Worker Exposure To Bushfire Smoke

Organisations have a duty to ensure they provide a safe workplace, so far as reasonably practicable and this duty extends to managing exposure to bushfire smoke.

Workers with greater sensitivity, such as those with asthma, cardiac or pulmonary conditions or those conducting strenuous or prolonged work outside are at greatest risk, especially in hazardous levels.

WorkSafe Victoria has released guidance on bushfire smoke which outlines the general approach organisations should take to managing their workers exposure to bushfire smoke. You can read this here.

A recent article published in The Conversation provides further details of organisational legal requirements.

In general, organisations should implement a system which takes a risk based approach to managing worker exposure to bushfire smoke, as far as reasonably practicable. The approach should be based on the hierarchy of control which places the use of P2 respirators at the bottom of the hierarchy. 

Organisational approaches should include:

• Identifying and consulting with sensitive workers to ensure their specific health management needs are met
• Monitoring the forecast and actual air quality and then using this information to schedule the type and nature of outdoor work and limit the potential for outside air to impact inside workers (by adjusting air conditioning and closing doors where practicable).
• Providing information and instruction to workers on the health hazards associated with exposure to bushfire smoke. 

Where workers are likely to enter fire affected areas (or areas which could become fire affected), there are also a range of additional hazards which need to be managed by organisations, including:

• Monitoring fire danger forecasts and emergency warnings to limit the potential for workers to be in areas which may become fire affected
• Providing information, instruction and safe systems of work around fire affected areas for the management of hazards associated with asbestos, damaged structures, hazardous trees, copper chrome arsenic treated timbers, psychological hazards and landslides / rock falls

We have an onsite NATA accredited lab for Asbestos Air Monitoring – learn more