Browsing: Health and wellbeing

Programs for improving health and wellbeing in male-dominated workplaces are often ineffective, but UK researchers have identified ways to break down the barriers to engagement.

• Close contact exemptions extended to multiple industries;
  
• PTSD presumption introduced in WA; and
  
• Sun safety advice issued by SWA.

Forcing workers to pay for their own rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 will have a major impact on workplace health and safety standards, unions have warned ahead of today's National Cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, vaccination and isolation rules for workers have been amended in some regions, and an employer has been fined for allowing unvaccinated staff to carry out work.

• COVID, cancers and PTSD added to deemed diseases list; and
  
• New electrical safety laws mirror NT's WHS Act.

Employers digitising their work processes require interventions like "digital pilots" to help workers deal with new technology healthily and without stress, say researchers who found such transitions can overwhelm a significant number of workers.

The recently launched international Standard for protecting workers' psychological health can help employers meet their WHS duties in Australia, and could be used by regulators "looking for evidence of compliance" with safety laws, according to a new report.

• Harassment prosecutions flagged on launch of FIFO program; and
  
• WHS scrutiny of suppliers stepped up in ACT.

• New WHS guide targets vehicle roll-aways, driver distraction and more; and
  
• WHS exemptions explained by new SWA guidance.

Managing psychosocial risks is critical not only to prevent mental health injuries but the occurrence of "major accidents", new guidance material from a WHS regulator has stressed.

Empowering bystander action can curb workplace s-xist behaviour and s-xual harassment, while trauma-informed care for those impacted is key to facilitating recovery, according to a new industry toolkit for eliminating harassment and improving health and safety.