In this major report, OHS Alert examines all the must-know work health and safety, workers' compensation and work-related COVID-19 developments from the fourth quarter of 2020, with highlights including a series of important legislative changes and near-record WHS fines.
An employer has failed in its bid to stay a WHS improvement notice, by claiming a safety inspector's limited enquires led to him relying on outdated documentation and proposing remedial measures that "were incapable of being complied with".
A timely study, given the need to deep clean workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, has re-emphasised the strong link between occupational disinfectant use and developing asthma. Meanwhile, researchers have warned of overlooked risks faced by workers handling fruit and vegetables.
> COVID-19 vaccine advice for workplaces coming soon; > Two individuals and one PCBU charged over teenagers' deaths; and > Air-conditioning gas explodes in work vehicle.
A national industry body has vowed to improve safety and eliminate workplace s-xual harassment in the Australian mining sector, including through an industry code against the "illegal behaviour".
A worker has been permitted to pursue a claim that her employer unfairly dismissed her by placing her on indefinite unpaid leave for declining to receive a flu vaccination, which the employer mandated for the COVID-19 pandemic.
An injury sustained by an on-call worker in his work vehicle in the driveway of his home occurred in the course of his employment, either because he was carrying out his duties or there was a "real and substantial connection" between the employment and his "journey", a judge has ruled.
A tribunal full bench has rejected a worker's claim that injuries sustained during work-related social or sporting activities attract a different, stand-alone compensability test to other injuries.
High-grip non-slip shoes can reduce the rate of slips by workers by about 40 per cent, making their use an effective injury prevention strategy where eliminating slip risks is not practicable, researchers from the UK's work safety regulator and other bodies have found.
