Are you a small business owner or operator?

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Image courtesy of ambro / freedigitalphotos.netYou may be an officer and have an important duty under WHS laws.

Safe Work Australia has released guidance material to help small business owners or operators understand their role as officers and their responsibilities under WHS laws.

“If you make or influence the significant financial or operational decisions for a business then you may be an ‘officer’ under WHS laws”, said Safe Work Australia’s CEO Michelle Baxter.

“As an officer, you have a duty under WHS laws to look for ways to lead on WHS matters.”

“Our new guidance material includes videos of real officers explaining how they fulfil this important role within their business” said Ms Baxter.

Safe Work Australia produced the guidance material after investigations found that small businesses needed more practical guidance about their WHS obligations.

The guidance material, including short videos, is available on a dedicated web page for officers.

A broader guide for officers of businesses of all sizes is also available.

Source: Safe Work Australia, 29 January 2019

Workplace mental health

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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Work-related mental health conditions take a huge toll on worker health and productivity, with the negative impact felt by individuals themselves, their families, and colleagues.

Work pressure, work-related harassment or bullying, and exposure to workplace or occupational violence are all significant causes of work-related mental health issues. Together, they account for 51 per cent of serious mental health condition compensation claims.

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People’s Choice Award Winner 2018

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Congratulations to Coffey Services Australia Ltd. for winning the National Safe Work Month People’s Choice Award. Their winning entry was picked by public vote to receive extra funding for the design of an ergonomic hand auger.

Coffey Services Australia are experts in engineering, geotechnical, environmental, testing and project management services. Many workers at Coffey perform the manual task of hand augering which poses a risk of injury due to turning, lifting and carrying the auger. Continue reading →

New Chemical Storage Guide for Workplaces

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Learn how to safely identify, position and manage the risks of chemicals in your workplace.

“If you store chemicals in your workplace and need information on how to store them safely, this guide is for you,” said Director of Chemicals Policy, Dr Paul Taylor.

“We particularly want to help small to medium sized businesses safely store their chemicals”

“It is important to know which chemicals are safe to store together, where you can safely store them and which ones you should separate,” said Dr Taylor.

“In this guide we go into some of the common health and safety risks of storing chemicals and ways to manage those risks. We have included a handy storage checklist that sets out the standard precautions everyone should take and a detailed chart that will tell you which types of chemicals to separate and by how far,” he said.

The guide was developed in consultation with representatives from national work health and safety regulators, unions and industry groups.

To find out more about complying with work health and safety requirements in your region, contact your local WHS regulator.

For more information and to download the guide, visit the Safe Work Australia website.

Source: Safe Work Australia, 28 November 2018

NSW Mentally Healthy Workplaces

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Thousands of workers around NSW will have better support at work while overcoming mental health challenges thanks to the NSW Government’s Mentally Healthy Workplaces strategy.

Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean is launching a new workplace intervention program, a new website with free support and resources, and additional funding to help drought-affected farm workers living with mental illness and distress. Continue reading →

National Safe Work Month 2018

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The Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, has launched National Safe Work Month for 2018, with the theme this year being “A moment is all it takes.”

While a safety incident can happen in a moment and in any workplace, a moment’s forethought can prevent harm. Safe Work Australia are encouraging workplaces to commit to taking a safety moment every day in the workplace and have developed a range of campaign materials and ideas to help you take a safety moment in your workplace during National Safe Work Month including a range of industry specific posters and generic materials which can be customised for your workplace.

Continue reading →

Truck Drivers in Australia Deadliest Job: Study

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Truck drivers are 13 times more likely to die at work than any other profession while the long hours, social isolation, time pressure and lack of job control also make it one of the unhealthiest jobs, according to the study which based its findings on compensation claims over a 12-year period.

The study, conducted by Monash University, also shows there are serious implications for the wider economy because of truck driver health and safety, with 1 million weeks of work lost because of injury. Continue reading →