OHS (or WHS outside Victoria) is principally a state and territory responsibility. The Federal Government supports national organisations such as SafeWork Australia which is important for establishing national standards including the workplace exposure standards. The change of Federal government may influence the way in which some or all of these organisations operate and their funding.  

At 143 dB the HyperWhistle, claimed to be the Worlds loudest whistle, exceeds the legislated peak maximum workplace standard and cannot be used without hearing protection (which it comes with).

JTA has seen an increased focus from regulators, government agencies and proactive organisations in seeking out a holistic approach to worker health management. Organisations looking to conform or align to AS/NZS ISO 450001 can incorporate a Health and Hygiene Management Plan into their management system.

We understand how unpredictable and busy your working life is at the moment. COVID has certainly changed the landscape.

Exposure to noise in the workplace can induce hearing loss, which may lead to communication difficulties, social isolation, and reduced quality of life. COVID or no COVID, you are still required to provide a safe work place in terms of noise and Worksafe still expect compliance with relevant legislation and regulations as normal. In fact, WorkSafe is still visiting sites and issuing fines so you have no room for complacency. Whilst you are still required to comply with legislation and regulations, social distancing has changed the way that both Occupational and Environmental Noise Assessments have to be conducted.

Jeremy Trotman, JTA founder and principal Occupational Hygienist, recently collaborated with two other Australian Occupational Hygienists to run a full day Noise workshop at the 4th Indonesian Industrial Hygiene Association Conference (IIHA) in Bali on 9-11th September. Our Indonesian colleagues are facing major challenges in improving worker health and Jeremy said “It was most rewarding to be able to assist them a little bit with assessing and controlling noise, which remains one of the greatest causes of industrial injury here in Australia and no doubt other countries as well.”

When the Victorian Noise Compliance Code was updated in 2018, it raised the bar for WorkSafe expectations of noise assessments. Of particular note was the requirement to use dosimetry to measure personal sound exposure for mobile employees and in areas difficult or unsafe to use hand held sound level meters.

JTA has now taken the next step in leading the industry by incorporating state of the art dosimetry equipment into our assessments. These new dosimeters can do all of the functions standard dosimeters can but with some valuable extra capabilities such as recording octave band data, audio, high vibration levels, statistical noise levels and all while being intrinsically safe.

We have recently invested in new state of the art, noise and vibration monitoring equipment in order to provide you with the best service and advice possible.

The final report on the Model Work Health and Safety Laws review, by Marie Boland, former Executive Director of SafeWork SA, was released in December 2018.  Reassuringly the review found that “the model WHS laws are, for the most part, working as intended”.  However, it also went further into the detail of the regulations, uncovering dissatisfaction with specific provisions and making 34 recommendations which, if implemented, could significantly affect the substance of the current laws and their enforcement.