Search Results for: asbestos

Sorting by relevance. Sort by date.

Fearing the invisible – selling nanotechnology hazards

The community is not getting as concerned about nanotechnology as expected (or perhaps as needed).  There is the occasional scare and the Australian unions have relaunched their campaign on the hazards of nanotechnology manufacturing.  There have been several articles about the potential ecosystem damage of nanotechnology in our waterways.  Frequently, it can be heard that nanotechnology is … Continue reading “Fearing the invisible – selling nanotechnology hazards”

Lawyer speaks on nanotechnology risks

A leading Australian OHS lawyer, Michael Tooma, spoke to ABC Radio on 16 April 2009. Tooma spoke about the potential risks employers face by dealing with a substance whose hazard rating is unclear. HE says “Employers at the moment may be unaware of the extent of the potential liability sometime down the track. …We could be … Continue reading “Lawyer speaks on nanotechnology risks”

Unions step-up OHS concerns over nanotechnology

The Australian Council of Trade Unions has updated its campaign over nanotechnology concerns.  Geoff Fary, Assistant Secretary, said in a media statement  “With animal tests showing some nanomaterials share the same characteristics and reactions as asbestos fibres, governments and business must not repeat the  painful lessons of the past and allow another tragedy to occur again.  “Existing … Continue reading “Unions step-up OHS concerns over nanotechnology”

Nanotechnology safety campaign (with Interview)

On 18 March 2009, Steve Mullins the OHS Officer with the Australian Council of Trade Unions presented a paper on nanotechnology hazards to the “Science Meets Parliament” forum.  His concerns over worker safety are not shared by the nanotechnology industry as media reports show but, as Steve points out, nanotechnology hazards have some interesting parallels with … Continue reading “Nanotechnology safety campaign (with Interview)”

OHS as an agent of change

Tom Bramble is a Queensland socialist academic who recently published a history of Australian trade unionism.  I attended his book launch in Melbourne and found it partly inspiring and partly disconcerting. Tom (pictured here) was an excellent speaker and seemed to be a known entity to the strongly socialist audience.  It was the audience that I … Continue reading “OHS as an agent of change”

Eliminating hazards

In the aims of most of the Australian OHS legislation is  “to eliminate, at the source, risks to the health, safety and welfare of employees and other persons at work…” I have written elsewhere on how this conflicts with the push for “reasonably practicable” but the need to remember this important aim was emphasised by … Continue reading “Eliminating hazards”

Maintaining professional standards by looking outside the discipline

I am a great believer that solutions to hazards in one industry can be applied or adapted to other industry sectors.  Regular readers of SafetyAtWorkBlog are aware of the cross-referencing between general workplace hazards and some solutions from the sex industry. However, solutions can come from other countries as well, and not just from the … Continue reading “Maintaining professional standards by looking outside the discipline”