What's New in OH&SThe purpose of this page is to bring new issues in OH&S to the attention of Network members and safety.gippsland.com users.
Work Safe Week 2008Work Safe Week 2008 will be held between 25 and 31 October 2008. To get involved, visit worksafe.vic.gov.au and click on the Work Safe Week link - OR - stay tuned to safety.gippsland.com to see what's happening in our region. The East Gippsland OHS Network event will be held on Tuesday 28 October; the Gippsland OHS Network event will be on Wednesday 29 October. See the links for further details.OHS Regulations 2007The new OHS Regulations took effect on 1 July 2007. While largely a translation exercise of the previous 13 individual regulations into one consolidated set, there are some changes that folks need to know about. In addition, Part 5.1 contains new regulations regarding Construction which take effect on 1 July 2008. If you don;t know about these regulations, then you need to attend the October series of seminars presented by the Gippsland and East Gippsland OHS Networks. See the network links on the left for details of seminars/events.Consolidated OHS Regulations - January 2007WorkSafe has been working hard to consolidate all of the separate OHS regulations into one set of Regs. The draft Regs (all 500 pages) were released for public comment on 20 January 2007. The deadline for submissions to WorkSafe is 28 February. For more details, including the format of contributions and the location of documents, see the WorkSafe website at www.worksafe.vic.gov.au.Sun Protection on Construction Sites - November 2005WorkSafe will begin enforcing sun protection on construction sites, following the recent launch of Working Safely in the Sun, a joint initiative with SunSmart, a program of the Cancer Council Victoria.
Launched at the MCG construction site as part of National Skin Cancer Action Week, Working Safely in the Sun will see WorkSafe inspectors visiting more than 300 worksites to ensure construction workers are adequately protected against sun damage.
"We set out to change the culture of the construction industry from one of stripping off when the sun comes out, to one of covering up," says WorkSafe's Construction and Utilities Director, Geoff Thomas. "WorkSafe now expects all employers of outdoor workers to have sun protection measures in place during the months when UV radiation is at a harmful level."
Data from the Cancer Council Australia's National Sun Survey indicates many outdoor worksites are hearing the SunSmart message. 50 per cent of surveyed outdoor workers indicated there was a sun protection policy at their workplace, and over 40 per cent were provided with hats and sunscreen.
While Thomas says these results are encouraging, he believes it's time to get tough on workplaces which are failing to put sun protection measures in place.
"Employers and workers have had time to get the message that it's not acceptable to be exposed to high levels of UV radiation," he says. "WorkSafe will now be enforcing sun protection measures, and failure to comply may result in prosecution."
SunSmart program manager, Kylie Strong, agrees that sun protection of outdoor workers must be taken seriously.
"Skin cancer is an almost entirely preventable disease, and yet affects one in two Australians during their lifetimes," says Strong. "Because they are generally outside during peak UV radiation times, outdoor workers are a particularly high risk group for contracting skin cancer."
"Employers can play a vital role in protecting their workers against sun damage," Strong says. "For example, simply by encouraging workers to wear sun protective clothing such as long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses, and to reapply broad-spectrum SPF30+ sunscreen every two hours, employers dramatically impact the UV exposure levels of their staff."
Over the past two years, 26 per cent of construction workers who volunteered for free medical checks funded by WorkSafe were found to have sun damage requiring referral for further medical attention.
For further information on working safely outdoors, including the Guidance Note Sun Protection for Construction and other Outdoor Workers, visit the WorkSafe website at www.worksafe.vic.gov.au. Other good information is available on the SunSmart website at www.sunsmart.com.au.
Safety Action News - August 2005safety.gippsland.com is pleased to welcome Safety Action, a Melbourne-based risk management consultancy, to our business directory. Safety Action has joined safety.gippsland.com at our invitation in order to provide access to Safety Action News, which is now available to you at no cost. Safety Action News is one of the best free independent safety newsletters, and is delivered to subscribers electronically once per month, at no cost, and with no obligation. To take advantage of this offer, click on Safety Action in the Business Directory and follow the prompts. For a sample, click on the following links:
New OHS Act 2004 - January 2005A new OHS Act was approved by the Victorian government in December 2004 and takes effect (in the main) on 1 July 2005. Anyone involved in the operation of a business, whether as owner, manager or supervisor; as well as designers, manufacturers and suppliers, need to understand the obligations that the new Act places upon them. WorkSafe, employer associations, unions and safety networks will be running information sessions throughout 2005. Look out for the nearest one and go to it - ignorance will be no excuse if something goes wrong in your workplace.
New Road Management Act 2004, and Worksite Safety - Traffic Management Code of PracticeThis is relevant to anyone who conducts or arranges works on roads or road reserves. If this is you, then you need to obtain a copy of the Code and understand it. WorkSafe and VicRoads websites provide more guidance regarding working on roads and how to obtain a copy of the Code. (Use the Links button.)
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