HIGH QUALITY PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Silica dust and silicosis is a serious issue for building, construction, quarry and tunnel workers. It’s crucial to know how to protect your long term health when working with dust in industry. Recently, a visiting black lung specialist expressed alarm that at-risk Australian construction and tunnel workers may not be being tested for silicosis. Silicosis […]

In March 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a free mobile app to help people check their hearing and prompt early intervention in the case of hearing loss. Using a digits-in-noise test, the hearWHO app claims 85 per cent accuracy in identifying potential hearing damage in people aged 18 years and over. Available on […]

Employers and PPE Employers who provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees have legal responsibilities to ensure the PPE is fit-for-purpose, well maintained and used by workers. In other words, it is not simply enough to provide workers with PPE or an allowance to buy the equipment themselves. They also should determine if it is […]

High silica exposure rates among Australian workers came to light in 2018, prompting reviews of state workplace health and safety (WHS) laws and exposure limits. Workers compensation bodies have seen a number of claims for silicosis, an incurable and potentially fatal lung disease that can develop as a result of exposure to respirable crystalline silica […]

As new technology changes the nature of work, the future of WHS must balance the benefits of automation with the risks of a dispersed, ageing workforce, according to a 2018 report by the CSIRO. The report identified six megatrends that persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) should be planning for as their workplaces change. […]

Just one death in a workplace is one too many, but when workplace fatalities in New Zealand are 19 per cent higher* for Māori than for non-Māori, it demands attention. So, why are Māori workers more susceptible to workplace injuries and fatalities than non-Māori workers? Maruiti 2025: In 2016 WorkSafe New Zealand (WorkSafe NZ), the […]

Australia’s largest independent wholesale supplier of personal safety solutions, family-owned Paramount Safety Products, acquired Pratt Safety Systems in July 2016, bringing the total number of safety brands under its umbrella to four. Best known for its personal protective equipment (PPE) brand, ProChoice Safety Gear, the 24-year-old Paramount Safety has been riding remarkable Australian and international […]

The angle grinder is one of the most dangerous tools in the workplace. Thus, appropriate angle grinder safety and training on operating procedures are critical for the sake of workers and their families. The most serious injuries from angle grinders are: lacerations from kickbacks, and lacerations from attachments (such as grinding discs and wheels) that […]

Ototoxins in the Workplace Indeed, many ototoxins, commonplace chemicals, cause hearing loss, tinnitus, deafness and vertigo. Surprisingly, people are often unaware of the health risks despite being at risk of exposure. Ototoxic chemicals, which can be found in substances such as paints, thinners, degreasers, glues and engine exhaust, travel through the blood stream once they […]

Grinding and welding are the two most common tasks resulting in an eye injury, according to a 2008 report from Safe Work Australia (SWA). The SWA report suggested improving eye protection at work by training workers in the correct use of safety eyewear. The report found that a substantial number of injuries occurred in the […]