In this update, OHS Alert revisits all the important work health and safety and workers' compensation legislative changes from the third quarter of 2019. We also recap the most significant court and tribunal rulings and other developments from across the country.
Building workplace cultures where both official and unofficial leaders demonstrate a commitment to health and safety, and workers are shielded from the stigma associated with injury claims, is one of five action areas of a new national return-to-work strategy.
Excessive prescription of opioid medication is doubling the risk of long-term disability among injured workers, and highlights the need for workers' compensation schemes to take urgent action, says a leading occupational health researcher.
Skin-damaging frictional trauma is one of the major causes of dermatitis in high-risk occupations identified in a major Canadian study. The researchers also found unexpectedly high rates of the debilitating skin condition in several occupations.
The first multi-jurisdictional study of injured Australian workers' claims experiences has found that a negative or neutral experience can have as much impact as poor health on return-to-work outcomes.
Uber and other gig economy companies will be forced to pay workers' comp premiums under a Queensland plan, while the State Government has revealed the average premium rate for 2019-20.
Due to a technical issue, some OHS Alert subscribers with an "instant" service might not have received articles over a 48-hour period. Click on this article to catch up with the latest developments from those days, including the new international approach to workplace "burnout".
Workers with injuries caused by workplace violence are at high risk of psychological distress and need different forms of workplace support than workers injured in other ways, a Canadian study of Australian incidents has found.
A major report, prompted by a public health emergency declared by US President Donald Trump, has found a high proportion of injured workers are prescribed opioids, often unnecessarily, exposing them to the risk of addiction within days of use and driving up employers' workers' comp costs.