Browsing: Emerging risks | Page 12

A detailed new study of working conditions and pregnancy has shown that 50 per cent of participants undertook potentially hazardous tasks at work during the course of their pregnancy, while few employers provided such workers with information on WHS adjustments.

A meta-analysis has identified a significant association between shift work and a decrease in neurobehavioural performance, highlighting the need for workplace health and safety policies to focus on protective countermeasures like recovery plans.

• Workplace flu jabs advised ahead of "horror" season; and
  
• Female-specific cancers added to presumptive workers' comp laws.

PCBUs have been reminded of their duty to ensure the safety of all types of workers who might interact with equipment, after a business was fined heavily over an employee's serious thumb injury. Employers have also been urged to tackle the increasing risk of mould exposure.

A large new study of the link between job type and the fatal neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), indicates that exposure to metals in occupations such as welding is a risk factor for developing the disease.

A new New Zealand study of workers who load and unload containers has found an increase in a range of neuropsychological conditions among long-term personnel.

Personal protective equipment poses "hidden" psychological risks for workers, and the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an invaluable opportunity to properly examine these hazards, Australian researchers say.

PCBUs currently grappling with their WHS duties around COVID-19 vaccinations could have another vaccine to assess, with Safe Work Australia recommending a vaccination regime for workers at risk of contracting Japanese encephalitis virus.

With hand washing still considered a key measure to stop the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces, a timely study has highlighted the importance of skin surveillance, using hand cream and having access to good quality hand care products at work.

Increasingly autonomous and intelligent automated systems are placing new demands on WHS processes, and workers need to be able to control the technical systems they are operating and understand AI decision-making processes, the president of the International Social Security Association has said ahead of APOSHO 36.