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For organisations looking to shift from lagging safety indicators to leading indicators, they must first address their preparedness, priorities and safety culture maturity level, according to recent research. Specifically, leading indicators must be adopted with a systems-thinking approach where they are developed and used in a work context involving people and technology, rather than merely focusing on human behaviour or identifying leading indicators for machinery or plant.

Although most businesses strive to do the right thing by their employees and reduce psychosocial risks, the complexity of this task means most organisations are still struggling to comprehensively address workplace mental health challenges, according to the Black Dog Institute.

WorkSafe Victoria recently announced that employers and those responsible for prescribed equipment used outside of workplaces must notify the regulators of certain incidents involving a broader range of machinery. Importantly, high-risk machinery in common use such as tractors, quad bikes, forklifts, excavators and mining and quarrying equipment are now included.

There are four key factors which improve psychosocial safety: top management support for stress prevention; prioritising worker psychological health over productivity and profits; better communication systems about risks and prevention; and better consultation with workers and all levels of the organisation in resolving risks, according to the University of South Australia.

Australia Post recently urged dog owners to properly secure their dogs as it revealed that more than 55 posties have fallen victim to dog-related incidents every working week. Despite Australia Post’s pleas for more action from dog owners, more than 1420 dog-related incidents have occurred in Australia in the past six months. While no dog breed is more likely to attack than another, Australia Post said it is increasingly seeing smaller dogs that show aggressive behaviour.

Australia loses 41,194 work years annually due to work-related injury, disease and mental health conditions – the equivalent of more than 41,000 lost jobs – according to Monash University research. Published in the Medical Journal of Australia, the study aimed to quantify the national burden of working time lost to compensable occupational injury and disease and how working time lost is distributed across age, sex, injury and disease.

ACT: repeat offenders in residential construction on notice There has been little change in safety behaviours and recurrent non-compliance by a number of residential construction businesses in the ACT, despite repeated enforcement notices and engagement with WorkSafe ACT inspectors, according to the regulator.

Blanket ban of engineered stone recommended by Safe Work Australia The use of all engineered stone, irrespective of crystalline silica content, should be banned in order to protect the health and safety of workers, according to Safe Work Australia.

NSW: new strategy to prevent sexual harassment at work SafeWork NSW recently launched its first four-year strategy (2023-2027) to support NSW businesses in preventing workplace sexual harassment and other gender-based harmful workplace behaviours.

Safety alert issued after young worker injured by racking system Workplace Health and Safety Queensland recently issued a safety alert following an incident in which a young worker was seriously injured when welded mesh sheets fell onto him.

NSW government to introduce industrial manslaughter law The NSW Government recently announced that it will introduce industrial manslaughter laws across the state – making it the last mainland jurisdiction to bring an industrial manslaughter offence or legislation to parliament.