Browsing: Dangerous substances | Page 99

The High Court will determine whether a mesothelioma-related cause of action arises at the time asbestos is inhaled or when the symptoms of the disease become apparent, after an employer was granted special leave to appeal against a $425,000 damages award.

A worker who burnt his toe while he was off work, before developing an infection that led to his toe and then lower leg being amputated, has been awarded workers' compensation.

• DuPont fined after four workers gassed to death in US;
  
• UK employer and individual fined over fatal fall; and
  
• Australian regulators issue fatality alerts.

• Cancer "time bomb" identified in workers' comp study; and
  
• UN decision on white asbestos was "farcical", says AMWU.

• Seacare and "exit contributions" Bills progress;
  
• ACT passes asbestos Bill and applauds safety improvements;
  
• Asbestos levy cut by 12.5 per cent in Tasmania;
  
• ACCC recalling unsafe disposable respirators; and
  
• Alerts issued after bike death and overloaded-truck incident.

• Most confined-space deaths result from poor training;
  
• Fuel fire, asbestos and horse alerts issued in NSW; and
  
• OHS licences expiring in the Northern Territory.

A worker who repeatedly refused to shave his goatee to ensure his PPE fit properly was fairly dismissed, even though he offered to provide his own alternative protection, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.

• Workers still exposed to hazardous lead paint; and
  
• Fatality reports and alerts released in four jurisdictions.

• Webinar on safety leadership coming soon; and
  
• Vic mine safety laws strengthened in light of Hazelwood inquiry.

Unions are using International Workers' Memorial Day tomorrow to call for company directors to be jailed for up to 20 years for serious safety breaches, and for governments to crack down on workplace exposure to hazardous substances.