Employers will be required to prepare a "silica hazard control statement" and obtain a special licence under proposed Victorian regulations affecting four sectors and 24 sub-industries. Meanwhile, tighter workplace exposure thresholds, including for diesel emissions, take effect in NSW next week.
A timely study, given the need to deep clean workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, has re-emphasised the strong link between occupational disinfectant use and developing asthma. Meanwhile, researchers have warned of overlooked risks faced by workers handling fruit and vegetables.
> COVID-19 vaccine advice for workplaces coming soon; > Two individuals and one PCBU charged over teenagers' deaths; and > Air-conditioning gas explodes in work vehicle.
A national industry body has vowed to improve safety and eliminate workplace s-xual harassment in the Australian mining sector, including through an industry code against the "illegal behaviour".
A worker has been permitted to pursue a claim that her employer unfairly dismissed her by placing her on indefinite unpaid leave for declining to receive a flu vaccination, which the employer mandated for the COVID-19 pandemic.
High-grip non-slip shoes can reduce the rate of slips by workers by about 40 per cent, making their use an effective injury prevention strategy where eliminating slip risks is not practicable, researchers from the UK's work safety regulator and other bodies have found.
> Tougher worker health surveillance rules applied in WA; > International Standard for work-related safety signs released; and > Female injury rate and pandemic show need for WHS change: ACTU.
Wearing face masks is a critical safety measure for protecting workers from COVID-19, but some are causing wearers a "new subtype of headache", according to Spanish researchers.
