Safety Blog

As part of the OHS Regulations you have a duty of care to ensure that your employees aren’t exposed to noise which is harmful to their health and safety. In order to comply with the regulations you must identify, assess and control the noise risk to your employees and others

You might be surprised to hear that, in safety circles, silica is now often referred to as "the new asbestos."  It poses a significant health hazard and could rival the impact of asbestos in the years to come.  Unfortunately the spike in new cases of silica related illnesses is due to a lack of understanding and poor workplace controls. Silica is far more widespread than most people realise and could be a serious health hazard at your workplace.

The recent, huge West Footscray fire in Victoria triggered a “WorkSafe and EPA blitz” in the area of the blaze. To date, WorkSafe report they have visited 78 sites and have issued 68 Improvement Notices in relation to the handling and storage of dangerous goods. However, the blitz continues and the number of Notices will rise. This raises a question for all of you – are you absolutely sure that potentially dangerous chemicals are being stored correctly at your premises?  The storage and handling of Dangerous Goods can be complex and have significant implications for your organization if controls are inadequate. JTA can provide expert advice.

On 1 October 2018, significant changes were made to the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws. They will have an impact on many industries and on many businesses. If you’re in the heavy vehicle transport ‘supply chain’ you will have a duty of care to proactively identify hazards and work to remove or minimise risks. Whether you’re involved in maintenance, construction, transportation or management you will be affected.

Both the Victorian and NSW Labour parties have committed to legislate for a new criminal offence of Workplace Manslaughter if elected. This follows the lead of the ACT, Queensland and the UK who all have Industrial Manslaughter Laws in place already. The legislation will be designed to severely punish companies and employers with higher fines and significant jail time.

755 chemicals were added to Australia's Hazardous Chemical Information System (HCIS) in May this year.  Another 672 substances had their classifications amended. The HCIS provides information on chemicals that have been classified in accordance with Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals for manufacturers, importers, suppliers and end users.

One in five Australian workers is currently experiencing a mental illness1. This means that the impact of mental illness in the workplace is going to be significant in terms of lost productivity, turnover of staff, absenteeism and the impact on other workers. Sane Australia conducted research which showed that 95% of respondents believed that employers and managers need more education and training about how to manage the effects of mental illness in the workplace. This makes it easy to understand why Safe Work Australia released a National Guidance on Work-related Psychological Health and Safety on the 14th June this year.

Due to widespread historic use, asbestos roofing is now a major problem in some commercial buildings. Exposure to the elements over the years means it is more likely to have deteriorated than asbestos used elsewhere. The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency has just released a new report that looks at current ways of containing and stabilising asbestos, particularly in roofing. The idea is to make the asbestos safer to remain in place or to help make it safer whilst it’s removed.

Whilst not compulsory, if you’re serious about a safe workplace and managing health and safety risks in a proactive manner, then the new ISO 45001 Standard released in March this year is well worth considering. It’s expected to become the primary reference for Health and Safety Management Systems worldwide. Attaining certification will demonstrate your company’s commitment to providing a healthy and safe workplace. It will also ensure that your company’s undertakings don’t negatively impact on other employees, worksites, the general public or visitors.

This is a summary of the five new Compliance Codes developed by WorkSafe Victoria and released in March 2018. It highlights the changes from previous compliance codes. Basically, with the exception of Hazardous Manual Handling, it seems to be “steady as she goes” with minor revisions and the continued support of audiometric testing and the use of personal noise dosimeters or personal noise exposure meters for noise exposure assessments. WorkSafe says that the new compliance codes have been updated to reflect the OHS Regulations 2017 and Equipment (Public Safety) Regulations 2017 as well as modern work practices.