Gone are the days when rigger’s gloves were the preferred hand protection on site with technology advances meaning specific gloves increasingly provide specific protection for an application. Brad Rodgers, ProChoice Safety Gear product development manager said the company has 95 different types of safety gloves – each with its own range of sizes […]
Separation from loved ones, isolation, long shifts, disrupted sleep, lower living standards, onerous rules on and off the job and a “suck it up” culture has seen higher rates of metal health issues in FIFO workers, according to a 2013 Lifeline report. The report states that a significant number of FIFO workers had “poor coping […]
More than half of people attending hospital for eye damage caused by metal fragments from grinding and similar applications were not wearing safety glasses at the time of the accident, according to a study by The Centre for Eye Research Australia. The study, conducted in 2009 by Professor Rasik Vajpayee, looked at 100 patients over […]
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world with it affecting two in three Aussies by the time they turn 70. Around 445,000 Australians are diagnosed every year and it is the most common cancer in 15-44 year-old Australians. In 2010, 11,405 people were diagnosed with melanoma – the most dangerous type […]
Sunscreen is a critical element in protection from the sun’s skin cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation (UV), however many people are putting themselves at risk by not applying sunscreen correctly, according to Cancer Council. They say part of the cause is that the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) rating system is often misunderstood, particularly the benefit of SPF […]
A few years ago I was asked to photo-document the construction of a timber frame house for a company website. I went back and forth to the construction site over the course of several days capturing the various stages of the build. All the workers were very cooperative and with their help I managed to […]
Keith Patten is a Diesel Fitter in the Bowen Basin who tragically lost two of his sons to suicide in separate incidents in 2002 and 2004. Keith now travels around Australian worksites delivering inspirational talks to FIFO workers about the issues of mental health in the workplace. The following is his story. Society creates men […]
If I offered you one million dollars to cut off your arm, would you take it? If not, then you already have something worth more than a million dollars. In fact, you have two of them. This month is Safe Work Australia month. It is important that during this time we all take a […]
