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RVMAA at Melbourne Leisurefest
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RVMAA's banners will be flying in front of all of our Members' stands at the Melbourne Leisurefest show this week.
At RVMAA's stand, visitors can pick up our free Owner's Handbook, and lodge their entry form for our national competition - to increase public awareness and give buyers important reasons to make sure their new purchase carries the RVMAA badge - for a chance to win 1 of 7 fabulous BIG4 Holiday packages valued at $5,000.
If you'd like some coupons for your stand, visit RVMAA's Stand - No 24 - or call John Roberts on 0402 618 641 and he'll drop some into you.
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The problem
One claim within the caravan manufacturing industry has cost Victoria $549,242.00 from a single slip & fall. The most common injuries relating to slips, trips and falls in all workplaces, as shown by injury claims are as follows:
46% relate to hip/knee/ankle fractures and traumatic joint and muscle injuries occurring due to slipping and falling while walking up/down stairs, on wet floors/grass, gravel areas, uneven surfaces and broken concrete. These injuries also occur when stepping on/off ladders and work platforms, tripping over objects or using stairs in wet and oily areas or congested workplaces. 
13% are back muscle strains and fractures due to slipping and tripping while working in wet and oily areas, tripping over objects in congested areas, stepping from ladders and using steps and stairs.
12% are arm/wrist and fingers fractures, traumatic joint injuries and muscle strains occurring due to slipping in wet and oily areas, falling from ladders and slipping and tripping on paths and surfaces such as driveways, ramps and steps.
(Slips, trips and falls are based on 3482 claims accepted between July 2008 and February 2009)
A number of other things to consider if you choose to not provide a safe workplace could include: employee time off work, pain & suffering, loss of production, replacement of staff, investigation undertaken by regulator/insurance provider & potential litigation with associated court costs.
A point often not considered is that - even after all the above - the Employer is still required to make it safe!
The solution - how to make it safe
The first step towards improving safety in any workplace is to have the Managers/Owners proactively show they are committed to a safe workplace; this can be in the form of a signed policy which is posted on the lunch room wall and communicated to all staff.
The next step to reduce risk of slip, trip and fall is to maintain a clean floor free of empty glue cartridges, loose sheets of ply and metal and assorted other trip hazards and this must be a natural part of everyone's duties. To help enforce the company rules a documented procedure should be known to all staff and supported by a number of signs around work stations. Signage can be printed from the office computer and laminated - just Google "safety signs" and you should find a range of signs that may help or design your own to suit your workplace.
Adequate and appropriate steps, platforms and ladders should be available for use to ensure any work above floor level is done without risk of falling.
 Ensure a procedure is in place that requires all staff to wear appropriate footwear for the task.
As with any workplace rule - if they are not enforced and supervised they will not be followed. This applies to every person in the workplace from employees to Directors.
Summary Slips, trips and falls do hurt everyone. - Poor housekeeping - clean it up - must be part of everyone's duties
- Poor training and poor supervision = poor outcomes
- Employees - have a general duty to take reasonable care for your own health and safety, and that of others who may be affected by your work, and to cooperate with your employer's efforts to make the workplace safe
- Employers duty of care is to provide a safe workplace.
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Attached is CRVA's update. Read about CRVA's Industry Summit to be held in Brisbane, launch of exciting Pay TV national marketing campaign, Today Show Weather segment promotion, and a study that proves Campers are indeed Happy Campers.
RVMAA would like to offer its thanks to Ben Yates for his professional support and co-operation during his time as CEO of the CRVA. We wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.
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Oct 4 - RVMAA Committee Meeting Oct 4 - RVMAA Forum, Melbourne Oct 6-9 - Melbourne Leisurefest Oct 7 - RVMAA General Meeting 8.30 am in Exhibitors' Lounge - Leisurefest Oct 20-23 - Qld Pre-Christmas Show Nov 2 - RVMAA Committee Meeting Nov - 4-6 NSW South Coast Expo Nov 18-20 - Bendigo Leisurefest Dec 7 - RVMAA Committee Meeting |
RVMAA Inc
64 Harcourt Street,
North Melbourne Vic 3051
Tel: 03 9329 3790 / Fax: 03 9329 3706
Executive Officer - Colin Young Email: info@rvmaa.com.au Website: www.rvmaa.com.au RVMAA Product Auditor Graeme Funder Mobile: 0408 580 287
RVMAA Sales & Admin
PO Box 1183, Hartwell Vic 3124
Tel: 03 9889 5500 / Fax: 03 9889 5511 Sales & Admin - Gabrielle O'Brien
Email: admin@rvmaa.com.au |
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Greetings!
With everyone being flat-out in the days leading up to Melbourne Leisurefest, plus our special RVMAA meetings, we will keep this newsletter as brief as possible. First, a reminder about this week:
Strategic Planning Forum - tomorrow
Tuesday, 4 October.
Members will have received nem's discussion paper in preparation
for this event. If you only ever attend one RVMAA meeting this year, then this is the one to attend - it is crucial to our future structure, agenda and success.
General Meeting - Friday, 7 October The agenda will be sent to you shortly for this meeting on the second day of Leisurefest. It will be held in the Exhibitors' Lounge at 8.00 am for an 8.30 am start, and includes a re-vote on the Constitution amendment regarding the unenforceable compulsory contributions to CRVA. If you can't be there in person, your proxy is vital to the success of this vote. Click here to download a Proxy Form.
Committee and General Meeting minutesWith so much going on, you can keep up-to-date with all Committee and General Meetings by accessing the minutes in the Members Only section of our website at www.rvmaa.com.au Call Gabrielle on 03-9889 5500 if you are experiencing any difficulties in accessing the Members-only section.
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New Gas Code Update
To ensure that our Members are fully prepared to fulfil their obligations under the new Gas Code, RVMAA has collated responses received from NSW, Qld, SA, WA & ACT requesting clarification of the individual state requirements.
We are still waiting on responses from Vic and Tas and will provide this information as soon as it becomes available.
Click here to request a copy of the collated responses to date.
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Timber lids installed over cooking appliances -
Deadline for requirements from Energy Safe Victoria
Members have received notice of Energy Safe Victoria's deadline for requirements that must be met by caravan manufacturers in Victoria by 1 December 2011, specifically that:- Either the cooking appliance is designed or the combustible benchtop lid is interlocked so that it is not possible to operate the cooking appliance with the combustible benchtop lid in the closed (horizontal) position.
- The cooking appliance must be tested and certified for installation adjacent to a combustible benchtop lid. This must be reflected in the manufacturer's cooking appliance installation instructions which must show the minimum clearance from the periphery of the nearest burner to the benchtop lid when in the open (vertical) position. Alternatively, the underside of the combustible lid must be lined with a fire resistant material in accordance with appendix C of AS5601:2004.
- Provision must be made for the latching of the benchtop lid when in the open (vertical) position to prevent the lid from falling and appropriate labelling must be displayed adjacent to the latch point instructing the user to lock the lid when in the open position.
 - The above label must be positioned on the wall directly behind the benchtop lid. These labels are available from RVMAA - quote Item No C-5E. They are available for sale to non Members - call sales/admin on 03-9889 5500 or email admin@rvmaa.com.au .
ESV recognizes that some affected caravan manufacturers may require extra time to make the necessary manufacturing changes to comply with the above requirements. Hence the manufacture of caravans with combustible lids over cooking appliances, which do not meet the above criteria, will not be permitted after 1 December 2011.
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ADR Review - National Transport Commission
The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) are being reviewed by the NTC (National Transport Commission).
Members have been asked to peruse the attached document, and visit NTC's website - and forward comments and suggestions to us, on ADRs applicable to both motorized and towable RVS. Members feedback will be included in a supplementary submissions to the NTC.
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Australian Manufactured Camper Trailer Guild
The Australian Manufactured Camper Trailer Guild has been formed for the benefit of Australian camper-trailer manufacturers and had its first AGM at the Penrith show. The Guil d is purely a marketing body, to promote the benefits of "Buying Australian", to endeavour to require all camper-trailers to prominently mark with their "Country of Origin", and to have regulatory authorities take the strongest possible action against all non-compliant camper-trailers.
For enquiries about the Guild, contact Cub Camper's Roger Fagan on 02 8838 8600.
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Code of Practice & Compliance Standards - Caravans
The significantly up-dated draft of the "Code of Practice & Compliance Standards" for Caravans has been released.
Suggestions for further improvements will be most welcome. Click here to request a copy of the Code.
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Compliance: High-light - Approvals
 Lamps - and reflectors - must be used only for the application that they have been tested and approved for. It is essential that every lamp fitted to any vehicle or trailer is certified for the intended use; just because a lamp is red in colour, does not mean it can be used as a stop, rear position and rear end-outline lamp.
It is illegal to fit a non-complying lamp to a vehicle or trailer, or have it positioned incorrectly. There are heavy penalties - and re-calls - for ADR non-compliances. Never be tempted to buy any "bargain priced", "approved all around the world" unknown brand of lamp or reflector. Also be certain that lamps are not fraudulently marked.
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Marking of VINs on caravans and light trailers
The WA Department of Transport has advised us that Information Bulletin 127A on VINs for caravans and light trailers has now been published which details the requirement for stamping the VIN on the frame/chassis of each caravan and camper-trailer, in digits at least 7 mm high. The introduction date for Caravans & Camper-Trailers first registered in WA is 1 November 2011.
RVMAA is endeavouring to obtain suitable 7 mm stamping blocks, as a group-buy for our Members, to facilitate the neat stamping of 7 mm VINs in the chassis, or in steel plates that are welded to the chassis.
It is anticipated that other States/Territories will require this stamping in the future, and this requirement will be included in the next version of VSB-1.
Click here to view WA Information Bulletin 107A.
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Legal matters: Innovation Patents
Innovation - and protecting it - is vitally important for the future success of your business. Unless you have a "world-beater" invention, it may not be viable to apply for a Standard Patent. For small improvements, you should certainly consider protecting them by means of Innovation Patents.
Innovation Patents have a number of advantages over Standard Patent, as outlined in the attached document, Review of the Innovation Patent System. There is currently a "Review" of Innovation Patents, for which you may wish to forward a submission.
All patent applications must cover something that is "new" and "useful"; "unobviousness" is a criteria; adding a retractable feature to a basic pen (so as not to smudge your shirt pocket), and adding a securing clip (so that it will not fall from your pocket), would have been deemed acceptable, but
applying for similar patents for a basic pencil would not have been deemed acceptable.
In a later Newsletter, we will discuss "Designs", and how you can protect your new stylish RVs.
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We look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow and / or again on Friday for our General Meeting.
Colin Young
Executive Officer
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Demanding: 100% compliance
Striving For: Zero-defect product quality and professional service
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