Safe Work Australia has released new guidance to help health and safety representatives exercise their powers when dealing with asbestos hazards in the workplace.
The seven-page guide outlines how HSRs can use their functions to protect workers from asbestos exposure, including conducting inspections, issuing provisional improvement notices and directing unsafe work to stop.
The guidance notes that asbestos-containing materials in Australian buildings are now decades old and deteriorating, which increases the likelihood of fibre release. HSRs are reminded that PCBUs must consult with them when identifying asbestos hazards, assessing risks, making decisions about controlling exposure, or planning work that could disturb asbestos-containing materials.
Before issuing a PIN or directing work to cease, HSRs should first attempt to resolve the matter through consultation with the PCBU. However, consultation isn’t required for cessation directions where the risk is so serious and immediate that it would be unreasonable to delay.
An accompanying two-page checklist for HSRs is also available.
South Australia grants engineered stone reinstallation exemption
SafeWork SA has exempted the reinstallation of existing engineered stone benchtops from the manufacturing and installation ban introduced in July 2024.
The exemption applies only where an existing benchtop, panel or slab is being reinstalled in the same location and at the same address from which it was removed, typically to allow repair or modification of underlying cabinetry or other components.
PCBUs must limit any processing to minor modifications, control exposure in accordance with regulations, and notify the regulator where processing is required. The exemption is valid until 30 March 2027.
Queensland construction sites face falling objects blitz
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has announced a compliance campaign targeting falling object hazards on construction sites, with inspections and enforcement action beginning in February.
The regulator notes that 20 Queensland construction workers died from being struck or crushed by falling objects over the two decades to 2023. A recent fatality on the Gold Coast, where a concrete pump reducer pipe fell from mobile placing equipment, has underscored the ongoing danger.
WHSQ is urging employers to review their risk controls ahead of the blitz. Common measures include exclusion zones, perimeter screening, catch platforms, good housekeeping practices and tool lanyards.
