In a submission to the Productivity Commission that sends a strong message to employers, Australian National University researchers have highlighted the link between unpredictable working hours and occupational injuries, musculoskeletal disorders and poor health.
Coronial inquiries into the deaths of three Victorian workers, who were electrocuted after vehicles struck overhead powerlines, have found that at-risk workers are provided with little site-specific information about the hazard.
Three safety regulators have outlined how to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, choose the right respirator when working with harmful contaminants, and prevent Legionnaires' disease at work facilities.
Creating flexible safety cultures and complying with the due diligence requirements of the WHS Act hinge on "fanatic discipline", "empirical creativity" and "productive paranoia", according to Norton Rose Fulbright partner Michael Tooma.
Employers are being urged to apply higher-order hazard controls wherever practicable, after a new Safe Work Australia report found that more than three in five workers are regularly exposed to multiple hazards associated with occupational diseases.
An employer has reduced the number of its open workers' comp claims from more than 300 in NSW alone to 80 nationally in five years, after introducing an injury management system with "injury monitoring" and post-surgery return-to-work plans.
Employers can significantly reduce the risk of injury and legal exposure by providing flexibility and resistance training to workers who perform manual tasks, according to a workplace safety lawyer, who is also a certified personal trainer.
Fatigued workers are significantly more likely than their non-tired counterparts to experience difficulties with everyday activities like walking - making otherwise routine tasks hazardous, researchers have found.
