An amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety (Long Distance Truck Driver Fatigue) Regulation 2005, will take effect on 1 March 2006. The Regulation will apply to heavy trucks with a GVM of 4.5 tonnes or more transporting freight (either single or in a series of trips) greater that 500kms. [ + ]

Current trends in society and work organisation are creating new risks and putting new demands on occupational safety and health research, a recent report published by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work says. [ + ]

Victoria Workcover is running a series of workshops to help improve the operation of OHS committees in the food manufacturing industry. [ + ]

Disability and a lack of training were among the most common barriers preventing people from working or working extra hours, according to new analysis released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recently. [ + ]

WorkCover NSW is calling for final submissions in response to its review of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000. [ + ]

Draeger Safety Pacific is opening its doors for the launch of its new cutting edge mulitgas detector the Dräger X-am 2000. [ + ]

Occupational exposure to mineral oils, in particular hydraulic or motor oil, increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by 30%. These are the results of a study published in Arthritis Research & Therapy. [ + ]

The safety of journalists at work has been called into question by both the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the UK's National Union of Journalists (NUJ) with the launch of the IFJs’ report on the killing of media staff in 2005. [ + ]

WorkCover NSW and Fair Trading’s Motor Vehicle Repair Industry Authority are urging consumers and vehicle repairers to be aware of hazards when re-gassing Motor Vehicle Air Conditioning systems (MVACs) with flammable hydrocarbon gases. [ + ]

WorkCover NSW has appointed one of its most highly experienced senior managers to head the authority’s reorganised TestSafe Australia facilities at Londonderry and Thornleigh. [ + ]

A railway maintenance worker lost an eye at work, almost eight years after a 1997 consultant's report identified the work practice as 'high risk'. As a result of the accident, Australia's largest private rail freight operator has been convicted and fined $50,000. [ + ]

A labour hire company's OHS obligations are limited by the fact its awareness and knowledge of hazards at a work site can never equal that of the host employer, a South Australian industrial magistrate has found. [ + ]

Demolition and Asbestos work has been identified by Australia's and New Zealand's heads of workplace safety authorities as an area of significant risk requiring a coordinated approach within the construction industry. [ + ]

The Fluidsentry monitored hydraulic ‘HB series’ safety valve systems recently won the ‘Best Risk Solution’ in the 2005 Victorian WorkSafe awards. [ + ]

WorkCover NSW chief executive officer, Jon Blackwell has issued a safety alert for safety mesh used on roofs as part of a continuing campaign on falls from heights in the construction industry. [ + ]