Health and safety in the workplace has often been associated with parallel improvements in productivity. Less often have the improvements been supported by scientific study.

Manual handling can be a necessary part of getting a job done at many workplaces. Where manual handling involves moving people, repetitive actions, unstable loads and other factors, the work can become hazardous and it is the biggest cause of injury at many workplaces.

OHS (or WHS outside Victoria) is principally a state and territory responsibility. The Federal Government supports national organisations such as SafeWork Australia which is important for establishing national standards including the workplace exposure standards. The change of Federal government may influence the way in which some or all of these organisations operate and their funding.  

On the 6th June this year Safe Work Australia announced major amendments to the model Work Health and Safety Act and model Work Health and Safety Regulations. Whilst the amendments cover a range of issues, there are two key changes you should be aware of. They are in relation to managing psychosocial risk and a proposed prohibition on insurance for penalties. How will these, and the other changes, affect you?

New obligations were introduced in Victoria in November 2021 aimed at protecting workers from exposure to deadly Crystalline Silica dust. There was a phased approach to the introduction of the regulations to give you enough time to prepare for the changes to your duties and obligations. However, the 15 November 2022 deadline for the introduction of the remaining Victorian Crystalline Silica Regulations is fast approaching. What does this mean for you?

After an extreme weather event, it is difficult to know where to start the clean-up. The feeling of being overwhelmed can make it hard to digest conflicting information, much of which is incomplete and can leave you exposed to unforeseen risks.

People are vaxxed out after having several COVID vaccinations. The concern is that, combined with almost no flu last year, they will drag their feet about having a Flu Vaccination.

Following the significant rise in COVID cases as a result of the movement away from elimination strategies and the strain on PCR testing, we have seen a rise in interest in Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). But what role to RATs play in workplace COVID-19 risk management and what are the considerations for their use?

The relationship between ventilation and the airborne transmission of COVID has been in the news over the last few months. Is this something that you should be considering? The simple answer is a resounding YES! A research article titled ‘A guideline to limit indoor airborne transmission of COVID-19’ says: ‘Airborne transmission arises through the inhalation of aerosol droplets exhaled by an infected person and is now thought to be the primary transmission route of COVID-19.’