A major energy company that failed to implement an adequate visual inspection regime for power poles, and a business that failed to manage asphyxia risks, have been fined a total of nearly $500,000 over fatalities. Meanwhile, duty holders have been urged to assess the risk of heat-related illnesses, after an outdoor worker died in hot weather.
A company that uses 3D modelling and motion sensors to better manage work tasks and prevent musculoskeletal disorders has been handed a major safety prize.
A worker who chose not to return home between deployments and suffered a fatal heart attack in temporary accommodation did not die during an "ordinary recess" or on a work "journey", a commissioner has ruled in a dependency dispute.
Significant amendments were made to workplace health and safety laws in every Australian jurisdiction in the third quarter of 2023, including many increasing penalties and making it easier to prosecute duty holders. This major report - the only one of its kind in the country - examines all the need-to-know legislative changes, workers' compensation developments and court decisions from July, August and September.
The Federal Court has highlighted the important WHS function of escorting entry permit holders around sites, in handing penalties to a union and one of its officials for right-of-entry breaches.
A dangerous machine's "confusing" control panel, combined with inadequate high- and low-order safety controls, contributed to the crush death of a worker that initiated a string of (ultimately unsuccessful) prosecutions, a coronial inquest has found.
A worker's 18 grounds of appeal against an injury ruling have been dismissed, with a court upholding findings that he was not bullied by his managers and all the cited management actions taken against him were reasonable.
