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“For Everyone’s Safety, Work Safely” Chosen As National Safe Work Month 2023 Theme Safe Work Australia has selected “For everyone’s safety, work safely” as the theme for 2023’s National Safe Work Month. Together with state Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) authorities, businesses, employers, and workers around the country, National Safe Work Month highlights the importance of Workplace Health and Safety and urges all stakeholders to commit to building safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians. According to Safe Work Australia, 169 people lost their lives on the job during 2012. Over 130,195 serious workers compensation claims were made over the same period. National Safe Work Month, held each year, aims to prevent harm and fatalities among workers by promoting and facilitating a positive safety culture in Australian workplaces. Each week throughout October will highlight different health and safety topics for discussion. Week 1 (1-8 October) is working together to manage risks at work, looking at reviewing risk assessment processes from identifying hazards and implementing or reviewing control measures. Week 2 (9-15 October) is working together to protect workers’ mental health, a highlight on psychological and mental health. This week, stakeholders will learn how to identify psychosocial hazards and manage and mitigate harm. This will culminate in an acknowledgement of World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October. Week 3 (16-22 October) focuses on working together to support all workers, emphasising reducing vulnerabilities for workers on both sides of the employer/employee divide such as being younger, working alone, or being from a culturally or linguistically diverse background. There will also be a focus on improving WHS for labour hire workers. Week 4 (23-31 October) will round out National Work Safe Month by placing WHS at the core of all business activities, working together to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. This week will look at the future of workplace health and safety, including new ways of working. Employers are also encouraged to hold a SafeTea break during the month to discuss WHS among workers and management in an informal, relaxed setting. Resources are available for workplaces and workers to promote National Safe Work month, such as discussion points, conversation starter dice, posters, decorations, infographics, and more. You can view and download these resources at Safe Work Australia. Workers and employers are encouraged to follow Safe Work Australia on social media and subscribe to their mailing list, as well as tag their National Safe Work Month posts with #SafeTea and #SafeWorkMonth.
OH&S News

2023 National Safe Work Month

“For Everyone’s Safety, Work Safely” Chosen As National Safe Work Month 2023 Theme Safe Work Australia has selected “For everyone’s safety, work safely” as the

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GHS7 Transition Ends: New year begins with better advice on using chemicals safely at work The new year resolution for workplaces in 2023 will be to update safety information on hazardous and dangerous substances. The new requirement comes into force on January 1, 2023. This change is based on the latest 7th edition of the Globally Harmonised System (GHS7). GHS7 is being adopted nationally to improve classification and labelling and of substances and better inform workplaces about how to safely use hazardous, dangerous, and harmful chemicals and materials. The implementation of GHS7 puts the legal duty on importers and manufacturers of substances to upgrade the safety information of their products. This applies to new substances sold for use in Australia from January 1, and new stock of any substances supplied from then on. Workplaces may continue to use their current stock of substances already classified under the previous GHS editions until that stock is depleted. Progressively all substances supplied will be GHS7 classified and labelled product. Under workplace health and safety law across the state and territory jurisdictions, employers must hold current Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for all classified substances they use. This ensures they have the safe handling and use information necessary to protect their workers from the health effects of substances they may be exposed to during their work. Suppliers of classified substances must label substances and prepare information in the latest SDS format on how to use the product safely. The format and content must be at the current standard ie. according to the latest GHS edition and reviewed as often as needed to keep the information up-to-date. Employers using classified substances must obtain the SDS from the supplier and follow that advise when the substance is used for work. Employers and providers of substances have had two years to prepare for the implementation of the GHS7 safety regime. It replaces a confusing mix of third, fourth and fifth GHS editions. Regulators said the old system lacked uniformity in format and content and safety advice was inadequate and confusing. A large number of substances are in use in many types of workplaces every day and new substances come on the market each year to help make many work processes more effective and efficient, but not necessarily safer. So improved, standardised safety information is vital in modern workplaces to reduce risk of exposure. Among the other GHS7 changes are easier to read precautionary statements, new advice for preventing eye damage, advice on a new class of substance - “desensitised explosives” - and a new safety criteria for flammable gases and substances supplied in aerosols. Australia’s state and territory regulators claim that GHS7 will make classification more consistent and reduce costs of supply. It will simplify regulatory requirements for businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions and align with the system being adopted by Australia’s trading partners. For more information on the GHS 7 go to Safe Work Australia:
Company News

GHS7 Transition Ends

GHS7 Transition Ends: New year begins with better advice on using chemicals safely at work The new year resolution for workplaces in 2023 will be

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Safe Work Australia sets theme for upcoming National Safe Work Month National workplace health and safety policy agency Safe Work Australia has set the theme for National Safe Work Month as “Know safety, work safely - encouraging everyone to make health and safety a priority in the workplace.” National Safe Work Month is their annual campaign to raise awareness of WHS in the community and build knowledge about work health and safety. Throughout October, Safe Work Australia will provide resources for Australian workplaces to run their own events so they too can help build safe and healthy workplaces for all Australians. National Safe Work Month runs for the entire month of October 2022. According to Safe Work Australia preliminary data, 163 people died while doing their job last year. Around 120,300 people made a workers’ compensation claim for serious injury or illness in 2019-20. In addition to the overarching theme of “Know safety, work safely” for 2022, Safe Work Australia also has a theme for each week in October. Week one focuses on Injuries at work – common health and safety risks and how to control them. These may come from slips, trips, falls, or manual handling injuries. The second week focuses on mental or psychological health. Work-related psychological injuries or mental illness significantly impact workers, families, and business and this week will be about conversations on how to improve mental health and safety at work. This week also incorporates an observation of World Mental Health Day on the 10th of October. Week three is about Managing WHS risks and preventing harm. This involves thinking about how workers may be exposed to hazards and what could happen – and how to best minimise those risks. The fourth and final week places emphasis on a Safe and healthy work for all. This looks at the future of workplace safety, changes to work organisation, and future challenges that businesses and workers will need to overcome as the nature of work changes. Businesses may also host their own “SafeTea” chats with workers, to start a conversation about health and safety at work. Workplaces may download co-brandable resources such as a SafeTea chat checklist, posters, video call backgrounds, and more. Click here to find out more. Safe Work Australia is encouraging workplaces to join in raising awareness through social media through using the #safeworkmonth, #KnowSafety and #WorkSafely hashtags. For further information and downloads, visit the National Safe Work Month home page.
OH&S News

National Safe Work Month

Safe Work Australia sets theme for upcoming National Safe Work Month National workplace health and safety policy agency Safe Work Australia has set the theme

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Industry News

The Hazards Of Manual Handling

Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics relating to work-related injuries show in the 2017-2018 period, manual handling tasks are causing nearly one in three

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