A UK parliamentary inquiry has been launched to better assess the impact silicosis is having on the health and wellbeing of construction workers, following a number of deaths. The All-Party Parliamentary Group (AAPG) on Respiratory Health has joined forces with not-for-profit organisation B&CE to more accurately understand why construction workers are continuing to die fromRead more
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WorkSafe Victoria is urging employers to consider installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and has recently published new guidance on their use in the workplace. WorkSafe’s guidance states that anyone with access to an AED can safely step in to handle a cardiac arrest crisis, knowing they cannot cause greater harm to the patient but mayRead more
Law firm Slater and Gordon is preparing a national class action against the manufacturers of popular kitchen stone bench-tops after the products led to thousands of stonemasons contracting silicosis. The firm said it had experienced a surge in the number of workers approaching the firm after being involved in the manufacture of artificial stone benchRead more
Unions in the U.S. are demanding a new Standard on silica dust exposure, as the prevalence of black lung disease among the nation’s mining workers continues to grow. The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the United Steelworkers International Union (USW) have written a joint-letter addressed to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), expressing their concernsRead more
WorkSafe New Zealand is proposing changes to the workplace exposure standards (WES) of 34 substances and the biological exposure index (BEI) of one substance, and has opened a public consultation period. WorkSafe NZ said a 2018 WES consultation period showed that many PCBUs have a poor understanding of how WES are applied, as well asRead more
Psychological conditions were the third most prevalent factor in preventing people from returning to work following a workers’ compensation claim, according to recent research from workplace health and safety consultancy Konekt. The company analysed a sample of more than 18,000 workers’ compensation claims in the 2018 financial year and found that a significant portion ofRead more
Local councils around Australia are banning the use of glyphosate, phasing it out or conducting reviews of its use because of health and safety concerns about workers who have suffered extensive exposure to the herbicide which has been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Councils which have banned glyphosate range from Cook Shire Council in far northRead more
Organisations need to do more to ensure workplaces colleagues feel connected, according to a recent research report, which found that this is an important element in improving workplace psychological safety. The 2019 Australian Workplace Psychological Safety Survey, which was conducted by R U OK?, took in 1093 Australian employees and found that 23 per centRead more
Even minor sleep loss during a work-week greatly interferes with job performance and judgement, according to researchers. And while the effect of a poor nights sleep on job performance is unlikely to surprise, what is surprising is the amount needed to induce it – just 16 minutes. Researchers from the University of South Florida surveyedRead more
The NSW Resources Regulator is urging all current and former coal mine workers to maintain regular health screenings after releasing the findings of its investigation into a former coal mine worker diagnosed with a mixed dust disease in 2017. Chief Compliance Officer Anthony Keon said the investigation showed the worker (referred to as ‘Worker Y’)Read more
