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While injury prevention strategies are generally effective, safety management systems need to be more resilient in the face of external factors such as COVID-19, according to recent research. Australian organisations have fairly resilient injury prevention strategies in place, as seen by the low injury rates experienced over the last decade – particularly when compared toRead more

As employees gradually return to the workplace and adapt to new ways of working, many leaders are looking to utilise this opportunity to protect employees’ wellbeing and create meaningful change within their organisations. In 2020, every company had to pivot to meet the changing needs of their organisation and their people and react in real-timeRead more

Safe Work Australia (SWA) has updated its national policy on enforcing WHS laws during the COVID-19 pandemic to define vaccinations as a “high order risk control measure.” First issued in April last year, the statement of regulatory intent provides the principles for the regulatory approach that Work Health and Safety Regulators can take to ensureRead more

OSHA has launched a national program to protect high-risk workers from coronavirus, as well as focusing on employers that retaliate against workers with safety concerns. The national emphasis program (NEP) concentrates enforcement efforts on companies that put the largest number of workers at serious risk of contracting the coronavirus. The program also prioritises employers thatRead more

UK businesses of all sizes, including those with fewer than 50 employees, can now register to order free lateral flow COVID tests for their employees. Businesses have until 31 March to register for the government’s workplace testing scheme, which will remain free until the end of June. The government says that around 1 in 3Read more

Presented by Dr Michael Taylor (Principal Consultant/Mycologist) and David Houser (Team Manager, Property Risk) from Greencap What’s covered? 2020 was a year that fundamentally altered the spaces and ways in which we work. Lasting impacts from the pandemic include a significant increase in working from home, physical changes to the layout of offices and workspaces,Read more

There are three important steps organisations should address in improving ventilation in indoor workplaces to reduce the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, according to Safe Work Australia. The most effective ways to minimise the risk of COVID-19 infection in the workplace are to ensure your workers do not attend work if they are unwell, toRead more

The following is the Australian Institute of Health and Safety’s position statement regarding COVID-19 vaccination in Australian workplaces. “Vaccination is the most effective way to protect against infectious disease”1. Vaccinations make workplaces safer. The Australian Institute of Health & Safety (AIHS) strongly encourages all Australians to have any COVID-19 vaccination(s) approved by the Australian TherapeuticRead more

The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted vastly different ways in which organisations engaged with their OHS teams and resources through 2020, according to new research. At one end of the spectrum, some organisations elected to centralise and restrict decision-making to the upper echelons of leadership – excluding OHS from involvement in strategic risk management. At theRead more

Presented by Brian Jackson (Special Counsel, Moray and Agnew) What’s covered? In the upcoming months, the rollout of the vaccine in Australia will commence and this will open up a range of complex issues for Australian employers. Is it reasonable and lawful for an employer to require its employees to take the vaccine? What willRead more