Major changes to Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) legislation occurred during the year, strengthening the sanctions in relation to infringements of the Act. OH&S Committees have long been established in Head Office and the Regions, and continue to meet regularly and make valuable contributions towards the health and safety of Bureau employees. Health and Safety representatives have been elected to represent particular work areas within the Bureau, and also contribute to the health and safety of Bureau staff. Training for these representatives, First Aid Officers and Fire Wardens is provided as required.

A Bureau-specific OH&S Policy and Agreement has been endorsed by management, and unions with staff coverage in the Bureau, and related procedures have been developed. A Critical Incident Stress Management Policy has been finalised, while Drugs and Alcohol Misuse, HIV/AIDS and Health Promotion Policies have been updated. Near final drafts of other policies/procedures/guidelines have been made accessible for staff information via the Bureau intranet.

On-line training courses in OH&S for employees and managers continued to be rolled out during the year, with 60 per sent of staff having either completed or started the OH&S Legal Compliance Course, and 40 per cent of staff having either completed or started the OH&S Management Course.

The influenza inoculations continued this year as part of the Bureau Health Promotion Policy, with increased take-up rates.

The Bureau's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) continues to be used regularly to address a variety of work-based and outside-work problems. While personal issues have reduced marginally, work-related issues have increased. EAP tip sheets are available for staff to access via the Bureau's intranet. An information email was sent to all staff advising them of the availability of the EAP tip sheets, and newsletters offering a range of tips for improving relationships and a number of other matters. Managers/Team Leaders are increasingly referring staff to the EAP, indicating a good appreciation of the benefits of the EAP amongst the management group.

During the course of the year there have been eight Provisional Improvement Notices relating to the new Head Office building in Melbourne (all relating to glare and light) and one in respect of the Bureau's new radar facility near Adelaide (provision of amenities) under section 29 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991. There were no notices under sections 45, 46 or 47 of the Act. However, four incidents (asbestos exposure in South Australia, a training mishap in Western Australia, a falling object from the Head Office building and hospitalisation of a shiftworker in Melbourne) were reported to Comcare under section 68 of the Act. Follow up and corrective actions were undertaken as appropriate.

The Bureau's Workers Compensation premium rate for 2004-05 was set at 0.98 per cent compared with 1.67 per cent for the Commonwealth overall. The number of compensation claims received by the Bureau in 2004-05 represented an increase of approximately 12 per cent over the previous year, with lost time averaging 3.41 weeks. The increase relates to several sprains/strains including back cases, a substantial increase in slips, trips and falls, OOS (occupational overuse syndrome) cases, journey-related fractures, and a number of protracted stress cases. The average cost of claims increased from $11,425 to $19,680. The total cost of claims rose from $377,051 to $767,553, with mental stress cases being the major contributing factor.