The efforts, or lack thereof, of employers to comply with their positive duty to proactively prevent s-xual harassment will be actively scrutinised by at least one more regulator from today, with the Australian Human Rights Commission's new powers taking effect.
A major survey of leaders from large businesses and government departments from around the world has found many company officers aren't being sufficiently informed of psychosocial risks to comply with their proactive WHS duties.
A WHS regulator will enforce the utilisation of risk assessments for psychosocial hazards in psychologically dangerous workplaces, under one of 18 recommendations from a parliamentary inquiry into NSW's workers' compensation system.
A WHS regulator has vowed to take a zero-tolerance approach, involving prohibition notices and hefty non-compliance penalties, in a new multi-sector blitz aimed at preventing a "false sense of security" around dust.
Employers have been urged to identify all powerlines at their workplaces, including around entry and exit points, after a company was convicted and fined over an electrocution. Employers have also been warned about the presence of asbestos in workplace fire doors, following exposure incidents.
Provisions for health and safety representatives and entry rights could be amended by a new Queensland WHS Bill, while a WHS blitz has found that every targeted business in one industry was breaching its health and safety obligations.
Successfully implementing safety technologies like artificial intelligence surveillance requires employers to overcome the mistrust of workers who believe it will be misused by managers, Australia Post's safety and wellbeing general manager says of his organisation's experience.
Workplace safety incidents involving particularly concerning behaviour, or new or emerging risks, are likely to trigger the push for additional WHS orders against prosecuted PCBUs, the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work has heard.