A contractor involved in the construction of the Sydney Opera House has failed to convince the Court of Appeal that there was no evidence it knew asbestos was used at the site. The Court also found that damages awarded to the family of a mesothelioma victim cannot be reduced by compensation already paid to the widow.
Queensland's workers' comp Amendment Bill has hit a stumbling block, with a parliamentary committee divided on provisions that restore common law access to all injured workers, and prevent employers from accessing prospective employees' injury histories.
Safe Work Australia's new deemed diseases report, which is designed to inform workers' comp laws and prevention strategies, includes a number of diseases that aren't included in the work-related diseases lists currently used in the states and territories.
An employer breached consumer laws in making unsubstantiated claims that one of its products complied with global safety regulations and didn't contain a carcinogen, a full Federal Court has ruled.
Employers that exposed workers to asbestos in the past could be faced with a new raft of damages claims, after French researchers found the hazardous substance causes a range of digestive cancers.
An employer that sacked a worker for exposing employees to a "potential catastrophic event" has lost its appeal against reinstating him, but a Fair Work Commission full bench has stripped him of an earlier compensation award.
A NSW employer and its director have been ordered to pay more than $110,000 in fines and costs for illegally dumping asbestos and other waste, while another employer has been ordered to pay nearly $90,000 for exposing workers in a neighbouring industrial estate to harmful fumes. In Western Australia, an employer has been fined for allowing work to be performed with unsafe tools.
