Browsing: Heat

A study of work-related acute kidney injuries spanning 10 years shows heat stress is not exclusive to the realm of outdoor work, and comprehensive heat stress interventions, particularly around acclimatisation, are crucial.

National guidance on controlling work-related heat risks has been amended to include what has been described as the first-aid "gold standard" for workers with heat stroke.

A major employer has been fined for failing to ensure three workers, who were required to walk dozens of kilometres in high temperatures, were trained to identify and control the risks associated with exposure to extreme conditions. One of the workers died.

A company that failed to comply with its legislative duty to conduct computer modelling of planned changes to a mine's ventilation system has been convicted and fined $480,000, after a worker was exposed to unsafe levels of heat and diesel fumes, and died.

A manager's belief that a 70-year-old job applicant wasn't capable of working safely in a hot environment, because of his age, was "based upon the type of assumptions" that employment laws guard against, a judge has ruled in penalising two companies for discriminating against the worker.

The Federal, state and territory governments have been told to enact greater oversight of the WHS duty to provide resources for workers exposed to heat, and urgently review regulatory frameworks to ensure workers are protected against emerging risks from climate change.

A European holiday worker, whose heat stroke death in Queensland resulted in two WHS prosecutions, was neither acclimatised to the area nor provided with adequate opportunities to escape from the sun, a coroner has found.

A second PCBU has been fined over the heat stress death of a worker, with a court finding it breached its duties as the entity in control of the workplace by failing to provide suitable rest areas or shade.

Forgetfulness is the most common barrier to using sun protection, even for workers with good knowledge and attitudes toward sun safety, highlighting the importance of workplace reminder systems, Australian researchers have found.

In an important study for Australian WHS duty holders, US researchers have demonstrated that workers' bodies can quickly heat up during hot days, countering the common belief among employers that workers are safe from heat risks in the morning.