An injured worker's right to apply in advance to recover future treatment costs is not a stand-alone entitlement excluded from prescribed time limitations, an appeals court has ruled in an important judgment on poorly drafted laws.
Workplace social structures and worksite "champions" can be leveraged to protect transient or temporary staff like contract or labour-hire workers, who are more vulnerable to health and safety hazards than permanent workers, researchers say.
One in three Australian workers who sustain a physical injury experience serious secondary mental illnesses, but few of these people access mental health services that could accelerate their recovery and return to work, according to a study.
An injury sustained by a worker on his way to a car park after a shift occurred in the course of his employment, because his employer induced or encouraged him to access the area, a tribunal has ruled.
An appeals court has confirmed that a major employer negligently transferred an already traumatised worker back into a role where she was exposed to violent and confronting scenes.
Safe Work Australia members have agreed to start transitioning to a new chemical safety system within six months, while SWA has released a practical guide to managing ultraviolet radiation risks and a 60-page workers' comp report, and a WHS regulator has outlined safety duties relating to poor air quality.
A company and its director have been fined a total of $175,000 for dangerous goods offences uncovered by police investigating a burglary. Meanwhile, the ACTU has issued heat and smoke alerts and called for WHS laws that "deal with the reality of climate change".
