A coronial non-inquest into a double fatality, which resulted in a record $650,000 OHS fine, has identified a range of factors that contributed to the incident, including "tick and flick" service checks and poor communication between work groups.
A worker has successfully appealed against an OHS conviction, with the Queensland Industrial Court finding there was no evidence he failed to comply with a safety management plan, or that the relevant "operating plant" even had one.
A major employer has failed to overturn a finding that an injured worker's health assessment should only apply to his current restricted role. In another case, a commissioner has found a worker was unfairly sacked after threatening to "go postal".
In a case highlighting the broad reach of the Fair Work Act's anti-bullying provisions, a commissioner has found that a "worker" is entitled to apply for stop-bullying orders against a resort's residents and members of its bodies corporate.
Employers are entitled to direct employees to attend a company-nominated doctor before returning to work after injury in circumstances where that return could create unacceptable health and safety risks, the Federal Court has ruled in a long-running dispute.
Five Victorian employers have been fined for exclusion zone breaches and other safety failures, while a man has been convicted of workers' comp fraud. In Queensland, a company has been fined just $15,000 for a guarding breach, despite being prosecuted for similar offences twice before.
A union organiser did "as much as he could" to notify an employer of his upcoming site visit to investigate asbestos concerns, a commission has found in rejecting the employer's bid to have his WHS entry permit revoked.
A worker died from carbon monoxide poisoning while using PPE attached to a diesel air compressor that his employer hadn't maintained, a coronial inquest has found.
