Principal contractors are being advised to review their procedures relating to safe work method statements (SWMSs), with OHS regulators likely to audit them in the coming months.
Victorian premiums likely to stay low in light of solid WorkSafe results; Comcare commits to compliance checks under draft HSR plan; and Comcare work health and safety awards open.
Injuries sustained by a dump truck operator in a car crash during a 120km journey to work weren't work-related, a full Tasmanian Supreme Court has confirmed in rejecting an insurer's appeal.
A new Safe Work Australia report has found that in the eight years to June 2011, some 356 workers were killed on Australian farms - about 17 per cent of all worker fatalities.
Researchers have urged employers to encourage injured workers to return to work more swiftly, after they found those who are absent on workers' comp for longer than six months are highly likely to gain weight, increasing the chances of further claims.
In light of the recent sacking, for safety reasons, of up to 15 workers at a Barminco gold mine in Western Australia, a workplace relations lawyer has advised employers to ensure their OHS policies are "fit for purpose" and address specific hazards.
A Queensland worker, who claimed he suffered a back injury while receiving rehabilitative physiotherapy for a work-related knee injury, has lost his bid for workers' compensation in the IRC.
Injured workers less likely to sue if supervisors contact them; Safety inspectors issue 129 notices in a week; and Research on quad bike stability commences in NSW.
The Victorian Court of Appeal has confirmed that a labour-hire worker, who claimed he couldn't pursue his chosen career because of an injury, wasn't particularly interested in the job, and isn't entitled to damages for pain.
