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Today marks the start of Safe Work Month – a time to increase focus on improving work health and safety in all workplaces.
With more than 3.2 million workers in NSW, Safe Work Month provides an opportunity to highlight work health and safety and encourage discussion about safety in every workplace.  About National Safe Work Month
Safe Work Australia is the national policy agency responsible for WHS and workers’ compensation arrangements in Australia. Since 2009, we have run a national campaign each October to raise awareness of WHS and provide resources for Australian workplaces to run their own events. Individuals, their families and the broader community are all impacted by work-related injury and illness. Last year in Australia, Safe Work Australia preliminary data shows that around 180 people died while doing their job. Around 107,000 people made a workers’ compensation claim for serious injury or illness in 2017-18. Authorities want to help with changes to the workplace exposure standard for silica dust.
The workplace exposure standard (WES) for respirable crystalline silica (silica dust) has recently halved.  A CONVERSATION CAN CHANGE A LIFE R U OK? inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with the people around them and start a conversation with anyone who may be struggling with life. You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a good friend and a great listener. Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life:  Source: www.ruok.org.au/
The NSW Resources Regulator has released the Quarterly Safety Report for April to June 2020, to help the industry improve safety management systems and undertake risk assessments at their sites. The report details incidents and trends relating to hazard management, alongside sector-specific information.
A new strategy by WorkSafe Victoria aims to improve health and safety outcomes for healthcare and social assistance workers, a sector that accounts for almost 15% of the state’s workforce, with most of those workers in frontline roles. The industry also attracted the most claims for workplace injuries in 2018 and 2019, and has recorded six workplace fatalities in the past six years.
Under new regulations issued by WorkSafe Victoria under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers are now required to notify WorkSafe immediately when they become aware that a worker has received a confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnosis. The regulations will help reduce the risks to health and safety in the workplace arising from COVID-19. Timely notification of potential workplace transmission of COVID-19 is critical to manage the related health and safety risks, and the prompt investigation of potential breaches of employer duties.
Today, the Workers Compensation Amendment (Consequential COVID-19 Matters) Regulation 2020 commenced to support recent legislation that introduced a presumption for some COVID-19 affected workers.
The presumption means that workers in prescribed employment who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are automatically presumed to have contracted the disease in the course of their employment. These workers have a presumptive right to workers compensation. US research published in 2020 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has found that several behaviours that contribute to higher health risks — such as smoking and binge drinking — are more prevalent among construction workers than workers in other industries.
Construction work can be physically demanding, with workers exposed to many chemical and physical workplace hazards, such as falls, which account for about one-third of the total number of fatalities in this industry. Previous studies suggested that construction workers who exhibit certain health risk behaviours may be more likely to experience work-related injuries. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers investigated how common health risk behaviours are among this workforce. |
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