OHS Alert http://www.ohsalert.com.au/index.php Fast independent news and analysis for OHS professionals. en-au Copyright OHS Alert 2010 hourly 1 1970-01-01T00:00+00:00 OHS Alert http://www.ohsalert.com.au/RDF/ohsalert_logo.gif http://www.ohsalert.com.au/ Fast independent news and analysis for OHS professionals. Introduce safe-lift policies and lower workers' compensation costs http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=49659 Employers that provide mechanical lift equipment should not assume workers will take advantage of it and use it effectively, a US study has found. OHS Alert 2013-01-18T15:42:15+11:00 How to improve pesticide safety and awareness http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=49632 Employees who work with pesticides must be made aware of pesticide safety information and trained to prevent substances from entering their body, US researchers say. OHS Alert 2013-01-15T12:40:00+11:00 Self-testing stations at work encourage healthier behaviour http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=49379 Employers should implement "self-testing workplace stations" under their health and wellbeing programs, a US study has suggested. OHS Alert 2012-11-15T11:03:57+11:00 Workers with sleep disorders more likely to crash vehicles http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=49130 Employers should screen their workers for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) to reduce the risk of vehicle incidents, an Israeli study has suggested. OHS Alert 2012-10-11T12:36:24+11:00 Supervisor support for work/family balance reduces risk of pain http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=49042 Workers who receive high levels of support from their managers are less likely to experience shoulder, neck and back pain compared to workers who receive little to no supervisory support, a US study has found. OHS Alert 2012-09-27T12:41:30+10:00 Indirect impact of workplace injuries underestimated http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48948 A study of nearly 368,000 workers has found that injured workers are 43 per cent more likely to be treated for depression than their non-injured counterparts. OHS Alert 2012-09-13T12:51:07+10:00 Office redesigns needed to tackle pain, ergonomic advances ineffective http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48832 Australian researchers have called for offices to be redesigned to stimulate physical activity, after they found advances in office ergonomics over the last 30 years have done little to reduce the high rate of neck pain and other musculoskeletal symptoms among desk workers. OHS Alert 2012-08-29T12:28:32+10:00 Promoting communication reduces stress rates http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48772 Employers that improve workplace communication and provide supervisors with training on mental health are effectively tackling stress, Japanese researchers have found. OHS Alert 2012-08-20T14:12:13+10:00 Workplace health assessments encourage weight loss http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48735 A US study has found a direct correlation between workplace health and wellbeing programs, which include health assessments, and workers' weight loss. OHS Alert 2012-08-14T15:50:16+10:00 Shift work linked to heart attacks and diseases, screening vital http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48649 Employers have been advised to educate shift workers on cardiovascular problems to stop early manifestations of disease, after a Canadian study of more than two million people found shift work is linked to heart attacks and strokes. OHS Alert 2012-08-02T12:18:36+10:00 Shift work linked to low back pain, intervention strategies vital http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48590 Shift work and obesity have been linked to low back pain (LBP), which increases absence rates and costs the Australian economy $9 billion a year in direct and indirect costs, an Australian study has found. OHS Alert 2012-07-25T15:55:32+10:00 Sleep deficiency linked to work pain, intervention key http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48527 Employers should consider offering flexible shift lengths to combat sleep deficiency, which has been identified as a major health problem for workers, US researchers have advised. OHS Alert 2012-07-17T15:43:01+10:00 "Larger decision latitude" reduces back-related sickies rate; and more http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48374 "Larger decision latitude" reduces back-related sickies rate; Queensland and NSW workers killed in conveyor and forklift incidents; and Essential safety news from NSW, NT, NOPSEMA and Comcare. OHS Alert 2012-06-27T15:52:35+10:00 Proactive OHS inspectors save employers thousands http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48214 Increased OHS regulation and random workplace inspections have been linked to tumbling injury rates and thousands of dollars in savings for employers. OHS Alert 2012-06-05T15:53:20+10:00 Common workplace chemical linked to low fertility http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48148 The female partners of male workers who have been exposed to formaldehyde (FA) - a chemical used in a wide range of industries - are more likely to have a spontaneous abortion, a Chinese study has found. OHS Alert 2012-05-29T14:26:02+10:00 Irregular working hours, smoking contribute to lower productivity http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48094 Employers are being advised to manage work stress more effectively after a New Zealand study found irregular working hours, smoking and psychological distress contribute to lower productivity. OHS Alert 2012-05-22T11:00:57+10:00 Harassment-free workplaces retain older employees http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=48055 Employers that prevent "emotional exhaustion" and provide a harassment-free workplace are more likely to retain their staff until retirement age, a Dutch study has found. OHS Alert 2012-05-16T15:28:42+10:00 High-performing companies characterised by healthy workforce http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47808 Researchers have likened the development of a "culture of health" in the workplace to that of established safety cultures, and say employers can improve productivity and cut costs by making positive health options the "normative choice" for workers. OHS Alert 2012-04-12T13:27:13+10:00 Age-related safety training crucial, say researchers http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47734 Australian researchers have called for employers to train older staff in age-related risks, after an analysis of claims data found that workers aged between 45 and 55 - and not those under 25, as is often thought - are more likely to be injured. OHS Alert 2012-03-30T12:33:33+11:00 Widespread vitamin D deficiency linked to presenteeism http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47611 Australian and US researchers have found that vitamin D deficiency is common and adversely affects workplace productivity - but the problem is cheap to fix. OHS Alert 2012-03-14T14:11:29+11:00 Low workload triggers sick leave culture http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47558 Employees are more likely to take sick leave when they have a lower-than-usual workload, according to a Swedish study, which also suggests workplace culture and employee satisfaction contribute to the decision. OHS Alert 2012-03-07T11:55:50+11:00 Workplace fatigue policies must be reviewed, parents at risk of injury http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47368 When it comes to tackling fatigue, OHS professionals tend to focus on shift workers, but new Australian research shows that thousands of parents who work standard hours are frequently exhausted and vulnerable to injury. OHS Alert 2012-02-10T15:36:31+11:00 Restructuring takes toll on physical and emotional health http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47267 A protracted company restructure - such as downsizing - can leave surviving employees both emotionally depleted and in poorer health, according to a new Dutch study. OHS Alert 2012-01-30T12:45:37+11:00 Working overtime triples eye-injury risk, PPE crucial http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47234 Workers who perform overtime or are distracted, rushed or fatigued are significantly more likely to sustain eye injuries, according to a new study, which also found that PPE slashed the odds of such incidents occurring. OHS Alert 2012-01-23T14:07:22+11:00 Perceived pressure increases stroke risk for white-collar workers http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47147 In a study that could influence the types of employees targeted in wellbeing programs, Danish researchers have found that work pressure is more likely to be a predictor of stroke for men in white-collar occupations. OHS Alert 2011-12-16T15:42:36+11:00 Depressed workers' productivity can be improved at little cost http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=47067 Workers with depression and other mental illnesses cost employers billions of dollars a year in lost productivity, but measures that improve their performance cost virtually nothing, according to a Canadian study. OHS Alert 2011-12-07T11:27:00+11:00 Managing the managers key to reducing bullying and ill-treatment http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=46951 Bullying and ill-treatment by managers is rampant in the public sector and other industries, according to the authors of a British study, who have outlined four ways to eliminate the problem. OHS Alert 2011-11-23T14:22:49+11:00 Workers at risk of laser injuries not wearing PPE http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=46913 Health workers exposed to medical lasers are at risk of eye damage, burns and other injuries, and many aren't wearing PPE to prevent them, a US study has found. OHS Alert 2011-11-18T14:17:27+11:00 Taking "athletic" approach to RTW halves days lost http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=46839 An employer that uses "athletic trainers" in its return-to-work program has more than halved the average number of days it loses to workplace injuries. OHS Alert 2011-11-09T15:55:37+11:00 Mobile phone study rules out cancer link, but corporate users excluded http://www.ohsalert.com.au/nl06_news_selected.php?act=2&selkey=46753 A recently-published European study has found there is no significant link between long-term mobile phone use and brain cancer, but the study excluded data from hundreds of thousands of potentially heavy occupational users. OHS Alert 2011-10-28T14:19:19+11:00