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Individuals working in marine and infrastructure industry and those involved in bridge and wharf operations face significant exposure to hazardous substances, including chemical fumes and dust.
In Australia, workplace health and safety regulations are governed by Safe Work Australia and various state and territory regulatory bodies. The key regulations and codes of practice relevant to hazardous substance exposure in the marine and infrastructure industry include:
Medical Surveillance: Regular medical health surveillance is essential for workers exposed to hazardous substances. According to the WHS Regulations, employers must arrange for health monitoring if a worker is exposed to hazardous chemicals such as asbestos, benzene, lead, and silica. Health monitoring should be conducted by a registered medical practitioner with expertise in occupational health.
Individuals working in the marine and infrastructure industry encounter hazardous substances through various activities:
Exposure to these hazardous substances can result in a wide range of acute and chronic health effects:
Marine and wharf workers may be exposed to asbestos in older vessels and structures, lead in old coatings, solvents and isocyanates in marine paints, diesel exhaust, silica from blasting and concrete work, and noise. Confined spaces such as tanks and holds add further risks. Employees Health can provide onsite health monitoring for shipyards, ports and wharf operations around Australia.
Shipboard hazards can include noise from engine rooms, fuel and exhaust fumes, chemicals used for cleaning and maintenance, confined spaces with poor air quality, and asbestos in older vessels. Fatigue and heat stress are also common concerns. Which health checks are needed depends on the tasks each worker performs.
Abrasive blasting or grinding of old lead-based paint can be lead risk work if it is likely to raise blood lead above 20 µg/dL (or 5 µg/dL for females of reproductive capacity). In that case, health monitoring including blood lead testing must be done before the work starts and 1 month after, then at intervals based on results.
This depends on a risk assessment of each role. Common elements include silica and asbestos monitoring for blasting and demolition, isocyanate monitoring for spray painters, blood lead testing for coating removal and audiometric testing for noisy work. Employees Health can combine these into one program delivered onsite.
Under the WHS Regulations, health monitoring must be carried out by or under the supervision of a registered medical practitioner with experience in health monitoring, and the employer must consult workers about the choice of doctor. Employees Health programs are doctor-led and overseen by our Chief Medical Officer, Dr Mike Shenouda.
