Middle managers must be encouraged to appear approachable and take an interest in workers' non-work-related difficulties, to foster supportive environments and reduce psychosocial risks, a new EU-OSHA campaign brief says.
A law firm is urging employers to ensure their treatment of alleged bullies is "consistent throughout the workplace", after BHP Coal was fined $60,000 for taking adverse action against two union delegates.
Workers exposed to mica dust - which is used in a number of industries and as an asbestos substitute - can develop the deadly lung disease pneumoconiosis without being co-exposed to other industrial substances, a French study has found.
The number of infringement notices issued by OHS regulators dropped by 37 per cent in the 12 months to June 2012, while the number of prohibition and improvement notices also decreased, a new Safe Work Australia statistics report has shown.
Exposure to carcinogens during work isn't limited to occupations traditionally associated with hazardous substances, such as mining, according to a Western Australian study, which found white-collar workers are also at risk.
An investigation into a trainee worker's death will consider whether vehicle collision-prevention controls used at mines rely too heavily on "human behaviour", according to a NSW Mine Safety report.
Anti-bullying applications slow so far; SWA releases new Codes, guides and "body sizing" report; Comcare prosecuting employer over road death; and Fatality report and safety alerts issued.
Employers should tackle "workaholism" - which can affect a worker's wellbeing and lead to high absence rates - using primary, secondary and tertiary-level interventions, Italian researchers say.
The Fair Work Commission is seeking feedback on a draft stop-bullying form, which allows alleged victims of workplace bullying to specify what they think needs to be done to prevent the problem. Also in this article, a survey has found that half of the labour-hire workforce has witnessed colleagues being bullied.
Lost-time injury rates provide little indication of the cost or severity of injuries, and are often manipulated, according to a new Safe Work Australia report, aimed at developing more relevant lead and lag indicators.
