A $115,000 fine handed to a NSW employer after a major scaffolding collapse has highlighted the significant risks of relying too heavily on the "integrity and expertise" of contractors.
In a long-running dispute involving a Victorian employer, which was fined $100,000 after an offsite subcontractor was killed by a falling crate, the High Court has heard it was widely known that such crates had been "jumping off trucks like lemmings over a cliff".
An insolvency practitioner appointed to a PCBU must exercise due diligence under harmonised OHS laws, lawyers have advised. Also in this article, lawyers have outlined what the new laws mean for the Queensland construction industry.
In an important case, the Victorian Court of Appeal has quashed a $900,000 damages ruling, after it found an injured electrician who spent 60 per cent of his work week with the same employer was an independent contractor, and not an employee.
Contract workers are often inexperienced and more susceptible to injury than full-time employees, WorkSafe WA's Jane Ardern has warned, in outlining seven ways to ensure contractors comply with safety rules.
Inquiry into the effect of "insecure" work on OHS announced; Finance employees urged to "dob in" workplace bullies; Falls from height and falling objects claim the most lives; ACT's safest employers and workers announced; and New Western Australian workers' comp forms available.
Proposed regulations to protect OHS whistleblowers; Employer fined for failing to follow instructions after worker loses sight; and Northern Territory to introduce harmonised Bill later this month.
A NSW employer that appointed inexperienced site coordinators for a construction project has been fined $300,000, after workers were left "totally exposed" to the risk of falling. Also in this article, an employer has been fined $90,000 after a worker fell 14 metres.
Workers who have greater expertise than their employers or supply their own equipment are not necessarily subcontractors under the Accident Compensation Act, a judge has found in awarding an injured Victorian worker more than $900,000 in damages.
Injured Odco contractor not an "employee"; Unions call for removal of all asbestos as WorkSafe ACT shuts down worksites; and Cancer comp laws for firefighters one step closer.
