NOHSC to Ensure Projects Lessons Shared
Professor Dennis Else, Chairman of the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) said "The July 15 National OHS Commission meeting discussed key future activities flowing from a number of recent initiatives such as the 1997-98 national solutions projects.
"For example, the recent ANOP market research done as part of the Community Awareness national solutions project identified the importance of changing community expectations about the preventability of workplace deaths, injuries and illnesses.
"NOHSC has committed resources to ensure the lessons learnt from these projects reach those who need the information.
"Critical to NOHSC achieving its new focus over the last year has been the Labour Ministers engaging in occupational health and safety. I am pleased that the Labour Ministers’ Council has requested that the NOHSC Chief Executive, Helen L’Orange, and I attend their next meeting in November to discuss future priorities including the development of a national OHS strategy."
Other key outcomes from the meeting include:
- Endorsement of NOHSC’s 1998-99 work program and budget.
- Initiatives on diseases of long latency would be progressed through co-operation between the Department of Health and Family Services, NOHSC and the Health Advisory Committee of the NHMRC.
- Initial agreement to review two national standards – National Occupational Health and Safety Certification Standard for Users and Operators of Industrial Equipment and the Exposure Standard for Asbestos.
- Agreement that following a strong case from industry the code of practice for spray painting will be released immediately as NOHSC guidance material.
- Noting the release of the 1995-96 Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics.
The NOHSC meeting was hosted by the NT Work Health Authority in Darwin, part of a move to ensure Commission meetings are held around Australia. The NT Minister for Work Health, the Hon. Denis Burke MLA, attended part of the meeting to discuss priorities.
The next NOHSC meeting will be in October in Sydney.
- For more information contact Nick Miller, NOHSC Public Affairs Manager, phone (02) 9577 9424.
- Visit the NOHSC Web site at www.worksafe.gov.au
July 29, 1998
Page last updated: 15/07/2008