WorkSafe Victoria recently issued a safety alert about the risks of using hardened steel tools on hardened steel following an incident in which a worker was injured when a hardened steel hammer shattered. The employee was working as an underground drill operator and was trying to separate jammed drill consumables by striking the shank.
SafeWork SA recently issued a safety alert following a recent near miss that highlighted the dangers of using unsecured lifting jibs on forklifts. A worker narrowly escaped being hit by a load of steel when the lifting jib, which was incorrectly attached to the tynes of a forklift, slipped off and landed on adjacent machinery causing damage.
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 Queensland Government has commissioned an independent review of Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to support proposed amendments to the state’s WHS laws introduced to Parliament late last year.
The Victorian Government is looking to review the sentencing of OHS offences committed by both individuals and organisations after it provided the Sentencing Advisory Council with terms of reference to make relevant recommendations for reform. This will be the first examination of sentencing practices for OHS offences since Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act came into effect almost 20 years ago.
Storytelling is an easy way to help boost engagement and the WHS profession is primed for storytelling and the benefits it can provide in terms of improved communication, according to an expert in the area.
WorkSafe Victoria recently reminded employers about the serious legal consequences they face if they put workers at risk after the regulator completed 153 successful health and safety prosecutions last year.
More than one in five workers have experienced violence and harassment and OHS plays a key role in helping mitigate and manage associated risks, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).Violence and harassment can affect all types of workplaces and can also occur during commutes, work-related trips, events, digital communications, social activities and in home-based offices.
WorkSafe WA recently issued a reminder to employers and workers to consider all the precautions they should take when work is being undertaken in remote areas. Workers who regularly travel to remote areas of the state include tour operators and workers involved in supervising various recreational activities, mining workers such as prospectors and geologists, truck drivers and some farmers.
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.
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