Browsing: Asbestos | Page 21

Employees of at least four Western Australian public sector agencies are at risk of inadvertently disturbing asbestos-containing materials because asbestos registers and management plans are out of date, the State Auditor General has found.

A national employer has described its 2014 safety performance results as "disappointing" but "solid" in light of major changes within the business.

• SA employers promised SafeWork overhaul;
  
• Employers urged to get involved in international safety day; and
  
• Victoria releases asbestos guidance and saw alert.

A mesothelioma sufferer has been awarded $425,000, after the Northern Territory Court of Appeal reversed a controversial decision that he was statute-barred from claiming damages.

BHP Billiton Ltd has failed in its appeal against a decision to award a record $2.2 million in damages to a mesothelioma sufferer.

Three safety regulators have outlined how to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, choose the right respirator when working with harmful contaminants, and prevent Legionnaires' disease at work facilities.

NSW's mirror WHS Regulation has been amended to make it more consistent with the model Regulations, to give WorkCover the power to issue on-the-spot fines for certain asbestos-related offences, and to increase prescribed fees.

A new Safe Work Australia report has confirmed that certain nanomaterials could cause mesothelioma, while Europe's peak safety agency has outlined steps employers can take to reduce the risk of workers developing cancer.

An employer that negligently exposed a worker to asbestos in the 1970s has defeated a damages claim. The Northern Territory Supreme Court found the mesothelioma sufferer was statute-barred from making a claim, but the man has appealed the decision.

A South Australian Supreme Court full bench has confirmed that employers should have known by the early 1960s that even "light" exposure to asbestos could be fatal.