Common Occupational Health & Safety Issues in Pathology

Your safety in the workplace is not a luxury, but a legal right. Many HWU pathology members (via a digital survey in May 2016) revealed that they were exposed to significant Occupational Health and Safety risks whilst carrying out their work.  Basic rights (like being able to work in a clean workplace) turned out being a common OH&S issue.

In many cases, pathology workers raised compliance issues relating to drug screening Corrections Victoria patients. Seldom is the two staff member policy on site for drug screening adhered to. This is placing pathology collectors at direct risk of verbal and physical assaults. No worker should feel unsafe in their workplace. Standard security protocals should be implemented.

Some pathology workers reported that their employer refused to provide necessary training for infant/child bleeds.

Other common OH&S hazards included working in a small room/department without adequate space for computers and other necessities, and inadequate gloves for lab staff. Basic levels of worker safety are being shunned or overlooked.

Unions are empowered and given special investigative rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The HWU will not sit by and watch our pathology members and other health workers be exposed to unsafe workplaces. We won’t wait until workers sustain unnecessary workplace injuries!  We proactively fight for your right to be safe.

In Victoria, workplace health and safety is governed by a system of laws, regulations and compliance codes which set out the responsibilities of employers and workers to ensure that safety is maintained at work. The FairWork Act 2009, the Modern Award system, current Enterprise Agreements and Victoria’s Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) Act 2004 (The Act) are commonly used to ensure that workers are safe in their workplace.

The HWU will enforce the abovementioned laws to keep your employer honest and compliant with all workplace safety laws.
If you have any workplace safety issues that need immediate attention, or have any questions, please call us on 03 9341 3300. You can also send any information, such as jpg images of run-down pathology vehicles or small workstations, to hwupathology@hwu.org.au.