SafeWork NSW has congratulated the winners of the 2018 RAS Young Farmer Challenge.
SafeWork’s ‘Alive and Well’ farm safety program was a sponsor of the challenge which saw young farmers from across the state compete in a series of on-farm challenges ranging from animal handling to driving side-by-side vehicles and setting up irrigation systems. Continue reading
SafeWork NSW has launched a week-long forklift safety blitz after three workers were killed and more than 1,300 were injured in two years.
The blitz is part of SafeWork’s ‘Take forking seriously’ program aimed at reducing deaths and injuries from forklifts, and will see inspectors visit Sydney businesses to check they are meeting safety and licensing laws.
Between July 2014 and July 2016, 1,355 workers were injured in forklift incidents, which tragically included three fatalities, and cost the NSW workers compensation system more than $30.5 million. Continue reading
Silicosis is a group of occupational lung diseases caused by breathing in silica dust. It has been described since ancient times, when miners and stone cutters were exposed to dust containing this crystalline mineral.
However, there has been a worrying resurgence of cases recently, as a recent New South Wales parliamentary committee has heard. Now one of the fastest growing occupational groups we’re seeing with silicosis are people who make and install engineered stone products, the type of benchtops and tiles you might find in your kitchen or bathroom. Continue reading
Helping workers return to their normal job after an injury is called ‘return to work’, and it’s an important step in their recovery.
Research shows that work is generally good for health and wellbeing, while long term work absence, work disability and unemployment can have a negative impact on health and wellbeing. Continue reading
Construction is one of the fastest growing industries in Victoria, employing around 275,000 workers.
While significant safety improvements have been made, the number of deaths, injuries and near miss incidents remain too high. Each week, around 60 construction workers are injured seriously enough that they have to stop work. These injuries commonly occur as a result of basic site safety failings. Continue reading
SafeWork NSW has launched a $3.2 million campaign aimed at ensuring workers and employers stay safe on the job.
The “Safety starts with you” campaign has been developed to improve safety and help reduce workplace injuries and illnesses across NSW.
It highlights risky behaviour in an effort to reduce the number of injuries in NSW workplaces. Continue reading
The ACCC has established a taskforce to conduct an investigation into quad bike safety and consider the merits of implementing a safety standard for quad bikes under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
“Tragically, 114 people have been killed in Australia in quad bike accidents since 2011. The ACCC is investigating a range of possible options to improve quad bike safety and prevent further deaths and injuries in the community,” ACCC Commissioner Mick Keogh said. Continue reading
While office workers often worry they sit too long while on the job, research suggests standing at work increases the risk of heart disease.There’s been a lot of interest in the harmful effects of prolonged sitting at work, from academics and the public alike. The attention being paid to sitting — or rather, not sitting — while on the job stems from the scientifically validated message that being sedentary in general, both indoors and outdoors, is bad for your health. Continue reading
Hundreds of lives are lost every year due to work-related incidents and in 2016, 182 people died across Australia, and 168 of those were men.
Whilst any loss of life is unacceptable, positive changes are being made in the workplace as worker deaths are 41% lower than the highest number recorded in 2007 where 310 people lost their life to a work related incident. Continue reading
Work
Safe is pleading with employers and workers to take a step back and focus on safety as Victoria enters a traditionally dangerous time of year.
According to WorkSafe statistics, more Victorian workers die in the weeks leading up to Christmas than at any other time of year.
Over the past decade, almost 25 per cent of all workplace fatalities occurred in November and December. Continue reading
