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Global news
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WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD?
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1 3 A U ST R A LI A A ND TH E US SWEDEN
CLAMPDOWN ON SILICOSIS
PHOTOG RAPHY: ALAMY, ISTOCK
A new code of conduct to help employers reduce the risks of workers contracting silicosis has been developed in Australia, while the US government’s respirable crystalline silica standard continues to take full effect. US safety regulator OSHA has beefed up its national programme to ensure compliance with the new, more stringent exposure standard. The 0.05mg/m³ exposure standard is twice as tough as the current UK standard of 0.1mg/m³ and six times more protective for the lungdestroying dust disease silicosis. Meanwhile, down under, Australia’s new code provides critical guidance to employers working with engineered stone, including how to comply with the prohibition on uncontrolled dry cutting of such stone and health monitoring requirements.
END ‘SCOURGE’ OF ROAD DEATHS 2 S IN GAPORE
FIRM SETS UP AGE-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE A ship parts manufacturer in Singapore has committed to train older workers in technology in a bid to grow its business by staying competitive with its progressive employment practices. SME Mencast Marine, which repairs and manufactures ship propellers, has been recognised for its exemplary hiring practices after it was revealed it has created an age-friendly workplace by redesigning labour-intensive jobs and training older workers in technology, including using 3D technology to create propeller prototypes. CEO Glenndle Sim said the push to adopt age-inclusive practices is mainly due to a growing number of skilled older workers approaching retirement age. ‘In the future, we will put in place other measures that create and sustain an inclusive workplace,’ he added.
Road traffic accidents take around 1.35 million lives globally every year and cost most countries 3% of their GDP, a recent road safety summit in Sweden revealed. Speaking at the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm, a top United Nations health official described the millions of lives lost every year due to road traffic collisions as ‘an outrage’. The World Health Organization’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this was ‘an unacceptable price to pay for mobility’. The event also revealed that 93% of the world’s road fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, even though these nations have only 60% of the world’s vehicles. ‘Most road traffic deaths and injuries can be prevented using tried and tested strategies,’ he added.
20 MARCH/APRIL 2020 | IOSHMAGAZINE.COM
20 Update - Global Legal_Mar-Apr 2020_IOSH 20
28/02/2020 08:07
