Occupational hygienists, health experts and unions have joined to call for blanket bans on engineered stone products and a licensing scheme to oversee their removal, warning that WHS controls for these products can't fully protect workers from silicosis or cancer.
In this Q&A with OHS Alert, a workplace conflict resolution expert examines the factors that can lead to workers performing excessive hours, what employers can do to reduce the WHS risks associated with overwork, and how managers should deal with "workaholics".
Results from a new international collaborative study have prompted the authors to call for employment policies and safety laws that protect workers from widespread out-of-hours managerial intrusions, while new research by LinkedIn shows "loud leaving" supervisors can help prevent burnout.
"Covert" online bullying, domestic violence and being overlooked for promotion are just some of the psychosocial hazards faced by flexible and hybrid workers, and are issues employers and WHS managers are struggling to tackle, according to two senior WHS lawyers.
A WHS regulator has revealed that it has received hundreds of complaints about the conditions of workplace toilets, and highlighted the association between substandard facilities and poor safety outcomes.
Poor sleep in workers starting new roles significantly impacts their first few months of employment, and can lead to the development of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, a new Australian study has shown.
Employers can reduce the occupational risks to workers' reproductive health by reducing their exposure to heat, noise and chemicals, a global literature review has found.
Employers have been reminded that cars used by workers are workplaces and they have a duty to control the risks posed by in-vehicle distractions and other hazards. They have also been reminded of two high-level safety fines, of nearly $500,000 each, imposed on organisations that failed to comply with their road-related duties.
Workplace bullying and harassment are overshadowing certain "sleeper hazards" in psychosocial risk management, potentially exposing employers to the scrutiny of WHS regulators, safety law experts have warned.
