Training in Vietnam
Following negotiations earlier this year, in which CITC Director Harry Ennis and CFMEU SA Secretary Martin O'Malley hosted a delegation of Vietnamese officials in Adelaide as well as attending meetings in Hanoi, the CITC was honoured to provide training for the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (the equivalent of the ACTU) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The two 5 day courses, titled "Challenges in the Movement to Market Economy', were designed to assist Vietnamese unionists in adapting to working with the private sector. The training was conducted by Deb Nicholls, former CPSU Branch Education Officer & Ben Carslake, President of the Construction Division CFMEU SA, with the assistance of interpreters. The courses focussed specifically on bargaining and negotiations skills with particular emphasis on dealing with the rapidly changing business environment in Vietnam. The courses were developed in consultation with Vietnamese union officials and were extremely well received.
The majority of the participants were from the construction industry, however there was a presence from other industries. The participants said that hearing about Australian experiences, training methodology and new systems for organising and mobilising workers was invaluable, describing the courses as 'very interesting', 'diverse' and 'useful'. One of the interesting contrasts Deb and Ben noticed between Australia and Vietnam was the high proportion of women involved in the construction industry. Of the 35 participants attending the two courses 14 were women!
The CITC has been invited to provide more training in the near future with the long term view of establishing a joint venture training centre in Hanoi to provide skills training to the Building and Construction Industry in Vietnam. Needless to say everyone at the CITC is very excited by this opportunity and the eZine will keep you posted.
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Fact: 35% of Vietnamese construction workers are women
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CITC Training in Northern Territory
In June this year CITC Training Coordinator Sab Feleppa and Trainer Mick Sherlock conducted a series of training courses in the Northern Territory. We will be continuing to train in the Territory with the view to setting up a branch in Darwin.
So far we have run Materials Handling courses in Darwin and a version of the Greencard Occupational Health and Safety Induction course that was specifically adapted for the Northern Territory's legislation, which was held in Darwin and Alice Springs. The training has been conducted with the co-operation of both WorkCover South Australia and Northern Territory Worksafe and the assistance of the Northern Territory Government.
The opportunity to participate in business in this exciting and diverse region of Australia is challenging for any small business, but we are confident that this venture will be a success.
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Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18.
Albert Einstein
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New Courses
The CITC Inc is constantly seeking to improve and expand the courses that we provide. with this in mind we have developed the following courses to respond to both industry and government needs:
New courses now being offered by CITC include:
- Asbestos Removal Supervision - 16 hours
- Dangerous Goods (Transport) - 16 hours
- Hazardous Substances in the Floor Covering Industry - 4 hours
- Manual Handling in the Flat Glass Industry - 8 hours
- Manual Handling in the Floor Covering Industry - 4 hours
- Safe Working with Asbestos - 8 hours
These courses are currently available for company group bookings only.
Editions of this newsletter will keep you up to date with new courses as they become available.
If you would like to make a booking or if you have any enquiries please contact Harry Ennis at: harry.ennis@citc.com.au or on (08) 8443 6633.
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You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.
Robin Williams
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New Asbestos Regulations
Recent changes to OHS&W Regulations, 1995, under the OHS&W Act, 1986 were introduced on August 12, 2004 to try to cut down on the number of people affected by asbestos related illness.
In a recent statement, SA's Industrial Relations Minister Michael Wright said, "(That) tragically, thousands of people have died from disease and illness in workplaces as a result of exposure to asbestos - we want to protect other members of the public from this danger."
The key changes for companies and individuals to be aware of are:
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A restricted licence will be required if the surface area of non-friable asbestos (asbestos cement sheeting) being removed is greater than 10 square metres. The previous limit was 200 square metres. Workplace Services will now need to be notified if you are removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos.
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Employee records must now be kept for 40 years. Previously employee records needed to be kept for 30 years
In addition to these changes, the new regulations reinforce the necessity of having appropriate Safe Work Control Plans and policies and the importance of employees being supervised by a suitably trained On-Site Safety Supervisor.
Workplace Services has produced a booklet called 'New Asbestos Removal Regulations: A basic guide on what you need to know about the asbestos regulations', which is available through Workplace Services directly or can be downloaded from their website http://www.eric.sa.gov.au/uploaded_files/easyrefguide19aug.pdf.
For more details check out "The Approved Code of Practice for Asbestos Work' and/or "The Approved Code of Practice for the Safe Removal of Asbestos". Copies may be downloaded from www.workcover.com.au or www.eric.sa.gov.au
For information about your training requirements under the new regulations please contact us at: info@citc.com.au or (08) 8443 6633.
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Fact: 2500 people die in Australia each year from asbestos related illnesses.
1736 people died in car accidents in 2001
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CITC Inc Course Schedule
Here is a selection of upcoming public courses for the next month:
Workzone Traffic Management 27/10/04 - 27/10/04
Twin Rope Access and Retrieval 29/10/04 - 31/10/04
Hoist - Brickies 20/10/04 - 20/10/04
Confined Space 25/10/04 - 26/10/04
Asbestos ID & Awareness 28/10/04 - 28/10/04
Bonded Asbestos Removal 28/10/04 - 29/10/04
For information on our other courses including Greencard II, Forklift Operation, Elevated Work Platform (EWP) and Dogging please look at our course schedule, http://www.citc.com.au/schedule.php
To register your interest in any of our courses please contact us at: info@citc.com.au or (08) 8443 6633 and ask to speak with Kylie or Nicole.
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In Next Month's Edition:
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The CITC in the Wine Industry, the first in a series of industry profiles.
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Do you get confused between the CITC, the CITB, the CFMEU and Workplace Services? Get confused about who to contact for what service? The definitive guide is coming!
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You have your Dogging Ticket, now what? Training advice for Doggers.
If you have any ideas for stories or any questions that you'd like answered in the CITC Inc. eZine, please contact us at: info@citc.com.au
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Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Mark Twain
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