SafeWork NSW recently commenced a safety compliance blitz focusing on the safe installation of rooftop solar devices. Inspectors are ensuring rooftop solar business owners are checking the safety of subcontractors and that those working in the industry are incorporating safe work practices across the board.
WHS regulators have recently issued reminders to employers that strict controls to protect workers from crystalline silica dust will be enforced in the lead-up to the nationwide engineered stone ban from 1 July 2024. The ban will affect builders, renovators, fabricators, and those working in the construction industry, who will no longer be permitted to carry out work involving manufacturing, supplying, processing or installing engineered stone.
Multiple WHS regulators have issued safety reminders and alerts to the farming sector as recent data shows March and November are peak months for workplace fatalities in agriculture, corresponding with the busy sowing and harvest seasons. A particular risk faced by farmers during these seasons is fatigue, which can play a significant role in contributing to workplace incidents on farms.
Many organisations are unprepared for natural hazards, according to an area expert who said WHS professionals play a key role in resilience and recovery in the face of unexpected events. “Unfortunately, many organisations are not well prepared for the occurrence of natural hazards,” said Andrew Gissing, CEO of Natural Hazards Research Australia.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) recently announced that it will launch an on-road targeted operation focused on mechanical safety and compliance with mass, dimension and loading requirements of heavy vehicles operating in support of the construction sector.The operation will commence this month and run for four weeks across NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, ACT, and TAS, according to NHVR COO Paul Salvati.
There are important governance considerations for WHS professionals and their organisations in developing and rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, according to Schellie-Jayne Price, an expert in the area. While many organisations are at different stages of the AI adoption curve, Price said she has yet to encounter any organisation that believes it has fully mastered AI governance.
While construction companies have traditionally focused on managing work-related physical safety risks, they have yet to pay close attention to managing work-related health and wellbeing risks, according to RMIT University. This is even though construction workers are exposed to a vast array of well-known occupational health risks, including hazardous chemicals, airborne dust and fibres, ultraviolet radiation, noise, vibration, and biological and zoonotic hazards, said Helen Lingard, Distinguished Professor in the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University.
The number of sites that contain asbestos-contaminated mulch is rising across NSW and the ACT, with investigations underway to confirm their potential safety risks. Contaminated mulch was first discovered at Rozelle Parklands in Sydney, with the number of positive cases recently rising to more than 60 sites including Erskine Park Zone Substation, Robyn Kemmis Reserve, Campbelltown Hospital and a public school at Liverpool.
Mental health conditions accounted for 9 per cent of all serious workers’ compensation claims in 2021-2022, which is a 37 per cent increase since 2017-18, according to a Safe Work Australia report. It also found the median time lost was more than four times greater than that of all physical injuries and illnesses, while workers with claims for mental health conditions experienced poorer return-to-work outcomes and were more likely to experience stigma from colleagues and their employers.
WorkSafe Victoria recently issued a safety alert following two separate incidents that involved the decanting and blending of flammable liquids, resulting in two fatalities and other serious injuries. The incidents are believed to have occurred when static electricity discharged within a hazardous area resulted in an explosion and fire.
