The body representing Australian manufacturers has launched the second edition of a workplace safety guide aimed specifically at the plastics industry.
``The Plastics Industry Guide to Workplace Safety 2008'' has been released by Sydney-based Australian Industry Group.
An AIG spokesperson said the 2008 guide emphasizes the dangers of unguarded equipment in factories and workshops. The guide coincides with a national campaign on machinery guarding by Australia's federal and state workplace safety authorities.
The campaign aims to improve business awareness of the importance of machine guarding and reducing injury rates through installing improved systems of guarding in the manufacturing sector.
An AIG representative said the guide outlines workplace safety laws and examines hazards other than machinery-related incidents, including occupational asthma, working with sharps and the dangers of forklifts.
The guide is produced by Sydney-based Pro-Visual Publishing Pty. Ltd., in consultation with AIG.
A Pro-Visual spokeswoman said more than 3,200 copies of the guidebook will be sent free to companies in plastic or rubber manufacturing throughout Australia.
She said the 2008 publication follows an inaugural safety guide for the plastics industry distributed last year.