ACT funds new safety inspectors as Qld locks in "competitive" premiums; Coalition confirms commitment to FWC bullying plan; and Warnings issued after outdoor workers killed in South Australia and Victoria.
All employers, including those that foster a fun or relaxed working environment, must take steps to prevent workplace pranks, or risk being found liable for jokes that get out of hand, says OHS lawyer Saul Harben.
Safe Work Australia has released a revised draft model Code of Practice on the prevention of workplace bullying, which no longer includes the words "subtle" and "indirect" or references to initiation practices in its examples of bullying.
Safe Work Australia members have agreed - for the second time in three months - to release the draft model Codes of Practice on the prevention of workplace bullying and stevedoring risks. The statutory agency has also finalised its cash-in-transit Code, and published a new notifiable fatalities report.
A worker who claimed she was forced to quit her job because her employer wouldn't investigate her complaints of sexual harassment and bullying has had her unfair dismissal claim rejected.
The decision to formalise a casual performance management process didn't fall within the definition of workplace bullying - even if it humiliated a worker, the Federal Court has found in quashing an AAT decision.
In a long-running dispute between a Victorian law firm and a former partner, the Court of Appeal has found the partner - who made 23 bullying and harassment complaints during her employment - isn't entitled to damages.
With workplace bullying claims likely to increase under the proposed Fair Work amendments, Sparke Helmore Lawyers partner David Davies has advised employers to develop a four-step bullying prevention and response strategy.
The Fair Work Commission is likely to start dealing with workplace bullying complaints from July, with the Federal Government's budget committing $21.4 million to the policy.
Assessing a worker's psychological injury claim involves much more than a diagnosis. Here, a research psychologist explains how an employee's credibility and functionality are measured.
