Cradle To Grave In Safety

A third Sydney funeral home has taken delivery of a new casket cradle, purpose-built to slash the industry’s burgeoning workers comp bill.

The cradle, designed in association with the multi-party Funderal Industry Council, has been green-lighted by Worksafe and is undergoing extensive trialling by funeral operators at Leichhardt, Bondi and Lidcombe.

Funeral Industry Union secretary Aidan Nye said he was "hopeful" the new system would reduce injuries to shoulders, hips and knees but it was a matter of allowing on the job trials to run their course.

His organisation was behind development of the easy-move cradle that can stay with the casket from the time it is filled until it reaches the cemetry or crematorium. The system, capable of handling up to 300kg, is designed to ride straight into and of the hearse and can be carried by eight bearers, or, in confined spaces, as few as two.

The union called for change after numerous injuries stemmed from traditional shoulder-borne carriage, and its handle-held replacement.

"All we did, unfortunately, was transfer injuries from the shoulders to the waste," Nye said. "People thought handles were a lifeline but, in reality, they were a recipe for disaster."

On the job, handles kept breaking and a number failed under Worksafe testing.

The coffin crade is being trialled at O'Hares, Walter Carter's and the giant White Lady operation, responsible for 2500 Sydney dispatches every year.

To comment on this or any other item appearinig on the UnionSafe website, or to suggest something you would like us to cover, please visit our interactive discussion forum, Shoptalk at http://unionsafe.labor.net.au/shoptalk/index.php.

© 2002 UNIONSAFE
This site is sponsored by the Workcover Authority of NSW for Labor Council of NSW

Site designed and engineered by Social Change Online [credits]
This page: http://unionsafe.net.au/news/105582929524320.html
Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Nov-2005 20:37:37 EST