​SafeWork SA is undertaking a compliance and safety awareness campaign, focusing on reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and related traumatic joint, muscle and tendon injuries in the manufacturing sector. 

Monday, 03 February, 2020
A truck driver has died after being run over in an industrial yard at Delacombe in Ballarat, Victoria. WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the incident, which involved a truck and trailer at the depot.
The 61-year-old died while being transported to hospital; this brings the number of workplace deaths this year to five, which is two more than were recorded this time last year.

For those thinking that they might get some much-needed respite at work from domestic hostilities it may not be the cure-all they were seeking. Statistics cited by Beyond Blue suggest one-in-five Australians have taken time off work in the last year due to stress, anxiety, depression or mental ill-health. An even greater number (26 per cent) are estimated to have experienced an anxiety disorder.
Typically, mental health issues in the workplace are approached from the economic point of view, that left unmanaged they represent a serious inefficiency in terms of lost productivity and absenteeism.

Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis, an air quality and health expert from the Australian National University’s Research School of Population Health, has developed freely accessible fact sheets on how to best protect yourself from bushfire smoke. The fact sheets were developed because Professor Vardoulakis believed people needed more comprehensive and balanced health protection advice, as Australians deal with unprecedented levels of bushfire smoke.

​In December a worker was fatally injured after falling from height at a Port Adelaide worksite. The 51-year-old died after falling 6.5 metres while working without fall prevention in place on a commercial business shed roof.
​More recently, SafeWork South Australia (SafeWork SA) inspectors attended an incident involving a contractor who sustained serious injuries following a fall of more than 4 metres through asbestos guttering. These incidents have prompted the regulator to issue a warning to South Australian businesses about fall risks for those working on fragile roofing, and a reminder to employers about work health and safety obligations when engaging contractors.

As bushfire smoke contrinues to impact air quality across Victoria, people are urged to remain vigilant when working outdoors.
 
Please read our advice on the health risks of outdoor work in areas impacted by bushfire smoke.
 
For more assistance, please call our Advisory line on 1800 136 089, or visit worksafe.vic.gov.au/bushfires
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​Cardboard box manufacturer Lakeside Packaging has been convicted and fined $55,000 after pleading guilty in the Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court to one charge of failing to ensure persons other than employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.

The revised Workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants (WESFAC) have made a class exemption that exempts mines and petroleum sites from complying with the new respirable crystalline silica exposure standard of 0.05 mg/m3. WESFAC has been republished by Safe Work Australia, and applies in New South Wales (NSW) under clause 5 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.
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Consider different ways of working

• Reschedule work so the hot tasks are performed during the cooler part of the day.
• Reduce the time spent doing hot tasks.
• Arrange for more workers to do the job.
• Provide extra rest breaks in a cool area
  

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Check in with employees

• Make sure workers have access to cool water and stay hydrated.
• Monitor the temperature. While there's no maximum temperature set under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 or the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, for a worker to stop working - some workplaces may have their own policy around this. Check what your policy is.
• Regularly check if workers are showing signs and symptoms of heat illness (see signs and symptoms).

Consider transport options
Public transport could be affected by the weather so look at different options for getting to and from work.
If possible, work at a different location that is out of the heat.

Cover up & drink water
Wear hats and light clothing that still provide sun protection.

• Have cool drinking water close to where you are working.
• Drink water, even if you aren't thirsty - every 15 minutes.

Source:  worksafe.vic.gov.au.