Safe Work Australia members have agreed to start transitioning to a new chemical safety system within six months, while SWA has released a practical guide to managing ultraviolet radiation risks and a 60-page workers' comp report, and a WHS regulator has outlined safety duties relating to poor air quality.
A company and its director have been fined a total of $175,000 for dangerous goods offences uncovered by police investigating a burglary. Meanwhile, the ACTU has issued heat and smoke alerts and called for WHS laws that "deal with the reality of climate change".
Exposure to certain occupational fumes can double the risk of workers contracting invasive pneumonia-causing infections, and affected workers should be offered vaccines, researchers say.
A leading workplace heat stress consultant has warned of the effects of "heat hangover", which causes workers in warm workplaces to experience the same symptoms they would after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, and could account for the spike in incidents during hotter months.
In light of the ongoing catastrophic bushfires in NSW and other parts of the country, a WHS regulator has urged employers to revise their emergency plans to ensure they comply with safety laws and protect workers. Meanwhile, a company director has been prosecuted after two workers were seriously injured within two hours on a non-commissioned machine.
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A leading safety lawyer has warned that the fourth industrial revolution is shifting rather than eliminating WHS risks, and called for international regulations to prevent the emergence of "safety havens", where organisations can make unsafe decisions affecting other jurisdictions without fear of prosecution.
Easy accommodations can be made to ensure pregnant women continue to work safely in most workplaces, according to a leading occupational physician who says being pregnancy-friendly benefits organisations' health and safety in general.
A leading workplace safety expert has called for psychosocial safety climate (PSC) to be adopted as a company KPI for ethical management, because of its effectiveness in preventing worker mental ill-health and absenteeism.
