SafetyNet Journal

REMINDER: HEALTH AND SAFETY MONTH OCTOBER 2024

Posted on 18 September 2024

WorkSafe Victoria says that Health and Safety Month is “packed with face-to-face and online opportunities to connect, learn and share”. In addition to events in...

AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE IN INFANCY MAY LIMIT ECONOMIC MOBILITY

Posted on 18 September 2024

Higher exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) during infancy has been associated with lower economic earnings in adulthood in a new study from Harvard...

HIGHER RISK OF INJURIES AMONG WORKERS IN PRECARIOUS JOBS

Posted on 18 September 2024

In what comes as no surprise to unionists and HSRs, two recent Canadian studies have found that workers in jobs where precarious employment conditions are...

TOO HOT TO THINK STRAIGHT? TEMPERATURE’S TOLL ON DECISION-MAKING

Posted on 18 September 2024

With increasing heat waves, in Australia, Europe and the rest of the world, a new study from Monash Business School’s Centre for Health Economics reveals...

FINGER AMPUTATED, $65,000 IN FINES

Posted on 18 September 2024

An insulated panel manufacturer and labour hire firm have been fined a combined $65,000 after part of a worker's finger was amputated at a Dandenong...

NZ: CHILD KILLED IN QUAD BIKE ROLLOVER

Posted on 18 September 2024

A child was killed after a quad bike rolled on a Waikato, NZ farm. Emergency services were called to the Kaihere farm in the Hauraki...

GLOBAL COALITION TAKES AIM AT AMAZON’S EXCESSIVE SURVEILLANCE OF WORKERS

Posted on 18 September 2024

UNI Global Union is teaming up with the International Lawyers Assisting Workers Network (ILAW Network) to form a new Working Group on Surveillance and Freedom...

ASK RENATA: HOW MANY HSRs?

Posted on 18 September 2024

Dear Renata My workplace has over 50 employees, but more than this, our workplace is a complex site, with many members of the public there...

UNIONS COMMEMORATE ANIVERSARY OF WINNING THE WEEKEND

Posted on 18 September 2024

Just before we learned that the Coalition, should it win the next election, will wind back workers’ rights, the union movement celebrated the 77th anniversary...

ANOTHER WORKER KILLED

Posted on 18 September 2024

It is with great sadness that we report that a worker was killed last Thursday 12 September when he was struck by a falling metal...

VICTORIA: COMPANY CONVICTED, FINED AFTER CONTRACTOR FALLS 10M

Posted on 18 September 2024

Sams Solar Pty Ltd was contracted to provide a small-scale generation solar photovoltaic unit and the removal of asbestos, and roof installation of new roof...

COALITION WILL SCRAP HARD-WON RIGHTS

Posted on 18 September 2024

Less than a month ago we reported on the new laws which empower workers to refuse unreasonable out-of-hours work contact: the so-called "Right to Disconnect”...

NRSPP: THE RISK OF SUN GLARE

Posted on 11 September 2024

The National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) has released resources on Sun Glare: a Toolbox Talk and a quick ‘fact sheet’ particularly for light vehicle...

DEFENCE AND VETERAN SUICIDE ROYAL COMMISSION

Posted on 11 September 2024

The 3,000+ page report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was presented to Governor-General Sam Mostyn this week. It was also tabled...

WORKER LAWFULLY DISMISSED FOR MEDICINAL CANNABIS USE

Posted on 11 September 2024

Last week we told you that a recent Victorian report into workplace drug testing has found that employees prescribed medicinal cannabis have routinely lost their...

SWA: PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS IN RETAIL

Posted on 11 September 2024

Safe Work Australia has published the first in a series of case studies focused on managing psychosocial hazards in various industries. This first case study...

SWA: RISKS OF ROOFTOP SOLAR INSTALLATION

Posted on 11 September 2024

Safe Work Australia says there are serious work health and safety risks associated with rooftop solar installation work, including working at heights, falling objects, heat...

ALERT: MANAGING PLANT RISKS IN MINES

Posted on 11 September 2024

In a second Alert this week, WorkSafe reminds mine operators about managing the risks associated with working in and around plant on uneven, undulating terrain....

VIC: GIANT SWING SAFETY ALERT

Posted on 11 September 2024

WorkSafe has issued a safety alert reminding employers about controlling risks associated with platform ladders while operating bottom mount giant swings. The alert comes following...

GREENING OFFICE SPACE CAN IMPROVE HEALTH

Posted on 11 September 2024

It is pleasant to have plants around the workplace – but can they really improve our health? Recent Japanese research suggests it can, and the...

UK: NATIONAL GRID FINED £3.2M AFTER PYLON WORKER SERIOUSLY BURNED

Posted on 11 September 2024

The UK’S National Grid has been fined more than £3million (almost A$6.3m) after its failures left a father-of-two with life-changing injuries from working on a...

ITUC: GLOBAL RIGHTS INDEX

Posted on 11 September 2024

Now in its 11th year, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index offers an important status report on the worldwide struggle to defend...

ITALY: PUBLIC TRANSPORT STRIKE

Posted on 11 September 2024

On Monday this week the five major Italian labor confederations Cgil, Cisl, Uil, Ugl, and Faisa Cisal called for a national 8-hour transport strike. The issues...

ASK RENATA: COMMITTEE

Posted on 11 September 2024

Dear Renata At my workplace we are due for our quarterly Health and Safety Committee (HSC) meeting. We have 12 DWGs with one HSR for...

WORKPLACE SURVEILLANCE – IT’S A BRAVE NEW WORLD

Posted on 11 September 2024

The week, the VTHC’s Acting Secretary, Wil Stracke, gave an interview on the ABC about surveillance in the workplace, the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into workplace...

NSW ESTABLISHES RESPECT AT WORK TASKFORCE

Posted on 4 September 2024

SafeWork NSW is the first Australian WHS regulator to set up a dedicated team – the Respect at Work Taskforce – focused on preventing harmful...

WORKPLACE DRUG TESTING IN VICTORIA

Posted on 4 September 2024

A new Victorian report into workplace drug testing has found that employees prescribed medicinal cannabis have routinely lost their job or faced disciplinary action simply...

SWA STRONGER REGS FOR SILICA 1 SEPTEMBER

Posted on 4 September 2024

Safe Work Australia has published amendments to the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) regulations which, as of 1 September 2024, will strengthen protections for...

VIC: REMINDER METAL CASTING CODE PUBLIC COMMENT

Posted on 4 September 2024

Last reminder for anyone in the metal casting industry: the Metal casting compliance code is now available for public review and comment until close of...

HEALTH AND SAFETY MONTH OCTOBER 2024

Posted on 4 September 2024

WorkSafe's Health and Safety Month is packed with face-to-face and online opportunities to connect, learn and share.

NETHERLANDS: PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS LEADING CAUSE OF OCC DISEASE

Posted on 4 September 2024

The most common cause of occupational diseases in the Netherlands in 2023 were work-related psychosocial factors, according to the 'Occupational Diseases in Focus' report by...

EXPERIENCES OF LGBT+ WORKERS

Posted on 4 September 2024

Research from the UK’s peak union body, the TUC provides a powerful and important insight into the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans plus...

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND AGGRESSION AUSTRALIA

Posted on 4 September 2024

The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Personal Safety Survey estimated that Australian workers collectively have experienced more than 1 million incidents of...

WA: COMPANY FINED JUST $18K AFTER CHILD KILLED

Posted on 4 September 2024

In a tragic incident, a 12-year-old boy entered a construction site and was killed. He was one of a group of children who entered the...

VIC: $350K FINE AFTER DRIVER’S FATAL FALL

Posted on 4 September 2024

A Gippsland grain transport company has been convicted and fined $350,000 after a truck driver was killed when he fell almost four metres from the...

ASK RENATA

Posted on 4 September 2024

How many first aiders are required in the workplace, how often do they have to be trained/retrained? Does there need to be one on...

GREECE: WORKERS DEMAND PROTECTION FROM HEAT WAVES

Posted on 4 September 2024

Greece is once again grappling with a relentless series of heat waves. Athens, the capital, is becoming an urban furnace. The concrete and marble streets...

ALSO: WORKING PAPER ON AI

Posted on 4 September 2024

Also from the ETUI, a Working paper: Artificial intelligence in Industry 4.0. Artificial intelligence (AI) has long been hailed as a transformative force set to...

EU: TOOLS ON AI’S IMPACT IN THE WORKPLACE

Posted on 4 September 2024

The European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) Education and the Foresight unit has developed training tools for workers on AI’s impact in the workplace. The ETUI...

QLD: ‘BELL RINGING’ FEMALE FIREFIGHTING RECRUITS

Posted on 4 September 2024

An ABC investigation has revealed that the Queensland Fire Department (QFD) failed to formally discipline men who rang a bell when “attractive’ female recruits walked...

MASSIVE GARAGE SALE SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER

Posted on 4 September 2024

If you’re anywhere around Carlton on Saturday morning and looking for a bargain, you’re in luck! The Hall is clearing out second hand and surplus...

SOUTHERN CROSS STATION POLLUTION WORRY

Posted on 4 September 2024

The level of diesel fume pollution at Southern Cross Station has been a matter of concern for many years. Last week the issue was back...

HELP US PUBLICISE VTHC OHS BASICS MONTH

Posted on 4 September 2024

Whilst readers of Safety Net are all quite OHS literate, we all know friends and family who have questions about safety in their workplaces. To...

FEMINISM AT THE HALL

Posted on 28 August 2024

Last chance to register for How to Be a Woman Online with Nina Jankowicz Misogynistic harassment is a feature for working women in online spaces...

INDIA: AT LEAST 18 KILLED IN BLAST

Posted on 28 August 2024

A big explosion last week triggered a fire at a pharmaceutical plant in southern India, killing at least 18 workers. The death toll rose from...

NEW GUIDELINE: RACE DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE

Posted on 28 August 2024

The Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission last week issued a new and very detailed guideline: Race discrimination in the Workplace. The guideline provides information on rights...

WIND WARNING FOR WORKSITES

Posted on 28 August 2024

WorkSafe Victoria this week urged employers to secure worksites and re-consider outdoor work, in preparation for the strong winds expected in the state. Such conditions...

REMINDER METAL CASTING CODE PUBLIC COMMENT

Posted on 28 August 2024

For those in the industry, a reminder that the Metal casting compliance code is now available for public review and comment until close of business...

VWA Safety Soapbox

Posted on 28 August 2024

The August edition of WorkSafe’s Construction division e-newsletter Safety Soapbox went out last week. During July, 192 incidents were reported to WorkSafe, and 395 workers’...

HEALTH WORKER PSYCH INJURIES DOUBLE

Posted on 28 August 2024

An analysis of psychological injury workers’ compensation claims in NSW between 2012 and 2021, undertaken by researchers from Monash University's School of Public Health and...

COMPANIES CHARGED AFTER DEPOT DEATH

Posted on 28 August 2024

WorkSafe Victoria has charged two related construction companies after the death of a worker following an incident at a Bangholme depot in September 2022.

ASK RENATA

Posted on 28 August 2024

Dear Renata Can a manager appoint himself HSR with no consultation with the DWG? Is this in breach of the OHS Act. When I spoke to...

NEW LAWS FOR AUSTRALIA’S PARLIAMENTARIANS

Posted on 28 August 2024

In laws tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament last week, politicians could be fined for misbehaving, for example sexually harassing, assaulting, or bullying staff. Under the...

AND MORE LAWS GIVE WORKERS MORE RIGHTS

Posted on 28 August 2024

Other laws came into effect on 26 August which deliver rights to workers. These have OHS implications. The main areas are: Job security for casual...

UNIONS WELCOME RIGHT TO DISCONNECT

Posted on 28 August 2024

Unions have welcomed the new right-to-disconnect laws, which came into effect on 26 August which empower workers to refuse unreasonable out-of-hours work contact. This will...

TWU APPLICATIONS SEEK TO RESDESIGN DEADLY INDUSTRY

Posted on 28 August 2024

With the Closing Loopholes legislation taking effect on Monday this week (see next item) the TWU has made applications to the Fair Work Commission for...

ANOTHER DELIVERY WORKER KILLED

Posted on 28 August 2024

It is with great sadness that we note that a 27-year-old food delivery cyclist was struck and killed last Tuesday evening in a Port Melbourne...

FEMINISM AT THE HALL

Posted on 21 August 2024

How to Be a Woman Online with Nina Jankowicz – 30 August Misogynistic harassment is a feature for working women in online spaces from politics,...

MSD AND MENTAL HEALTH POSTER

Posted on 21 August 2024

Negative workplace psychosocial factors - for example, low job control, unclear expectations or lacking co-worker/supervisor support -can result in negative mental health outcomes and increase...

MORE COUNTRIES AFFIRM SUPPORT TO END GENDER PAY GAP

Posted on 21 August 2024

Two more countries, Chile and Turkey, have committed to joining the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) and two more have said they will increase their...

EU: WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH GUIDANCE

Posted on 21 August 2024

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has issued guidance for workplaces which focuses on supporting individuals experiencing mental health problems. Changes in...

MORE EXPERTS CALL FOR ENGINEERED STONE BAN

Posted on 21 August 2024

In an editorial in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, more occupational medicine experts have urged Europe and other parts of the world to...

NZ: WARNING AFTER FOUR QUAD BIKE DEATHS

Posted on 21 August 2024

As we have seen in Australia, one of the leading causes of work-related deaths quad bikes rolling over and crushing the rider. WorkSafe NZ has...

METAL CASTING CODE OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

Posted on 21 August 2024

WorkSafe Victoria has announced that the Metal casting compliance code is now available for public review and comment from Tuesday 20 August 2024 until close...

WVA ALERT: PETROL FUMES IGNITE

Posted on 21 August 2024

WorkSafe has issued an alert about the serious risk of injury workers face when filling portable equipment with petrol.

ENGINEERED STONE LINKED TO AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Posted on 21 August 2024

A study of over 1200 workers from the artificial stone benchtop industry in Victoria investigated the prevalence of clinical autoimmune disease. While autoimmune disorders are...

NSW: OWNERS’ CORP CONVICTED OVER FATALITY

Posted on 21 August 2024

Owners’ corporations of commercial premises have been put on notice after SafeWork NSW successfully prosecuted an owners’ corporation for failing to fix a faulty gate...

CONVICTION AFTER PARTIAL HAND AMPUTATION

Posted on 21 August 2024

A Melbourne concrete spraying company has been convicted and fined $30,000 after a worker's hand was partially amputated in a concrete pump.

ASK RENATA

Posted on 21 August 2024

Dear Renata I work in a warehouse where packaged food, including pet food, is stored. We have a significant rat infestation – we are having...

MWC RESEARCH WEBINAR 28 AUGUST

Posted on 21 August 2024

The Migrant Workers Centre is excited to launch a new webinar series designed to spotlight groundbreaking research and its impact on workplace rights and advocacy. ...

AUGUST 19: EQUAL PAY DAY

Posted on 21 August 2024

This Monday was ‘Equal Pay Day’ in Australia. What does this mean? Does it mean it’s the day that we finally achieved equal pay for...

LAST CHANCE WRAW CONFERENCE

Posted on 21 August 2024

This is the last chance to register for the Women's Rights at Work Conference this Friday 23 August. There will be a full day of...

OHS LIVESHOW: SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND NDAS

Posted on 21 August 2024

Join the OHS unit to hear about the newly announced formal consultation process for legislation to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). The Live...

FATIGUED AMBO ROLLS CAR AFTER OVER 18HR SHIFT

Posted on 21 August 2024

In the early hours of 27 June, an ambulance officer nodded off at the wheel, just 400 metres from his home in northern Victoria. The...

SERIOUS FORKLIFT INJURY COSTS COMPANY $40K

Posted on 14 August 2024

A Melbourne logistics company has been placed on a Good Behaviour Bond and fined $40,000 after a worker was struck by a forklift at a...

WORKSAFE IS HIRING

Posted on 14 August 2024

WorkSafe Victoria, the state's OHS regulator, is currently recruiting Investigators and Inspectors across the state who share the organisation's commitment to workplace health and safety.

UK DOCTORS CALL OUT ENGINEERED STONE

Posted on 14 August 2024

In the wake of Australia’s worldwide first in banning engineered stone made from crystalline silica UK doctors have called for increased Government action following the...

NEW GUIDANCE ON CRYSTALLINE SILICA

Posted on 14 August 2024

Safe Work Australia has published Guidance for PCBUs: Working with crystalline silica substances, which can be found on the SWA website.

GOVERNMENT TO HELP UPSKILL TRADIES

Posted on 14 August 2024

The Allan Labor Government has announced it is helping injured tradies to re-skill as Vocational Education Trainers – as more and more students enrol in...

SAFETY ALERT ON LITHIUM BATTERIES

Posted on 14 August 2024

WorkSafe is reminding employers about managing the risks of using, storing and charging equipment with lithium-ion batteries.

WORKSAFE VICTORIA FATALITIES DATABASE

Posted on 14 August 2024

WorkSafe Victoria has created a new interactive tool on confirmed workplace fatalities. The data can be broken down by year, gender, age, category, industry and...

COMPANY TO INVEST $293K AFTER WORKER’S LEG CRUSHED

Posted on 14 August 2024

A cold chain logistics company has agreed to spend almost $300,000 to improve health and safety outcomes after a worker's leg was caught in a...

AGED CARE OPERATOR FINED AFTER INJURED RESIDENT DIES

Posted on 14 August 2024

In a tragic case, the operator of a Glenroy based Aged Care Facility, Blue Cross Community Care Group Services Pty Ltd, has been fined, without...

MANUFACTURER CONVICTED AFTER WORKER CAUGHT IN MACHINE

Posted on 14 August 2024

In July 2022, a worker whose sleeve was caught on length of protruding REO bar was dragged into a machine. He was flipped over the...

COMPANY APPEALS CONVICTION AFTER DRIVER LOSES BOTH LEGS

Posted on 14 August 2024

In a strange case, a company which pleaded guilty to a charge under s23 of the Act (Duties of employers to other persons) has had...

ASK RENATA

Posted on 14 August 2024

Dear Renata, I’m curious to know if it is legal to work alone as my company regularly requires this. My workmates don’t feel safe doing...

LEGIONNAIRES OUTBREAK ADVICE FOR HSRS

Posted on 14 August 2024

Late last week Victoria’s Health Department finally identified the source of the latest outbreak of the deadly legionnaire’s disease: a cooling tower in Altona North....

UNIONS DEMAND RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION

Posted on 14 August 2024

On the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, 9 August, the ITUC demanded the right of self-determination for Indigenous peoples worldwide. An International Labour Organization...

VICTORIAN TEACHERS OVERWORKED, UNDERPAID AND AT RISK

Posted on 14 August 2024

New research conducted by Monash University, What the profession needs now for the future, has confirmed what the teachers’ union has been saying: most Victorian...

WRAW CONFERENCE | THE POWER TO WIN

Posted on 14 August 2024

A reminder to join us at the Women's Rights at Work Conference on Friday 23 August. With a full day of panels, workshops and solidarity...

OHS LIVESHOW: SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND NDAS

Posted on 14 August 2024

Join the OHS unit to hear about the newly announced formal consultation process for legislation to end the misuse of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

A STEP CLOSER TO ENDING WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

Posted on 14 August 2024

This week the Victorian Government announced the start of formal consultation for legislation to end the misuse of Non-Disclosure Agreements in cases of workplace s*xual...

QUEENSLAND: EMPLOYERS MUST PROACTIVELY MANAGE WORKPLACE HARASSMENT

Posted on 7 August 2024

The Queensland Minister for Industrial Relations, the Honourable Grace Grace, has announced that from September the state’s employers will be required to proactively manage the...

INCIDENT NOTIFICATION PROVISIONS TO BE IMPROVED

Posted on 7 August 2024

Work Health and Safety (WHS) ministers have agreed to a range of recommendations to improve the incident notification provisions in the model WHS Act. These...

CALLING ALL ‘TRADIES’

Posted on 7 August 2024

August is Tradies National Health Month and WorkSafe Victoria is providing support with free tools and resources for those working in trades-based industries.

WORKSAFE SEIZES BANNED ENGINEERED STONE

Posted on 7 August 2024

Surprise WorkSafe Victoria inspections to dozens of stone suppliers and manufacturers have resulted in the detection of hundreds of illegal benchtops since the ban of...

PRECARIOUS WORK IS AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD

Posted on 7 August 2024

Researchers recently examined the association between precarious employment and risk of occupational injury or illness. In not unsurprising results, they found that precarious employment did...

SWA UPDATES WHS PROSECUTIONS DATA

Posted on 7 August 2024

Safe Work Australia has updated the WHS prosecutions dashboard to reflect the latest publicly available data from 2023. It is now available on Safe Work...

COMCARE CHARGES DEPARTMENT OVER INJURIES TO CHILD

Posted on 7 August 2024

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources has been charged with breaching work health and safety laws after a child suffered serious injuries at Canberra's...

COMPANIES FINED AFTER STEEL PLATE FALL

Posted on 7 August 2024

A commercial construction company and a hoist supplier have been fined a total of $45,000 after a 12-kilogram steel plate fell about 15 storeys from...

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