WorkSafe, Emergency Management Victoria and Victoria Police have made it clear that they will crack down hard on businesses flouting the new mask rules. The latest figures show that about 80 per cent of Victoria’s COVID cases since May were the result of workplace transmission, including private-sector aged care. A new Victorian directive, from midnight on Wednesday 22 July, means that people in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will have to wear a mask. Regardless of whether your staff are able to be socially distant from each other, they will need to wear a mask at work if there is more than one person on site. An inspection and enforcement blitz will be carried out in workplaces across the state.

COVID-19 has changed our lives and the way we conduct our businesses. To help you adapt to the new norm we are launching our COVID-19 SERIES of live webinars. Each webinar will address a key area across our portfolio of health, safety and noise. Our first webinar looks at How COVID-19 is affecting what we’re hearing.

Facemasks: to wear or not to wear, what type, what are their capabilities – here are some facts for you. Firstly, there is great sense in the official policy (as per the ABC Website) that “face masks are not recommended for healthy individuals, but essential for health workers and sick people”.

WorkSafe inspectors in Victoria are checking construction sites to make sure fall risks are being controlled including if scaffolds are safe and fit for purpose. Construction is a known high fall risk sector accounting for 37% of falls-related fatalities however all workplaces where falls are a risk need to consider their controls. Sadly, according to Safe Work Australia, more than one in 10 work-related fatalities are caused by a fall from height and, as recently as the 3rd February this year, a serious accident involving scaffolding was in the news. 

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.

Exposure to noise in the workplace can induce hearing loss, which may lead to communication difficulties, social isolation, and reduced quality of life. COVID or no COVID, you are still required to provide a safe work place in terms of noise and Worksafe still expect compliance with relevant legislation and regulations as normal. In fact, WorkSafe is still visiting sites and issuing fines so you have no room for complacency. Whilst you are still required to comply with legislation and regulations, social distancing has changed the way that both Occupational and Environmental Noise Assessments have to be conducted.

There’s a lot of misinformation doing the rounds about what we should and shouldn’t do during the COVID-19 crisis. No wonder we’re all uncertain about how to keep ourselves, our families and our employees safe. Each day presents new challenges.

At JTA we value the safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers and suppliers. Currently we are actively monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and we are implementing our business contingency plans to keep our employees and clients safe.

We’ve compiled a list of links that is useful for businesses in fire affected areas to help manage the risks to people and property. Please let us know if there are any other links you think we should add.

Jeremy Trotman, JTA founder and principal Occupational Hygienist, recently collaborated with two other Australian Occupational Hygienists to run a full day Noise workshop at the 4th Indonesian Industrial Hygiene Association Conference (IIHA) in Bali on 9-11th September. Our Indonesian colleagues are facing major challenges in improving worker health and Jeremy said “It was most rewarding to be able to assist them a little bit with assessing and controlling noise, which remains one of the greatest causes of industrial injury here in Australia and no doubt other countries as well.”