Getting the balance right between workplace health and safety and process safety risks is one of the more common challenges for organisations when it comes to process safety and being a high-reliability organisation, according to an expert.
WorkSafe Victoria recently issued a reminder to employers and workers about the risk of falling objects, and that even a small falling object can hit hard with enough force of gravity behind it.
The AIHS will be publishing a series of news stories through October to support the four themes of National Safe Work Month. The first week focuses on WHS fundamentals, and gets back to basics by unpacking the fundamentals of WHS. There are a number of fundamentals of good WHS practice, according to Safe Work Australia and industry leaders, who said one of the most important is taking an evidence-based approach to proactively managing WHS risks.
As small businesses continue to struggle with high operational and living costs, there are calls to make at least one running cost free with concerns safety may be compromised to reduce spending.
While mining industry operators have experienced significant reductions in serious safety incidents through critical control management, there is still room for improvement as organisations learn the most effective ways to manage risks through the approach.
There has been a 56 per cent increase in workers’ compensation claims for assaults and exposure to workplace violence since 2017-18, according to a recent Safe Work Australia report. It found that there were 53,139 accepted workers’ compensation claims for being assaulted and 12,721 accepted claims for exposure to workplace or occupational violence over the past 10 years.
For organisations looking to shift from lagging safety indicators to leading indicators, they must first address their preparedness, priorities and safety culture maturity level, according to recent research. Specifically, leading indicators must be adopted with a systems-thinking approach where they are developed and used in a work context involving people and technology, rather than merely focusing on human behaviour or identifying leading indicators for machinery or plant.
Although most businesses strive to do the right thing by their employees and reduce psychosocial risks, the complexity of this task means most organisations are still struggling to comprehensively address workplace mental health challenges, according to the Black Dog Institute.
Working with hazardous chemicals? Learn how to prevent accidents and create a safe work environment. Risk assessment, safe work practices, and proper PPE are all essential.
Australia Post recently urged dog owners to properly secure their dogs as it revealed that more than 55 posties have fallen victim to dog-related incidents every working week. Despite Australia Post’s pleas for more action from dog owners, more than 1420 dog-related incidents have occurred in Australia in the past six months. While no dog breed is more likely to attack than another, Australia Post said it is increasingly seeing smaller dogs that show aggressive behaviour.
