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WorkCover investigation of Horsley Park market garden fatality
14 April 2010
WorkCover NSW is investigating an incident at a market garden in the western Sydney suburb of Horsley Park in which one person has died and three others affected following exposure to an unidentified agricultural chemical.

Cyclone-hit camp ‘had wrong wind rating
12 April 2010
Fortescue Metals Group Ltd has distanced itself from decisions made by contractors working at its rail construction accommodation camp in Western Australia’s Pilbara, where two workers died during a cyclone in 2007. Legal defence for Fortescue said the charges should be dismissed as Fortescue’s safety management procedures come under the Mines Safety and Inspection Act, not the Occupational Health and Safety Act under which it has been charged.  More...

The OHS threat of vibration
9 April 2010
Noise and Vibration Measurement Systems claim vibration is as big an OHS threat as noise, with upto 50% of hand tool users causing finger pain, numbness and gangrene. According to Noise and Vibration Measurement Systems the OHS threat of vibration is largely under the radar in Australian workplaces.

Accidents on Port Kembla docks prompt safety measures
9 April 2010
The Maritime Union of Australia’s National Secretary says a national safety code on our wharves is needed, including full ship inspections before job start after a number of dockside accident. There is  also an acute need for the Government to introduce measures it’s considering to vitalise Australian shipping to see that Australian ships and  for the crew predominantly service our coastal trade.  More...

RailCorp under worker safety fire as cleaner killed by train
14 April 2010
A Contract cleaner working on railway tracks while trains were still running was hit and killed early yesterday - sparking a number of investigations and raising questions about RailCorp worker safety.   More...

Occupational road deaths ignored due to lack of data
15 April 2010
Road deaths are the number one cause of traumatic work fatalities, and these are ignored because they could not be measured according to OHS researcher Ruth Stuckey. While road safety is usually consigned to the responsibility of traffic accident authorities, around 100 deaths in NSW are related to work-driving, making the problem a relevant issue for OHS professionals.   More...

WorkCover investigates Byron Bay ferris wheel fall
7 April 2010
WorkCover NSW General Manager OHS Division John Watson said WorkCover regularly conducts random safety checks on amusement rides, and owners and operators of amusement devices must ensure that rides are installed and maintained in safe working order, and have their log books available on request for WorkCover inspection.   More...

WorkCover alert on storing explosives
14 April 2010
WorkCover NSW General Manager OHS, John Watson, has issued an alert on the safe storage of explosives, particularly on farm properties, following serious injuries to a Canowindra farmer.WorkCover urges all explosives users to take action now to ensure that the explosives in their possession are correctly stored.

Unsafe company work procedure results in fine
6 April 2010
Boral Resources (SA) has been fined after a 2007 workplace incident caused serious leg injuries to an employee. The company had not carried out proper hazard identification or risk analysis for the task, and did not devise a safe work procedure.   More...

Worker dragged into conveyor belt
15 April 2010
A worker at a Broadmeadows tyre factory was seriously injured yesterday morning when he fell onto a conveyor belt and was dragged in up to his neck. Plant regulations require the employer to eliminate the risks or minimise them if that’s not practicable, and that IF the employer uses guarding as a control measure, then the employer must make sure it prevents access to the danger point or area of the plant.   More...

Queensland Coroner: all construction workers should get basic first-aid training
A Queensland Coroner has recommended that all construction workers receive basic first-aid training, after he found the lack of medical intervention contributed to a worker’s death from heatstroke. Muirhead urged Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to address the issues of lack of first-aid training and education on heatstroke on work sites ( Workplace OHS: Findings of the Inquest.  More...

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