Same-level falls in the workplace are set to rise amid rapid growth in the numbers of older female employees in the workforce, according to recent research. It found that although workplace falls, overall, are more common among male employees, particularly falls from height, same-level falls are more common in older women.
SafeWork NSW recently issued a reminder to employers about the dangers of taking children to workplaces such as construction sites, following an incident in which a teenage boy was seriously injured while attending a worksite in December. On 22 December, a 13-year-old boy attended a construction site with an adult, and the boy subsequently fell from scaffolding and sustained a serious head injury which required surgery.
There is no evidence that individual-level mental health interventions such as mindfulness, resilience and stress management, relaxation classes, and wellbeing apps improve workplace wellbeing, according to recent research. Instead, deeper organisational changes – such as flexibility of scheduling, management practices, staff resources, performance review, or job design – are likely to play a greater role in improving wellbeing at work.
Work Health and Safety Ministers have agreed to an immediate reduction to the workplace exposure standard for welding fumes (not otherwise classified) has been reduced from an 8-hour time weighted average (TWA) of 5 mg/m3 to 1 mg/m3. The change to the workplace exposure standard become mandatory once implemented in the WHS/OHS laws in the Commonwealth, states and territories.
NT WorkSafe recently issued a safety alert for owners of LP gas appliances that use small portable LP gas cylinders not to use adaptors to connect their gas appliance to the gas cylinder. The warning was issued following a serious incident in which a Perth homeowner received severe burns while using a barbecue.
WorkSafe ACT recently announced that it is proactively taking enforcement action after the Managing the Risks of Airborne Crystalline Silica (Silica Dust) in the Workplace Code of Practice came into effect late last year. The code includes information about identifying hazards, air monitoring, health monitoring, controlling the risks, maintenance of control measures and safe work method statements (SWMS).
Shift work and working long hours significantly increase the chances of preterm birth, however, most work roles can be modified to reduce this risk. A Monash University-led study has found that pregnant women who worked long hours, shift work, physically demanding jobs, or in jobs that exposed them to whole-body vibration, were at increased risk of preterm birth.
NT WorkSafe recently issued new guidance material on managing the risks of fatigue when driving heavy vehicles.The new guide is intended to assist heavy vehicle owners and operators in the Northern Territory in developing and implementing appropriate fatigue management systems to eliminate or minimise the risks of fatigue, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Commonwealth, state and territory governments have unanimously agreed to prohibit the use, supply and manufacture of all engineered stone with the majority of jurisdictions to commence the prohibition from 1 July 2024.
WorkSafe WA recently issued a safety alert following an incident in which an employee was fatally injured after being struck by a section of pipe at a wastewater treatment plant during pipe modification works.
