Warnings on Transportation and exposure to hazardous materials
Article from OHS Alert 14/10/2024
Employers warned after another truck explodes
Employers that operate heavy vehicles, especially those that transport hazardous materials, have been urged to step up their maintenance and inspection regimes, after a truck carrying ammonium nitrate emulsion (ANE) exploded in Queensland, creating a 20-metre-wide crater.
Resources Safety and Health Queensland says in a safety alert that it is investigating the "regulated explosives activities" associated with the transport incident, and will make recommendations on "preventative controls to avoid incident recurrence".
It says the truck was travelling along a major highway near Bororen when it collided with another vehicle, left the roadway and caught fire. It then burned for a period of time, before exploding, destroying a section of the highway, and causing damage to houses within a radius of several kilometres.
RSHQ says the incident, and similar explosions involving vehicles carrying ANE in Queensland and Western Australia, "underscore the hazardous nature of these substances".
As reported by OHS Alert, the Western Australian explosion, in a remote mining region, created a large crater, and threw thousands of pieces of shrapnel across the neighbouring area, including a 31-kilogram object that was found 672 metres away (see related article).
That incident, linked to a tyre fire, prompted calls for new work-related safety laws, and led to the development of a Western Australian Code of Practice (still in draft form) on minimising the risks of tyre fires when transporting ANE.
RSHQ says that while the causes of the latest Queensland incident are still being investigated, employers should still take steps to prevent such explosions, such as ensuring all vehicles "undergo routine checks to ensure they remain safe".
"This includes verifying the proper functioning of fire detection and suppression systems, vents, and valves, and emergency notification systems," it says.
Tougher workplace exposure limits for nine chemicals proposed
Safe Work Australia's workplace exposure limits for nine hazardous substances, including respirable crystalline silica (RCS), could be slashed significantly under changes to be put to Australia's WHS ministers.
SWA proposes reducing the limit for RCS – which also was recently subjected to tougher WHS regulations (see related article) – from a time-weighted average of 0.05 milligrams per cubic metre of air (in the current workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants) to 0.025 milligrams.
It proposes making similar cuts to the exposure thresholds for the other eight chemicals, which are: benzene; chlorine; copper (fumes, dusts and mists); formaldehyde; hydrogen cyanide; hydrogen sulphide; nitrogen dioxide; and titanium dioxide.
SWA today announced it will soon seek feedback on the draft changes, and, based on the submissions it receives, prepare an impact analysis to help the WHS ministers decide whether to adopt them and, where relevant, determine timeframes for implementation (see this SWA consultation hub for more information).
As reported by OHS Alert in April, Australia's WHS ministers agreed to replace the workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants with the workplace exposure limits for airborne contaminants (which include new exposure thresholds for some substances) on 1 December 2026, but sought additional information on the nine chemicals above (see related article).
SWA says it will seek feedback from stakeholders on the "economic, social and health impacts" of the proposed changes to the exposure limits for the nine hazardous substances.
Tougher workplace exposure limits for nine chemicals proposed
Safe Work Australia's workplace exposure limits for nine hazardous substances, including respirable crystalline silica (RCS), could be slashed significantly under changes to be put to Australia's WHS ministers.
SWA proposes reducing the limit for RCS – which also was recently subjected to tougher WHS regulations (see related article) – from a time-weighted average of 0.05 milligrams per cubic metre of air (in the current workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants) to 0.025 milligrams.
It proposes making similar cuts to the exposure thresholds for the other eight chemicals, which are: benzene; chlorine; copper (fumes, dusts and mists); formaldehyde; hydrogen cyanide; hydrogen sulphide; nitrogen dioxide; and titanium dioxide.
SWA today announced it will soon seek feedback on the draft changes, and, based on the submissions it receives, prepare an impact analysis to help the WHS ministers decide whether to adopt them and, where relevant, determine timeframes for implementation (see this SWA consultation hub for more information).
As reported by OHS Alert in April, Australia's WHS ministers agreed to replace the workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants with the workplace exposure limits for airborne contaminants (which include new exposure thresholds for some substances) on 1 December 2026, but sought additional information on the nine chemicals above (see related article).
SWA says it will seek feedback from stakeholders on the "economic, social and health impacts" of the proposed changes to the exposure limits for the nine hazardous substances.
