Risk assessment overlooked during system change in WA; Carcinogens don't discriminate, says angered Green; and ACT appoints Industrial Magistrate for safety matters.
The NSW Police Force has rejected claims that it stored seized drugs in bags that deteriorated over time and released toxic fumes, but has not explained why it agreed to pay an officer who worked in a drug vault workers' compensation for permanent damage to his respiratory system.
With the NSW Police Force recently pleading guilty to OHS breaches after officers were exposed to hazardous substances, a former senior sergeant who nearly died from such exposure tells OHS Alert of the obstacles he has faced in trying to prevent the incident from recurring.
Depression-related absences hidden from employers; Presumptive workers' comp laws pass in WA; Future of heavy vehicle safety laws determined tomorrow; and ABCC-restoration Bill introduced.
A worker has failed to convince the Fair Work Commission that his positive drug test was "exacerbated" by the surge of adrenalin he experienced while fighting a fire on a front-end loader.
With warmer weather fast approaching, employers have been warned of the safety risks associated with seasonal work and natural disasters, while NSW has waived some asbestos regulations in fire-affected areas.
WorkCover SA to be scrapped and replaced; Seven-step safety guide released; New Victorian dangerous goods Code commences; and Explosives and dozer alerts issued in Qld and WA.
Qld employers urged to check validity of safety summonses; Cancer compensation laws pass in Tas, trudge forward in SA; and Caution urged after concrete panel incidents and welding explosion.
BHP Billiton claims in its 2013 sustainability report, released today, that it can partly attribute a reduction in workers' exposure to carcinogens and airborne contaminants to establishing its own occupational exposure limits when regulatory limits are inadequate.
