An employer that delivered a major government project six months early and 10 per cent under budget - after creating a safety culture where even the smallest incidents were reported and dealt with - has been recognised at the eighth annual Safe Work Australia Awards.
Unions have used International Workers' Memorial Day yesterday to renew their calls for Australia-wide industrial manslaughter laws, while the ACCI has called on private sector employers to update their OHS processes regularly.
A second rail company has been fined in NSW - in a matter of days - for failing to properly audit or monitor its safety procedures, after a worker was killed when he was struck by a train.
In an unprecedented move, Safe Work Australia has demanded that quad bike manufacturers reconsider their opposition to crush protection devices, with the head of the statutory agency saying, "We cannot sit by and watch people being killed and seriously injured by these vehicles."
A judge has found a NSW employer and its director defamed a worker when they sent a group email to employees complaining about the amount of sick leave that she and other staff were taking.
On the eve of International Workers' Memorial Day, Bill Shorten has called for employers to reduce Australia's high work death and injury rate through a "demonstrable intolerance to small daily hazards", instead of over-relying on "responsibility-avoiding paperwork" like risk assessments.
Injury prevention hinges on worker input; SWA releases new guides on airborne contaminants and cyanide; and Entries for Queensland and Victorian OHS awards due soon.
A South Australian police prosecutor, who claims he contracted Hepatitis C in a work incident nearly 25 years ago, has had his workers' comp claim upheld. Also in this article, an employer has been fined for failing to fit a machine with an interlock guard.
In a case that provides clear examples of how company directors can ensure safe work methods are adhered to - and avoid prosecution - the Western Australian Court of Appeal has restored the original fines imposed on two directors and a business after a workplace death.
With the model WHS Act requiring company officers to keep abreast of emerging issues, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has released a timely report on the possible risks associated with "green jobs".
