The health and safety of students and staff is everybody's business. All staff should be aware of their rights and responsibilities in this regard. The AEU also strongly encourages all workplaces to have health and safety committees and a trained, elected health and safety rep.
For other information:
Election of a Workplace Health and Safety Rep
According to Workplace Health and Safety Regulations, all workplaces with 10 or more employees are entitled to an elected health and safety rep if the staff request one. That rep is elected for a 3 year period and must then, BY LAW, be trained within 6 months.
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Violent Students
Below are some PDF documents to download on violent students:
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Union Save Lives
Unions save lives. Organised workplaces are safer workplaces.
Unions know that workplace health and safety is the one of the biggest issues for all workers. We also know that prevention is the key.
Our focus is on making sure governments set strict health and safety laws and standards, that employers meet their obligations and that employees, and health and safety reps, understand their rights and how best to organise around health and safety at work.
At present there are 9 different OHS Laws operating in Australia. All governments want to replace these with a model OHS law. This new Model Law is due to be completed by the end of 2009. To do this, the Government appointed a Panel to make recommendations about the Model Law. Its final report was released in February.
Instead of raising the Federal standards to the highest levels from each State's existing laws, the Report's recommendations, if adopted, could strike down up to 30 years of progress.
Unions are very concerned that if the governments accept all the recommendations - ALL Australian workers will be worse off. And it's no wonder when you consider these figures:
- Every year it is estimated that 8,000 Australians die from a work-related injury or illness - more than four times the annual road toll.
- In the next year, around one in every fifteen Australian workers will suffer a work-related injury or disease with 200,000 people affected seriously enough to take five or more days off work.
- Every 2-3 minutes someone will be injured seriously enough to lodge a workers' compensation claim.
- The Australian economy suffers to the tune of nearly $60 billion, or 5.9% of GDP a year. Half this cost is borne by workers and their families and the remaining half by the community.
These figures highlight the enormous cost of unsafe and unhealthy workplaces to the Australian economy but more disturbing is the number of families affected every year. A strong OHS Model Law is especially important when employers have said that they put profits before safety.
"It is often suggested that OHS should be the top priority. While this is a worthy ideal every organisation should strive for, the reality is that making a profit will always be the highest priority of a business." Australian Industry Group, Workplace Health and Safety, Autumn 2008
Don't risk 2nd rate safety.
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Other Information
Cement Australia Screening Program
Have you or do you know anyone who has ever worked at Goliath Cement in Railton, Tasmania? If you were employed at the plant between 1947 and 1986 you may have been exposed to asbestos fibres while the asbestos factory was in operation.
Please consider participating in a health screening program.
The health screening - a joint program of the AWU and Cement Australia - is the latest stage of a ground-breaking joint project. Under the screening workers will have the opportunity to have a free lung function test and chest x-ray. The purpose of these tests is to make them aware of their lung health and in particular, to determine if they exhibit any effect from asbestos exposure. These tests are at no cost to the former employees and Cement Australia is coordinating all appointments by qualified medical specialists.
Union works with Cement Australia on asbestos health screening program The Australian Workers Union and Cement Australia have put together this groundbreaking research project looking into the health of current and former employees at the Railton cement plant that produced asbestos cement products between 1947 and 1986.
Australian Education Tasmania President, Leanne Wright, urged people who may know the whereabouts of former Railton cement plant workers - either in Tasmania or other parts of Australia – to let them know about this new health screening program - as soon as possible. To register for the health screening call Geoff Currie at Cement Australia on 1800 355 231 (toll free) or email: Geoff.Currie@cemaust.com.au
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