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Vet dies from Hendra virus - Thursday, August 21, 2008
Ben Cunneen the treating vetenarian at the Redlands Veterniary Clinic in Brisbane's East has died from the Hendra virus which he contracted along with a nurse. Mr Cunneen died in the Princess Alexandra hospital this morning. read more...

Mining may not be able to improve safety - Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Queensland Resources Council chief executive, Michael Roche says "we have to face the fact this is an industry that's going to grow another 50 per cent between now and 2020, so the challenge is to improve safety while bringing on all those new people". read more...

Bomb scare at Eagle Farm - Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A yellow 4kg LPG cyclinder wrapped in blue electrical tape with a tin box on the top and wires running from the box to cylinder was found outside the Alsco laundry service in Violet Street in Eagle Farm this morning. A cleaner identified the mysterious object and alerted the police at 4.30am this morning. read more...

Toowoomba fire kills two - Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A trailer manufacturing business in Toowoomba that caught fire early this morning has killed people. The fire is presumed to have started in a residence attached to the business, police have not yet identified the two people found dead. read more...

Man dies in quarry accident - Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Police say the incident happened yesterday at the Castle Creek Quarry, near Theodore, south-west of Gladstone. Mine safety officers are investigating the incident.

Gold Coast man dies in forklift accident - Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A 68-year-old man has died after suffering sever head injuries from a forklift accident at a truck parking yard at Carrara yesterday. Workplace health and safety are investigating the incident. read more...

Ombudsman investigating Bundaberg Horticulture Industry - Tuesday, August 19, 2008
THe Federal Workplace Ombudsman is looking into a number of issues in the south-east region in Bundaberg that came from checks into the fruit and vegetable industry. read more...

Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research found work force mental health impact - Monday, August 18, 2008
Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (QCMHR) found in their research of more than 1,000 employees that 15 per cent needed further assessment or treatment for depression or anxiety. read more...

Mt Isa to be named "safe community" by WHO - Monday, August 18, 2008
According to Dr Carolyn Coggan from the New Zealand's Safe Community Accreditation Centre Mt Isa is eligible to be recognised by the WHO. Coggan explains "this award does not mean the community is perfectly safe. What it does mean is that the community has systems and processes in place to address safety, so its taking a coordinated approach". read more...

Woman tangled at St John's Cathedral - Monday, August 18, 2008
A 50-year-old woman became entangled in the ropes for the bell of famous St John's Cathedral while attempting to ring it. The accident resulted in her breaking her leg. The ordeal lasted approximately and hour and a device similar to a cherry picker was required to rescue the woman. read more...

Cloncurry chemical spill - Monday, August 18, 2008
Approximately 100 litres of flammable liquid has leaked from a 26,000 litre tank at a freight depot in Cloncurry in north-west Queensland. The liquid used in the mining industry did not injure anyone nor was the site evacuated. read more...

Truck driver trapped for 2 hours - Monday, August 18, 2008
A 60-year-old truck driver spent 2 hours trapped in his truck after it rolled on a remote road in rural Queensland. The accident happened on Cullendore Road near Killarney at about midday. The man was pinned upside in his truck for an hour before anyone stopped to help. It was another hour until the Queensland Fire and Rescue Unit from Toowoomba freed the man. read more...

Man killed at Donnybrook - Monday, August 18, 2008
A 27-year-old man working at a sand quarry near Bribie Island near Brisbane was killed when the crane he was operating on a pontoon broke its mooring and flipped over last Wednesday afternoon. Four workers witness the pontoon flip. read more...

Man trapped by 400kg of steel at Carole Park - Friday, August 15, 2008
A 28-year-old man spent 50 minutes with his legs trapped underneath 400kg of steel at Transblast Coating Services at 9pm last night. Ambulance officers provided the man with pain relief while efforts were made to remove the steel. Both of his legs were crushed in the incident and the man was taken to Princess Alexandra hospital at 10.30pm last night. read more...

Meatworks Evacuated after acid spill - Thursday, August 14, 2008
An abattoir in Oakey in Southern Queensland was evacuated at 10.00am on Tuesday after a tank began leaking acid. 2, 000 litres of acid were spilt but no injuies have surfaced. read more...

Evacuation of high-rise due to chemical scare - Monday, August 11, 2008
At 11.30 am today 000 received several calls about a possible chemical leak on the seventh floor of a Charlotte Street police building in Brisbane's city. Sixty people were evacuated and one person taken to St Andrews' Hospital after being exposed to a suspicious substance on a envelope. read more...

Aircon Coolant blamed for Shopping Centre evacuation - Friday, August 08, 2008
Helensvale's Westfield Shopping Centre on the Gold Coast was evacuated yesterday after the customers and workers alike complained of difficulty breathing and discomfort. Commonwealth Bank in the centre was evacuated by 11.30 am and 14 employees were treated at the seen after symptoms of shortness of breath and dryness in the airways were reported. Two of the staff members were later transported to hospital for further respiratory problems. Further into the day the northern half of the centre was shut down after customers were treated for similar symptoms. By 3 pm the entire centre was shut down. Firefighters and the QFRS conducted testing to conclude what was happening read more...

Passengers on Brisbane bus flee fire - Thursday, August 07, 2008
Passengers on a Brisbane Translink bus located at Brighton that caught fire at about 8 am this morning had to flee the inferno. 27 passengers were evacuated and no one was injured read more...

Gold Coast Airport claims no risk of asbestos - Thursday, August 07, 2008
The Gold Coast Airport has started its renovations over the weekend to redevelop the terminals as fears have been raised of the work disturbing asbestos in the ceiling of the complex. Paul Donovan the airports chief operating officer has claimed that visitors will not be at risk of exposure during the major terminal revelopment project. read more...

Worker killed in Gold Coast high-rise fall - Thursday, August 07, 2008
A 47-year-old man was killed yesterday when he fell from the 16th floor of the Edgewater Gardens Aprtments in Surfers Paradisde on the Gold Coast while completing work. Police and Workplace Health and Safety inspectors were investigating though the death was not being treated as suspicious. read more...

Parents expect report of "near death' of their son from Navy - Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Parents of a 22-yeal-old Navy sailor who was badly injured when working in Thursday Island will receive a report from the Navy detailing why their son almost died. The sailor was left on Thursday Island for 72 hours without follow-up medical attention. The sailor was said to be "near death' when he finally received medical treatment and surgery at darwin Hospital. An inquiry has been held by the Navy to identify what went wrong. read more...

Gold Coast man sues Qld Rail over bashing - Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Scott Lillicrap, 35 was robbed, beaten and stomped on at Sunnbank Railway station in Brisbane just over 2 years ago. The attack left Mr Lillicrap in a coma and 3 men were jailed over the incident. Witnesses apparenetly pushed the emergency button at the station at least 3 times but to avail as rail officers thought it was a prank and ignored it. read more...

Independent Review found Brisbane Bridge Safe - Wednesday, August 06, 2008
A Review of the Caption Cook Bridge has found the bridge to be safe. It was found last year that steel reinforcement bars on the bridge were damaged during work putting the bridges structure and stability at risk. The claims forced the temporary closure of the bridge, while initial checks were made. But Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt said a more thorough check of the bridge's structural integrity showed it was safe and the claims could not be substantiated read more...

AMAQ - mandatory reporting won't fix it - Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Australian Medical Association of Queensland (AMAQ) is speaking out about the mandatory reporting of misconduct by medical professionals. Concerns were raised about the work and Egytian-trained surgeon before he joined the Mackay-based hospital a report issued by the Health Quality and Complaints Commission (HQCC) revealed. read more...

Watpac drop legal action over Newstead site - Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Watpac has dropped legal action against the ABC for the proposed $15 million site at Newstead. The ABC have been working to regain their $1.5 million deposit following evidence that it may have high levels of radiation. ABC staff previously walked off the job at the last site due to a breast cancer cluster. read more...

Sympathetic to compensation claims amid dangerous doctor fears - Tuesday, August 05, 2008
A report into Health Services at Mackay Base Hospital recommeneded an audit of about 1,000 surgical procedures conducted by Dr Abdalla Khalifalla in Mackay, Townsville, Proserpine and Mt Isa from 2001. Stephen Robertson the state health minister has stated that legal action may be taken against Queensland Health as the employing authority. read more...

Fear of a Cancer Cluster at Gold Coast Hospital - Monday, August 04, 2008
Staff at Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast have raised concern over the amount of employees at the hospital diagnosed with cancer in a 10 year period. An investigation is underway following the concerns of employees. Richard Lizzio, chief executive of the hospital stated that "We have identified around 25 people and they are a myriad of different cancer types". He explained that most of the staff were aged over 40 and that there were 2,000 people who would have been employed there in a 10 year period. Mr Lizzio stated "I don't believe there really is a cluster here at all but we need to take it seriously". read more...

RSPCA workers choke on toxic air from caged rats - Monday, August 04, 2008
RSPCA officers in Townsville have been treated at hospital after inhaling toxic levels of ammonia from the urine of more than 500 caged rats after seizing the animals from a property west of Townsville. The premises believed to be part of a home-based breeding business had 116 dogs and more than 500 rats seized by police and RSPCA officers. After inhaling the high concentrations of ammonia a couple of officers were sent to the emergency department after experiencing vomiting, burning in the eyes and were unable to breath properly. Gail Lane, the RSPCA Townsville Shelter manager stated that "this has had an effect health-wise on the staff, even though we are taking all necessary precautions with workplace health and safety". read more...

Man dies after his tractor rolls on him - Monday, August 04, 2008
A 36 year old man was fatally injured yesterday when his tractor rolled on top of him. The incident occured on the family property at Pine Mountain in Ipswich (west of Brisbane). Police and Workplace Health and Safety Officers are investigating. read more...

Coal train collides with ute - Monday, August 04, 2008
A coal train has collided with an abandoned ute on a railway crossing at approximately 1.00am this morning in Midgee, near Rockhampton. Luckily the train was empty and no one was injured. Police are currently searching for the owner of the ute. read more...

Assistance discussed with Hendra Virus Vet Clinic - Monday, August 04, 2008
Two infected workers are seriously ill in hospital, while more staff are undergoing blood tests at a Hendra Vet Clinic after the deadly Hendra Virus was contracted from horses at the premises. The Vet Clinic may be forced to shut its doors because of the virus outbreak. Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherirn will meet with the owners to look at options to stop the closure and loss if jobs for the Hendra practice. read more...

Gas Leak results in GoMA & Library evacuation - Monday, August 04, 2008
Following an ammonia leak at the nearby Parmalat factory yesterday the Gallery of Modern Art which was exhibiting the Picasso Exhibition evacuated 550 people from its premises. Several factories that were located near the Parmalat factory were also evacuated. Emergency Services Queensland spokeswoman said the leak was controlled at about 10 am. read more...

The most important reason for making the workplace safe ...
... its not work at all. Its coming home each day to live your life! read more...

Don't forget Bernie - Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Long time fighter for Asbestos victims Bernie Banton died today. His efforts have been profound in raising awareness of Asbestos disease and seeking just compensation. We should not forget his legacy. read more...

New Small Business Course (free)
Safe Work has developed a new OHS course for small business. It is available by clicking the following link and is free. However, we would appreciate your feedback on the course content and any suggestions on how we can provide additional free services to small business. read more...

WHS Reps course approved
A new WHS Representatives training course has now been accredited by the Department of Education and Training. The 3 day course is based on the existing Safe Work course. All workplace Reps requesting training will be required to do this course.

New evidence on Cancer
New research by A/Prof. Lin Fritschi and Dr Tim Driscoll published in June 2006 has estimated that 5,000 invasive cancers per year are caused by occupational exposures and that 1.5 million workers are exposed to known carcinogens. This research supports the Access Economics study released in 2005 which identified that between 5000 and 7000 workers die from occupational disease each year in Australia. [Fritschi & Driscoll (2006) Cancer Due to Occupation in Australia. Aus .& NZ J. of Pub. Health 30:213-219]

Major changes to WHS Act
A major updating of the Workplace Health and Safety Act is in force from 2 November 2005. Section 22 previously described risk management as a basic concept and is now a detailed obligation in s27A. Employers will now also be obliged to ensure all aspects of the common law duties in s29 are implemented. The consolidated version has been published on the parliamentary counsel website. read more...

Safe Work encourages review of emergency systems
Safe Work is advising course participants that more attention needs to be given to identifying credible emergency events due to increased security risks. The process of risk management required by section 22 WHS Act specifies the need to identify workplace hazards. Emergency events need to be assessed in a equally systematic manner giving consideration to the source of the risk its likelihood and control measures. The Safe Work OHS manual describes a comprehensive process for emergency management. We are available to assist businesses to review their EMS from a safety, environmental or security perspective. read more...

Construction Induction (Blue Card) – every 2 weeks
With the construction industry doing so well at the moment, Safe Work has been requested to increase it’s frequency of conducting the 4 hour Construction Induction course. This course is required for all construction workers prior to commencement on site. read more...

New safety management manual - free
To promote the systematic implementation of safety programs, Safe Work has developed an integrated safety, environment and quality system, including generic guidance and procedures. The full version of the Safe Work Safety Sustainability Manual is available at read more...