Dangerous goods safety and Petroleum and geothermal energy operations (PAGEO) reports
This section contains a list of health and safety project reports produces by WorkSafe and Dangerous Goods Safety.
Lead work – take action now
On 1 October 2019, amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 (OSH Regulations) will come into effect. The amendments lower the blood lead removal level thresholds for workers and changes the definition of ‘lead-risk job’.
Lead stays in the blood for several months. It is important to take action now to ensure that when the new laws come into effect the blood lead levels of workers do not exceed the allowable level. When a worker’s blood lead levels exceed this the worker must be removed from lead-risk work.
Public comment sought - Code of practice on workplace behaviour
WA’s Commission for Occupational Safety and Health is seeking public comment on the code of practice for workplace behaviour.
At the May meeting the Commission endorsed the draft workplace behaviour code of practice and agreed to a three-month public consultation period ending 30 August 2021.
The guidance in this draft code of practice should be considered in conjunction with the general duties in the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 and the draft Violence and aggression at work code of practice.
Work health and safety: Translated information
The department has released a series of translated information on the WHS laws to assist vulnerable worker groups, including culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations.
These information sheets are based on the WHS interpretative guidelines, the information sheets contain simplified wording providing people with guidance on the key concepts they need to understand, with hyperlinks to detailed publications.
Regulations on psychosocial hazards
Work health and safety regulations for the control of psychosocial risks will come into effect on 24 December 2022. These regulations will require a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) to eliminate psychosocial risks, or to minimise them so far as is reasonably practicable. This new duty places psychosocial hazards on the same footing as other significant hazards such as falls or operating machinery.
Incident notification
Businesses and undertakings must notify the regulator of certain incidents that arise out of the conduct of a business or undertaking at a workplace.
The Incident notification: Interpretive guideline will help you decide when and how to notify a work-related death, injury, illness or dangerous incident (further notification requirements apply to mines and petroleum and geothermal operations – see Parts 2 and 3 of the guideline).
WorkSafe inspectors focus attention on mobile cranes
WorkSafe inspectors will be visiting crane businesses and operators to audit registered mobile cranes. Initial visits have revealed that some owners and operators are not conducting major inspections of their cranes.
A major inspection must be carried out by a competent person, and requires:
Regulation amendments come into effect
The Work Health and Safety Regulations Amendment Regulation (no.2) 2023 came into effect on 10 August 2023 and provide for minor corrections and technical refinements.
These amendments include:
Crane hire company fined $12,000 at retrial
A crane hire company has been fined $12,000 at a retrial for failing to ensure the required number of people were involved in the use of their crane at a construction site.
Halifax Crane Hire Pty Ltd was found guilty of breaching the now-repealed Occupational Safety and Health Regulation dealing with the number of people required to be involved in the use of cranes, and was fined in the Bunbury Magistrates Court yesterday.