Australia is unlikely to harmonise presumptive laws for first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder and other injuries, but the Federal Government has provided in-principle support for a coordinated national approach to the issue, and could make presumptive provisions under the Comcare scheme.
Biased beliefs of what types of trauma cause "legitimate" suffering is blocking public safety workers like first responders from seeking help for mental health problems, researchers have found.
The coronial inquest into the Dreamworld disaster, which killed four patrons, has provided an enlightening albeit disturbing guide on how not to run a workplace safety department, with the theme park's numerous failings including its reliance on "frighteningly unsophisticated" safety systems and unqualified staff, and the absence of holistic risk assessments across 30 years.
In a brace of tragic coincidences this week, the death of two train workers in a derailment came just a day after a regulator released its findings on the death of a rail worker distracted by his mobile phone, while a worker was killed in a shipping container incident after an employer was fined heavily over a similar fatality.
Buddying up or forming groups can encourage sedentary workers to take regular activity breaks, improving their health and overcoming the perception that such breaks aren't acceptable, New Zealand researchers have found.
Occupational medicine experts have made a case for better management of electrical injuries in the workplace, after finding cognitive and psychological problems are prevalent in workers who have received electric shocks.
Employers can prevent the "drift" into complacency and safety failures, which often follows a period of success, by applying the principles of "high reliability organisational theory" and seeking out "near-miss signals", according to one of three major reports on fatalities and safety laws in Queensland. It also recommends an alternative metric to the notoriously misleading LTIFR.
Advances in light technology mean inexpensive ceiling lights can slow the decline of alertness and mental performance during night work, potentially reducing the risk of accidents and injuries, European researchers say.
WHS regulators are increasingly turning to infringement notices to tackle safety breaches, while the number of prosecutions has surged in one jurisdiction following a controversial lull, according to one of four new comparison reports from Safe Work Australia. The agency has also outlined PCBUs' duties involving air pollution.
