Browsing: WHS - research & reports | Page 6

Employers need to educate remote employees on detaching from work after hours and making prudent decisions around working while ill, according to researchers examining the prevalence of presenteeism in working-from-home arrangements.

With environmental temperatures rising, certain workers face an increased risk of heat strain made worse by PPE requirements, increasing the likelihood of health problems and highlighting the need for "adequate cooling provisions", a study has concluded.

Office workers can decrease their sedentary sitting time by up to nearly 80 minutes per day under an Australian-inspired German-developed intervention toolkit, which a study has found to be sustainable, cost effective and satisfying for participants.

A burnout study of nearly 7,000 workers across 2,000 companies has highlighted the importance of supplying workers with reliable technology, and technical assistance, to help them maintain their mental health and productivity.

Researchers have identified three factors that increase the risk of sleep problems and consequential health conditions in shift workers.

Making workers feel trusted when they work from home is key to reducing stress and burnout, while well-equipped home workspaces are also extremely beneficial, a study has found.

A major annual WHS survey has revealed the issues keeping duty holders "awake at night", as well as alarming gaps in awareness of air and health monitoring obligations relating to hazardous substances, which are present in more than half of all workplaces.

A coronial inquest into the "violent and tragic" death of a bus driver, who was set on fire by a passenger, has outlined the "extensive and commendable" post-incident steps taken by the driver's employer and others to improve the safety of workers and members of the public.

Australia has taken a big leap towards banning engineered stone products, with the country's WHS ministers agreeing to release a "powerful and compelling" Safe Work Australia report that recommends the ban, and warns there is no evidence that alternative measures can curb the alarming rate of silicosis in engineered stone workers.

Eliminating physical hazards will not eliminate musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), a leading ergonomics researcher has warned, challenging how WHS practitioners often conceptualise and implement risk management programs for the widespread safety issue.