JTA has seen an increased focus from regulators, government agencies and proactive organisations in seeking out a holistic approach to worker health management. Organisations looking to conform or align to AS/NZS ISO 450001 can incorporate a Health and Hygiene Management Plan into their management system.

The importation of asbestos is again finding its way into the news. In March, Border Force tested four shipments of imported products and all four were found to contain asbestos, whilst in September asbestos was found in building materials imported from China. This appears to be a continuing issue and one that puts Australian workers at risk from uncontrolled exposure to working with asbestos containing materials.

There is growing scientific acceptance by the WHO and others that COVID-19 transmission is much more airborne than previously thought.  Ventilation systems are key to the prevention of transmission of pollutants and recent research indicates that COVID-19, transmitted in aerosols from infected persons, is susceptible to control by ventilation.

Your innocuous looking backyard veggie patch could actually be the source of toxic lead poisoning according to an extensive study led by Professor Mark Taylor at Macquarie University and published in the journal Environment International.

The global reclassification of welding fume as “carcinogenic to humans” in 2017 confirmed what many had suspected for a long time and led to SafeWork Australia publishing a new Code of Practice on Welding Processes.

EHS Today is an American magazine that informs safety professionals on trends, management strategies, regulatory updates and daily news to help them provide safe and healthy work sites. Just over 700 safety professionals recently participated in an editorial survey. Managers and leaders provided insight into how companies are managing the evolving business environment and what they think workplace safety will look like in a post pandemic world.

The hotel quarantine inquiry with its extraordinary, unprecedented political and legal implications has more mundane yet equally important lessons for those of us in the prevention game. Here we look at both, making a big effort to dip into the political/legal blame game while avoiding the gravitational pull of the black hole this looks like morphing into.

Mental health conditions are common among the working-age Australian population and represent a significant cost both to organisations and to individuals. According to an ABS study around 45% of Australians between the ages of 16 and 85 experience a mental health condition at some point in their lifetime.  In a given 12-month period, 20 per cent of Australians will have experienced a mental health condition. Mental health conditions are seen in all industries in Australia

Cleaning is an essential part of disinfection because dirt and grime can inactivate many disinfectants. Cleaning reduces the amount of dirt and so allows the disinfectant to work. Removal of germs such as the virus that causes COVID-19 requires thorough cleaning followed by disinfection.

A Swinburne University survey conducted in May this year shows that three out of four managers believe their staff will do more remote work after the pandemic than before it.  A hybrid model of office and remote work will mean that you’ll need to have in place an effective ‘working from home’ strategy and the associated policies and procedures.