This educational resource provides guidance about work health and safety and safe work design.

It covers the evidence and theory behind the principles of good work design. Further guidance is available in:

This report examines the scientific evidence on the link between diseases and workplace exposure.  

Workers’ compensation authorities can use this report to revise the deemed diseases provisions in their workers’ compensation legislation.  

How businesses and workers gain access to work health and safety information has been identified as an area of interest in the

This paper reports on the attitudes of Australian workers towards accepting risk taking and rule breaking in the workplace.  

The issue

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of chemical compounds formed during the incomplete combustion of organic material.

The Australian Work Exposures Study (AWES) was a national survey conducted by the Western Australian Institute of Medical Research (WAIMR) in 2011–12 that investigated work-related exposures among Australian workers to 38 known or suspected carcinogens.

The Australian Work Exposures Study (AWES) was a national survey conducted by the Western Australian Institute of Medical Research (WAIMR) in 2011–12 that investigated work-related exposures among Australian workers to 38 known or suspected carcinogens.

The Australian Work Exposures Study (AWES) was a national survey conducted by the Western Australian Institute of Medical Research (WAIMR) in 2011–12 that investigated work-related exposures among Australian workers to 38 known or suspected carcinogens.

This study examined 523 worker fatalities for which there was sufficient information on the circumstances to make a judgement on the contribution of unsafe design to the incident.

This information sheet provides advice on the current laws and requirements when managing inorganic lead in the workplace. 

This report: 

This report by The University of Sydney presents the findings of a pilot study that aimed to:

This report demonstrates the important role employers play in supporting a worker to return to work following an injury. The report uses data from the 2013 Return to Work Survey of 4698 injured workers from Australia and New Zealand.

This project was undertaken by Instinct and Reason Pty Ltd under commission from Safe Work Australia. The report describes the findings of a qualitative research study on the structural metal product manufacturing industry—an industry with a high rate of work-related injury and illness.

There has been very little published about how and why interventions by regulators influence work health and safety compliance and outcomes.

Several European studies have reported high levels of residual chemical levels in sealed shipping containers. The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service found similar results when testing containers in Australia.

Biomechanical demands such as repetitive hand or arm movements, lifting heavy loads or working in awkward postures contribute to the development or worsening of inflammatory or degenerative musculoskeletal disorders.

Biological hazards are organic substances that pose a threat to the health of humans and other living organisms. They include pathogenic micro-organisms, viruses (e.g. Hepatitis, HIV, avian flu, Q-fever), toxins, spores, fungi and bio-active substances.

In a key step toward making the harmonisation of OHS laws a reality, the National Review into Model OHS Laws (the Review) concluded in January 2009 with the provision of the Review panel's second and final report to the Workplace Relations Ministers' Council (WRMC).

This report provides information on the risks associated with caring for obese and bariatric patients, including: 

• transporting patients  

• moving patients 

• in-home treatment 

While the use of asbestos has been banned in Australia since 2003, in the past there was widespread use of asbestos in buildings. Construction and maintenance workers may be more likely to be involved in work that can disturb asbestos. 

This 2006 report is a literature-based review of: 

The Australian Workplace Barometer project aims to provide science driven evidence of Australian work conditions and their relationships to workplace health and productivity, through a national monitoring and surveillance system.

This report reviews the European Union’s: 

• European Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC) 

• Directive on Vibration (2002/44/EC)  

This report, the first from the occupational skin disease database, can be considered a preliminary description of the working population and substances associated with occupational skin disease in Australia.

This report provides a profile of the occupational and demographic characteristics of workers who reported dermal (or skin) exposure to chemicals at work, as well as the types of controls with which respondents reported they were provided in the workplace.

This report investigates the exposure of office workers to nanoparticle emissions during the use of laser printers and provides guidance on minimising exposure to nanoparticle emissions in office environments.  
 

Safe Work Australia is conducting the Motivations, Attitudes, Perceptions and Skills (MAPS) project to focus attention on the socio-psychological factors that shape organisations’ and individuals’ actions and behaviours and, in turn, influence work health and safety outcomes.