30 Jan 2019

bats bat risk diseases
Increasing cases of North Queenslanders being bitten or scratched by bats has prompted the Townsville Public Health Unit to warn people to avoid contact with the animals. Public Health Physician Dr Steven Donohue said 135 people in North Queensland had been treated last year after contact with bats, mainly flying foxes. Dr Donohue said all bat scratches and bites required treatment...

21 Jan 2019

In November 2018, a concrete pump operator has sustained serious injuries when his arm was caught in moving parts within the receiving hopper of a concrete pump. Early investigations indicate the worker was in the process of cleaning inside the concrete pump hopper when a moving component activated and seriously injured his arm. Investigations into this incident are continuing. Preve...

14 Jan 2019

farming biosecurity
In this article from Vegetables Australia magazine, AUSVEG Biosecurity Adviser Dr Kevin Clayton-Greene discusses how a robust on-farm biosecurity system can protect Australian vegetable growing operations from the threat of pests and diseases, particularly those that seem inevitable to spread or arrive on our shores. I have heard it often said that it is inevitable that pest ‘X’ will ...

11 Jan 2019

QUEENSLAND ABATTOIR accident
A Queensland abattoir has been fined in the Maryborough Magistrates Court after it failed to ensure the health and safety of a worker and exposed him to the risk of death. The company was fined $200,000 for the death of a worker who suffered fatal injuries in 2017 when he was struck by a ramp while unloading a triple-deck truck laden with pigs. Colin Chivers, who initially suffered...

10 Jan 2019

electrical testing of circuit
Tags: Electrician advice on testing As we start the New Year it is a good time to remind all electrical workers to always test before you touch. Treat every circuit or piece of electrical equipment as live until tested and proven not to be live. When you correctly test before you touch, you can identify any faults that exist with the circuit connections of the installation or elect...