Industry News
Underground mine safety training gallery
SkillsTech Australia has officially opened the Lennon Underground Mine Safety Training Gallery at its Eagle Farm Training Centre in South East Queensland. The gallery will provide safety training for mineworkers by simulating the underground working environment. [ + ]
NSW pauses to remember workplace deaths
On 28 April each year, countries around the world pause to commemorate workers who have died as a result of a workplace incident or occupational disease. [ + ]
Safety blitz heads north
The housing construction industry in Melbourne’s northern suburbs has been warned to make sure their sites and work practices are up to scratch ahead of a safety blitz next month. [ + ]
Outdoor workers poorly protected from the sun in NZ
New Zealand outdoor workers are generally poorly protected from solar UV radiation, with only around one-third wearing sunscreen or a suitably protective hat, according to a University of Otago study. [ + ]
Research finds prototype generators emit less CO
Portable electric generators retrofitted with off-the-shelf hardware by the University of Alabama (UA) emitted significantly lower levels of carbon monoxide (CO) exhaust, according to the results of tests conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). [ + ]
Small business owners get the chance to give verdict on regulators
Small business owners have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tell regulators how to better do their jobs, and hopefully contribute to changing the way regulators interact with their business. [ + ]
Safety app being used on university campus
Curtin University, in a Western Australian first, has implemented a free mobile phone app that gives staff and students instant access to the university’s security team. [ + ]
Getting young workers involved with their own health and safety
South Australia’s Youth Work Health and Safety Strategy project, led by CQUniversity researchers, will incorporate social media, integrate with the education system and employers and, most importantly, empower young workers to be resilient rather than vulnerable. [ + ]
Ten Victorian tradies injured every day
Ten tradies are injured badly enough every day to make a compensation claim, according to statistics released by WorkSafe. [ + ]
Work-related asthma and cancer being researched
An internationally respected occupational cancer expert from The University of Western Australia will lead a team of researchers in investigating work-related asthma and cancer. [ + ]
MHC and the DAO to amalgamate in WA
The WA government today announced the Drug and Alcohol Office (DAO) and the Mental Health Commission (MHC) will be joined. [ + ]
Mental stress costs Australian businesses more than $10 billion per year
Safe Work Australia has released its first report on work-related mental stress and its associated costs based on an analysis of Australian workers’ compensation claims data from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The report includes comparisons of rates of mental stress claims across industry sectors and occupations for male and female workers but does not distinguish between public and private sector workers. [ + ]
Don’t overheat in fire-retardant workwear
A product launched by Hard Yakka today means that workers don’t have to overheat on the inside to avoid burns on the outside. The Hard Yakka Protect with Tecgen Select is a range of inherent fire-retardant (FR) workwear that provides workers with comfort and protection from arc flash, flash fire and heat stress. [ + ]
Wall collapse under investigation
Tragically, three people died after the collapse of a wall at a construction site on Swanston Street in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton last week. [ + ]
Guidance on the safety of some nanomaterials
Safe Work Australia Chair Ann Sherry AO has released two research reports examining nanotechnology work health and safety issues. [ + ]
