In common with the ACTU and with other unions, the ANF is concerned that the model Act falls short of the highest standard of protections needed to ensure healthy and safe workplaces in Australia, and fails to meet the principles for the process that ‘there be no reduction or compromise in standards for legitimate safety concerns'. We are concerned that the drafting of the laws is such that the highest OHS standards and rights for Australian workers will not be implemented and indeed existing entitlements will be watered down.
Some of the main OHS issues of concern to Australian nurses include stress, violence, bullying, shiftwork patterns, manual handling, injuries caused by needles and other sharps; exposure to blood borne pathogens (eg. HIV, hepatitis) and to hazardous substances such as glutaraldehyde, latex and cytotoxic drugs. The ANF has particular concerns about psychosocial OHS hazards that historically have not received adequate protection under existing OHS legislation, and which have increased in recent years. The ANF is concerned that some of the provisions of the model Act will not address these issues adequately.
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