hours of this morning.
Firefighters were called to Free Choice Mart around 3.30am to discover the shopfront destroyed, and the store ablaze.
A jerry can of fuel was found nearby.
Taskforce Maverick, which was established to tackle Perth’s growing tobacco wars, is investigating the incident.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch told Radio 6PR he was confident new laws about to be introduced into parliament would help police take more enforcement action against stores selling illicit tobacco products.
“It gets very tiring,” he said.
“This type of arson attack has a high risk of hurting or killing people.”
To overnight news now, and a family-run jewellery store in the city has been targeted in a smash and grab.
Allgem Jewellers in London Court had its front window smashed around 11.30pm, with the culprit fleeing with $600 worth of items.
Owner Brendan Gryg told 9News Perth the biggest cost would be the damage the accused person caused to the heritage-listed shopfront.
“We got a phone call about 11.30pm last night from the alarm company saying there’s a glass break,” he said.
“I jumped on the cameras and thought, ‘Wow, the front window’s beautifully spotless’, then I realised all of the glass was gone, someone had removed the whole front window and taken what they could from inside.”
A 36-year-old man from Seville Grove was arrested a few streets away and is due to appear in court later today.
Ex-tropical cyclone Mitchell weakened to a tropical low overnight after crossing the coast near Shark Bay around 4pm on Monday.
The system lingered off the North West coast as it tracked south, reaching a category 3 storm at its peak on Saturday as it passed Dampier.
Most seem unscathed by the cyclone, with some damage to trees caused by wind gusts up to 107km/h.
Much of the state will continue to feel the effects of the system over the coming days as it tracks south-east, bringing with it wind, rain and flood warnings.
Here’s what’s making news across the nation and around the world today:
- Dozens of protesters have been arrested in violent clashes with police as thousands demonstrated against visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, hours after a court rejected a bid to strip police of enhanced powers granted during his time in Sydney.
- Communications Minister Anika Wells has written to controversial video game giant Roblox seeking an urgent meeting following reports that children on the popular platform have been exposed to sexually explicit and suicide-related material.
- On the eve of the rollout of new scam laws, scammers are finding new ways to hit Australians. Consumer and industry groups are warning delays and gaps will allow mass fraud to persist.
- Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has refused to answer questions before the US Congress, as her lawyer says she will clear President Donald Trump of any wrongdoing in exchange for clemency from her 20-year prison sentence.
Good morning readers and welcome to our live news blog for Tuesday, February 10.
Making headlines today, Premier Roger Cook has again floated the idea of completing the circle route rail line – but this time raised the possibility of bringing in the help of light rail or trackless trams.
Cook made the comments at a Property Council of WA lunch on Friday, when he was asked about the next evolution of Labor’s Metronet public transport network.
And the section of Mitchell Freeway in Butler where two people died in a crash after a ute travelled the wrong way on Sunday night is near where a beloved Perth grandfather died in a similar crash in October.
An Izuzu ute was travelling southbound in the northbound lanes near Lukin Drive in Butler about 11.25pm on Sunday when it crashed into a Toyota Yaris hatchback and MG MG4 hatchback.
Stay with us as we bring you the news of the day, as it happens.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
