Fines for halting construction work for "dubious" safety reasons could increase, while foreign firms could be granted provisional accreditation to bypass the FSC's "onerous" safety requirements, under recommendations contained in a new Productivity Commission report.
The Fair Work Commission has found that it can consider work incidents that occurred before January when determining applications for stop-bullying orders, and rejected an employer's claim that bullying was legally "neutral" before the new anti-bullying provisions took effect.
Director sacked worker with cancer to avoid sick-leave bill; Mine Safety Commissioner issues special alert after spate of deaths; and Collision, explosion and other incidents prompt new alerts and guides.
A NSW employer has successfully defended an OHS charge, after the District Court found its failure to document a risk assessment didn't constitute a breach. Also in this article, a man has been fined under the new national maritime safety laws - for jumping ship.
The Federal Government's termination of Safe Work Australia member grants will diminish the ability of unions and employer groups to improve workplace safety, a Labor Senator has warned. Meanwhile, the Coalition's plan to amend the new anti-bullying laws has been omitted from it first tranche of Fair Work changes, introduced yesterday.
A high proportion of the 70-odd workers who have applied for stop-bullying orders so far claim they are being bullied by their supervisors, but the Fair Work Act's broad definition of "reasonable management action" could thwart many of these claims, according to FW Commissioner Anna Lee Cribb.
The chain of responsibility (CoR) provisions of the new national heavy vehicle safety laws could be expanded to capture employees, as well as managers who instruct consignors to order goods. Also in this article, Cootes Transport has been charged with 86 safety breaches.
