Workers in Australia are entitled to healthy and safe workplaces with a compensation and rehabilitation system that ensures no worker will be disadvantaged if they are injured at work.
Nursing and midwifery is the profession with the highest exposure to workplace violence; further, there is a continually high incidence of back injury in nursing, especially in aged care where no lift policies remain non-compulsory.
Australia is well on the way to a national system of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) laws. Model OHS laws are being developed which will be adopted by each State and Territory by 2011. The ANF has concerns that the current proposals do not represent the best way to ensure the health and safety of workers and calls on Australian state and territory governments to enact laws that represent the highest standards of workplace safety.
For further information on model laws see:
- ANF submission on Exposure Draft of Model OHS Laws (November 2009)
- Workplace safety will be put at risk if business gets its way on OHS changes: Unions launch new ads
- Don't risk second rate safety
- Safe Work Australia
- OH Reps @ Work
- Australian Council of Trade Unions
A new national occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation body has been created called Safe Work Australia (SWA). SWA will have a role, among other things, in developing the model OHS laws. While the ANF welcomes the new body, the ANF is concerned that the provision for representation of workers on SWA is inadequate.
The ANF also calls for:
- the Australian Government to fund a national strategy to combat the incidents of violence and aggression toward nurses and other health care workers
- fund a national no lift strategy in health, aged care and community care
- governments to adequately resource their OHS inspectorates and ensure that they actively enforce OHS laws
Preventing needlestick injuries in the healthcare workplace
The ANF has joined a Coalition formed to call for urgent action to prevent needlestick injuries in the workplace.
Workers’ Compensation
The ALP government introduced a temporary stop to the scheme which allows large employers to move from state workers’ compensation schemes to the national scheme Comcare, leaving many workers with decreased benefits and a loss of their basic rights. The Government has not yet announced its ongoing position on Comcare. The ANF calls for an end to the scheme allowing employers to move to Comcare, and instead for workers’ compensation schemes that deliver the best possible benefits and opportunities for rehabilitation to injured workers.
Take Action:
There is always something you can do:
- if you aren’t a member, join the ANF – the best way you can improve your health and safety at work is through membership with the ANF, the largest nursing and midwifery organisation;
- get involved in ANF and ACTU actions;
- write to the ANF and give us your ideas: 2020@anf.org.au
For further information