LATEST ARTICLES
Protecting yourself from Silicosis
Silica dust and silicosis is a serious issue for building, construction, quarry and tunnel workers. It’s crucial to know how to protect your long term health when working with dust in industry. Recently, a visiting black lung specialist expressed alarm that at-risk Australian construction and tunnel workers may not be being tested for silicosis. Silicosis […]
Safety and PPE working in cold storage
Working in Cold Storage Workers in cold storage environments are at risk of cold stress, making personal protective equipment (PPE) a critical last line of defence against frostbite, hypothermia and death. According to WorkSafe Victoria’s Safe Operations of Cold Storage Facilities Handbook, a cold environment is defined as one in which greater than normal bodily […]
Quantitative vs qualitative respirator fit tests: What’s the difference?
Workers must pass a “fit test” before being issued tight-fitting respirators, with two methods of testing available – quantitative and qualitative. Both types of tests are used to determine if the disposable or reusable respirator has an adequate seal, by detecting if any air is leaking into the facepiece. However, qualitative tests are pass/fail, based […]
ProChoice Safety gloves saved Arda’s hand in angle grinder incident
A 29-year old man has escaped with minor scratches and a small fracture to his hand after a DIY project went wrong.
Arda Hancioglu (pictured) was using an angle grinder to create a fire pit for his backyard when the cutting disc broke and he lost control of the tool.
Colour for marking physical hazards: SAA Industrial Safety Colour Code
Appropriate signage is a critical component of controlling risks within the workplace, with colour playing a significant role in the identification of hazards.
History of RPE in the Workplace
The use of Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) can be traced back over 2000 years, with a variety of primitive methods used before technology took over.
Increasing opioid use in Australia likely to impact blue collar industries
As Australia heads into an opioid crisis, the extent of illicit drug use among blue collar workers is of increasing concern, especially given the associated safety risks.
While illegal opioids, such as heroin, may immediately spring to mind, misuse of prescription opioids, including morphine and oxycodone, is a more significant problem.
Welding fumes and radiation cause lung and eye cancer, possibly kidney cancer
In 2018, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified welding fumes as “carcinogenic to humans”, an upgrade on its previous 1989 status as a “possible” cancer-causing agent. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from welding was also classified as carcinogenic, while molybdenum trioxide – a chemical sometimes used in welding – was classified as possibly carcinogenic […]
