Browsing: Authority/inspectorate (NSW) | Page 76

Workplace safety and return-to-work awards have been presented in four jurisdictions.

The NSW Government is making a regulation that will override a recent Court of Appeal decision on lump sum payments and potentially benefit about 6000 injured workers.

An employer's fatality-related OHS fine should include a component for general deterrence to alert the mining industry to the need to adopt adequate systems for inherently dangerous tasks "at all stages of the operation", the NSW Industrial Court has found.

• Employer fined for ignoring safe unloading process;
  
• NSW issues forklift safety warning; and
  
• Workers' comp changes commence in the ACT.

A NSW employer has been fined $67,000 after two employees, whose supervisors were in a management meeting, mixed incompatible dangerous goods and created a toxic gas that led to seven workers, including themselves, being hospitalised.

This update outlines all the most important workplace safety and workers' compensation developments from July, August and September, including one of the highest safety fines in Australian history, and legislative changes in every jurisdiction.

• Employers given time to comply with new drug and alcohol requirements;
  
• Feedback sought on draft WHS Code for mining; and
  
• Significant incident reports and safety bulletins released.

• Open window results in $120k safety fine;
  
• Employers fined over fatalities, burns and crush injuries; and
  
• Employer fined for two height-safety breaches after one fall.

• Employers told to prevent rather than react to mental health problems;
  
• Four workers' comp reforms commence in NSW next week;
  
• NT sends workers' comp reminder and issues safety alerts; and
  
• NHVR flags start date for electronic fatigue diaries.

An employer has been ordered to donate $120,000 to an environment trust after fumes escaped from an unattended tank and caused 15 workers from a neighbouring business to go home sick with headaches and nausea.