General News

Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations Changes

09-07-2021

Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Amendment (Notification) Regulations 2021 The Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2012 have been updated as WorkSafe Victoria have made the decision to more closely monitor businesses holding large (Manifest) quantities of Dangerous Goods. This change came into effect as of 01 July 2021, if you would like any assistance...


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Plant OHS Risk Assessments

16-01-2020

Why undertake Plant Risk Assessment? Employers have a duty to identify and control all hazards present for each piece of plant to ensure that they are safe to use (OHS Regulations Part 3.5, Division 5). OHS Regulation 105 requires that “plant is inspected to the extent necessary to ensure that any risk associated with the...


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Dry Cutting of Engineered Stone – New Regulations in Force

11-09-2019

Workers exposed to silica as respirable dust can develop disease including lung cancer and silicosis in a number of forms; Acute silicosis which occurs after a short exposure to very high levels of dust within a few weeks or years. Accelerated silicosis can occur after exposures of 3-10 years. Chronic silicosis which occurs after long...


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WORKPLACE MANSLAUGHTER LAWS COMING TO VICTORIA

16-07-2019

The Andrews Labor Government made a commitment as part of its 2018 re-election platform to introduce industrial Manslaughter laws into Victoria. This introduction will form part of the review of the Victorian Occupational Health & Safety Act 2004. In Victoria up to 30 people are killed and almost 26,000 people are injured at work every...


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The Importance of Compliance Codes

18-05-2018

Occupational Health and Safety compliance requirements help businesses meet best practice operations, community expectations and continual improvement. All acts, for example the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 set the general requirements and tone for the legislative tool and work as overarching guidelines to by which organisations should operate. Regulations are the tools by...


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Management Systems: Benefits and Structure

15-04-2018

The process of developing, implementing, reviewing and continuously improving systems to ISO and/or Australian Standards requirements is a specialist task involving strong organisational support, appropriate resourcing and often becomes part of the core philosophy around ‘the way we do things here’. Most popular standards grow confidence in organisational operations involve OHS, Quality and Environmental Management...


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Heat Stress – Manage the hazard!

07-03-2018

Australians have a deep love for the sun culture; our ‘sunburnt land’ is known the world over for our beaches and bronzed bodies. During the warmer months, Australians spend more time exposed to potentially lethal UV rays which presents a hazard requiring constant attention by leaders. While this can be the best time of year...


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2017 OHS Regulations Changes: Hazardous Manual Handling

02-10-2017

Requirements Hazardous Manual Handling is one key area of concern for WorkSafe as part of the OHS Regulations 2017 (Vic.) update. As a result, this is an area which SafetyZone OHS Consulting is currently assisting a number of firms to ensure compliance. The Guidance note states ‘The hazardous manual handling part of the OHS Regulations...


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New Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017

10-07-2017

The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regs. 2017) were implemented and became effective in Victoria on 18 June 2017. With the exception of licensing structures for registered training organisations (RTOs), which have a 12 month transition time frame, the regulations are effective immediately. The intention of the OHS Regulations 2017 is to provide...


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New OHS Regulations 2017 – Changes to Chemical Safety Management

09-06-2017

Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 Changes to Chemical Safety Management. In Victoria, the management of chemical safety is covered by a complex range of State and Federal Acts and Regulations. For employers who aren’t manufacturers, transporters or suppliers the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, which covers hazardous substances, and the Dangerous Goods (Storage...


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