Senior safety executives' salaries have tumbled
The salaries of Australia’s top safety executives fell by an average $59,000 during the last 12 months, a recent survey reveals. Read more »
Kirk’s new Enterprise - The High Court reigns in OHS regulators
The implications of the recent High Court ruling in the Kirk case have far-reaching effects on the powers of OHS regulators. Read more »
Maintaining safety in civil construction
Worksafe Victoria is appealing to all plant operators to be more vigilant in practising safety in civil construction works after expressing concerns over the high incidence of lower leg injuries. Read more »
Weighty issues for harness wearers
Designing good harnesses for people working at height has meant facing some difficult challenges, not the least of which has been that, over the last 10 years, there has been a gradual change in the body size and weight of the people who work at height that we are working to protect. Read more »
Beware of the electrical dangers when installing insulation
In recent months, an alarming number of workers have been electrocuted while installing thermal insulation into homes. Given the growing need for more insulation installers required to satisfy the sharp increase in demand, driven by the federal government’s incentive to make homes more energy efficient, there will be a high percentage of workers who are new to this field, who may not be aware of the serious occupational hazards they face. Read more »
Avoiding serious accidents can be easy
Industrial safety barriers have evolved to address a host of safety and productivity issues, and advances in technology have led to a wide range of easy-to-use, adaptable solutions. Read more »
Smooth transition dock system minimises dock shock and trailer drop
Arbon Equipment, through its parent company Rite-Hite Corporation, has launched an awareness campaign to call attention to ‘dock shock’ and ‘trailer drop’ - two issues that pose a serious health safety risk and adversely affect the productivity of virtually every facility with a loading dock. Read more »
Exercise extreme care with safety anchors
The discovery of safety anchor systems in extremely unsafe conditions in New Zealand has prompted an urgent call-to-action from a leading height safety industry association. Read more »
High Court decision means fundamental changes to OHS prosecutions in NSW
A recent High Court decision is likely to fundamentally change the investigation and prosecution of alleged safety breaches in NSW. Read more »
Study finds fatigue the major accident factor in construction
A recent University of Sydney study has found fatigue to be the most significant contributor to accidents in the construction industry. Read more »
Top seven tips for effectively managing OHS in your workplace
OHS risks can’t be ignored by any company, regardless of its size. These risks must be addressed as an integral part of every organisation’s business management process. Read more »
Warning about dangers in extreme temperatures
Forecasts of extreme temperatures for summer have prompted a warning from WorkSafe for employers and workers to plan their work to minimise exposure in hot conditions. Read more »
Just owning the safety equipment is not enough to save you
People are injured and killed when working in confined spaces, despite all of the warning, detection and protection equipment available. Safety regulators all around the world can accurately pinpoint how people are injured or die and the most common environments in which injuries and deaths occur. So with all those statistics about working in confined spaces and control measures, why do injuries and deaths still occur? Read more »
Guidelines for safe transport and storage of goods on the waterfront
Safe Work Australia recently released three guidance publications to help improve materials handling safety in the transport and storage industries in stevedoring applications on the waterfront. The material aims to reduce the incidence of fatalities and injuries in this type of workplace by addressing environmental, physical, mechanical and psychosocial risks associated with stevedoring operations. Read more »
Nano: the new science with lots of unanswered questions
Greater transparency and public engagement about the potential opportunities and risks presented by nanotechnology is required, according to a new report by The Australia Institute. Read more »
Ministers endorse model work health and safety provisions which now become the agreed model Act
At a recent Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council meeting, government Ministers finalised the harmonisation of model work health and safety laws. Read more »
Another step closer to the model work health and safety laws
Some important amendments to the model Safe Work Act 2009 were recommended by Safe Work Australia to the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council (WRMC) when the WRMC met on 11 December 2009. Read more »
Outdoor workers at double risk of skin cancer
A mobile skin cancer practice has released a new report with alarming statistics about the high risk of skin cancer to outdoor workers in Australia. Read more »
Height safety training standards update Part 2
The updated industrial fall arrest standard AS/NZS 1891.4 2009 contains an appendix that provides valuable additional information and guidance on the provision of training and competence. Read more »
Using risk assessments to avoid manual handling injuries
Workplace injuries are a serious factor that every business, manager and staff member must think about. Not only do injuries impact on workers' health but on absenteeism, loss of income and even loss of jobs. Read more »