Ambulance officers and paramedics are more likely than most other workers to suffer mental and musculoskeletal injuries, and their workers' comp claim rates are increasing, Australian researchers have found.
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.
Employers can tackle presenteeism through programs that encourage workers to be more physically active, sit less and sleep between seven and eight hours a night, according to Australian researchers, who warn that most workplace programs exclude the key issue of sleep hygiene.
The workers' compensation schemes in five jurisdictions will be amended, and employer premiums increased, under one of the Federal Government's preferred options for ensuring catastrophically injured workers are supported for life.
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.
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.
A major UK study has identified a link between "fit notes" - which are being introduced in some areas of Australia - and a "downward trend" in long-term sick leave taken by workers.
