Grants available for workplace safety initiatives

The South Australian Government has recently announced the availability of grants to fund workplace safety initiatives.

The South Australian Minister for Industrial Relations, Paul Holloway, recently announced that applications are now open for grants to fund more workplace safety initiatives in the state.

Holloway says funding up to $50,000 is available for each initiative that contributes to safer workplaces in South Australia. The grants are offered under the Occupational Health Safety and Welfare Small Grants Program for 2011.

“Two types of grants are available; either for projects which foster innovative safety practices, or for small and specific research projects,” he says. “The aim is for both types of project grants to help develop and disseminate innovative safety practices that help reduce work injuries, diseases and fatalities in South Australia.

“These smaller projects involve solving some very specific but pressing workplace safety issues and, as such, we’re keen to ensure they’re sufficiently funded.

“These grants are one of the ways the government through SafeWork SA is seeking to meet the objectives of the South Australian Strategic Plan, most notably providing greater safety at work.”

Funding under the 2010 round of small grants went to:

• Flinders University to characterise the health hazard associated with exposure to synthetic nanoparticles in the workplace.
• SARDI to conduct a risk assessment of the efficiency of the Shark Shield, and help provide a safe working environment for marine activities.
• University of Adelaide to develop and trial a toolkit for the evaluation and integration of OHSW in university curricula.

To be eligible for these grants, applicants must be based in South Australia and conduct the proposed work in this state. The applications must meet specific criteria and successful applicants must submit regular progress reports and financial statements.

The deadline for applications is 5 pm, Friday 18 February 2011, with the successful applicants to be decided by the SafeWork SA Advisory Committee in June. Further information about the grants can be found online from the dropdown menu at www.safework.sa.gov.au.