Blog posts tagged with 'workplace safety'

Effective leadership goes beyond directing a team; it requires fostering curiosity, empowering individuals, and creating an environment where innovation thrives, particularly in OHS where balancing compliance with human-centred engagement is crucial.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation present both benefits and threats to health, safety and wellbeing in the workplace, according to a recent government report.

The construction, recreational and asbestos management industries were the focus of the proactive compliance program for Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s (WHSQ), which recently announced it will focus on additional industries in 2025.

Victorian employers faced serious legal and financial consequences for putting workers at risk last year, with WorkSafe Victoria completing 119 successful health and safety prosecutions and enforceable undertakings. Courts imposed a total of $13,318,433 in fines, costs and enforceable undertakings for breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Dangerous Goods Act in 2024, including two costing defendants more than $1 million each.

Organisations need to adopt clearer, level-appropriate definitions of health, safety and risk terms, according to research which examined how complex terminology could hamper workplace safety efforts.

SafeWork SA recently issued a safety warning about the dangers of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), including quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles, following a record number of deaths in the past 12 months.

Australian executives and senior decision-makers face unique mental health pressures that required specific support strategies, according to the National Mental Health Commission. In a recent report, the Commission highlighted how complex circumstances, including environmental disruptions, geopolitical instability, legislative reforms and pandemic impacts, exposed executives to additional work-related stressors affecting their mental health.

Despite widespread recognition of change management’s importance in modern organisations, many leaders struggle to effectively implement transformational initiatives due to inadequate resources, capabilities and outdated methodologies.

WorkSafe Victoria recently issued a safety alert reminding employers about controlling risks associated with lead-based paint removal. Lead-based paint, commonly used on many pre-1970s buildings and structures, can contain lead levels greater than 1 per cent. Work involving sanding, buffing or removing paint with lead levels greater than 1 per cent by dry weight is regulated under Part 4.3 of the OHS Regulations as a ‘lead process’, with specific duties for employers undertaking this work.