What are your guys' opinions on workplace safety laws?

Let's take personal protective equipment or PPE (things such as gloves, hardhats, ear plugs). Should privately owned companies inform workers of dangerous conditions and provide or at least suggest suitable protection to said dangers? Do you guys think that the company can require employees to wear PPE?

Dear Albert,

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 - ensures
for the mandatory wearing of work safety equipment
for employees. An employer is obligated to provide
employees with the necessary protection - their job
requires. Including training and instructions.

Of course the equipment has to be appropriate to the
situation. It should not cause pain or serious
discomfort.

If employees refuse to wear the safety equipment an
employer is entitled to take disciplinary action
including excluding the employee from the work
place.

Hi Albert,

Its a no brainier, of course PPE is absolutely essential, and it should be provided by the employer. Work safe laws, and an investigative and enforcement bodies like 'Work Cover' are absolutely necessary. Lets turn back the clock to the good old days when there was no "safety", safety was what you made it, as for PPE virtually nothing. Take the Sydney Harbour Bridge project of the 1930's, 16 men died due to accidents, only 2 fell to their death. 16 was considered amazing for a project of the scale in those days. Hundreds of workers were killed or permanently incapacitated every year from work related accidents. There was no compensation paid. In those days there were few industries that could be considered safe. Even today with our safety laws and requirements, up till May this year, 76 workers have been killed on the job, in 2019, 174 died.

Today in undeveloped countries like India with scant regard for safety, little enforcement of industrial laws, the official figure for deaths or serious work injuries is put at 50 per day, the actual number is much, much higher.

In Australia it has been the work of the "despised" trade unions that dragged the employers and politicians to the table to create laws for the safety of workers, and associated compensation payments that came with the introduction of those laws.

I want to do everything right and follow the latest trends in employee protection legislation and attend various courses. For example, recently I was on https://alertforce.com.au/can-you-do-the-riiwhs204d-working-at-heights-course-online/ where different standards and VOC were followed retraining of personnel

//Should privately owned companies inform workers of dangerous conditions and provide or at least suggest suitable protection to said dangers?//

Yes, it's a legal requirement.

//Do you guys think that the company can require employees to wear PPE?//

Yes. Firing somebody for not wearing PPE is entirely reasonable, and isn't unfair or unlawful dismissal.

Except if you work in an all night service station or such and may be the victim of an armed robbery, then you are not allowed by law to wear or possess suitable safety equipment such as a ballistic vest (commonly, but mistakenly, called bulletproof).

You just have to hope that the medics get to you in time.