The Load-In That Nobody Briefed
You are a casual stagehand on a three-day load-in for a touring musical at a large proscenium venue. On day one your supervisor points at a flown lighting truss and says 'hold this steady while I climb up'. You are handed a pair of gloves and told to 'watch for anything swinging'. Nobody has shown you the venue's induction, the emergency exits, or the location of the first aid room. You notice that a chain hoist on the truss has a tag reading 'do not use - awaiting inspection', but the truss is already suspended on it. A second casual, who is seventeen, is operating a scissor lift alone to reach a lighting bar. The venue has a health and safety representative, and there is a site register at the stage door.
1. Identify the WHS issues in this scenario and explain your rights and duties as a casual worker.
Read the worked answer
Issues:
No induction. Every worker on a construction-style site must receive a site induction covering hazards, emergency procedures, first aid and supervision. You have not had one.
Holding a load while someone climbs. This is an uncontrolled task with no documented procedure, no exclusion zone and no assessment of the load. It also puts you under a suspended load.
The tagged-out hoist in service. A 'do not use' tag is a lockout control. Using the hoist anyway defeats the isolation and is a serious breach. The truss should not be suspended on it.
A minor operating a scissor lift alone. The seventeen-year-old needs supervision, training and compliance with the state's child employment rules, and an elevating work platform generally requires a trained, competent operator.
Your rights as a casual: the same WHS protections as any worker. You can refuse or cease unsafe work if you have a reasonable concern of serious risk, and you are protected from adverse action for doing so. You can raise issues with your supervisor, the HSR or the regulator. You are entitled to information, training and supervision.
Your duties: take reasonable care of your own safety and that of others, follow reasonable instructions, and report hazards. Refusing unsafe work is not the same as refusing all work.
2. Describe, step by step, what you do in the next ten minutes.
Read the worked answer
Stop holding the load safely. Do not simply let go. Call out clearly to the person above that you are stepping away and that the load needs to be secured, then move out from under it. Never release a load without warning.
Move the seventeen-year-old away from the lift. Tell them to lower the platform and stop, and stay with them until a supervisor arrives. This is the most time-critical risk because a fall from height is potentially fatal.
Find the supervisor and report, in plain terms: the tagged hoist in service, the un-briefed task, the minor on the lift, and the missing induction. Ask for the work to stop until these are controlled.
Escalate if the supervisor does not act. Contact the HSR, and use the site register to confirm you are signed in. If there is an immediate risk to life, call emergency services and the regulator.
Document. Note the time, the tag number, who was present and what was said. A written record protects you and supports the investigation.
Do not resume until you have had the induction, the hoist is confirmed isolated and inspected, and the lift task has a trained operator with a spotter.