A major PCBU has been found not guilty of WHS charges relating to the installation and mislabelling of gas pipes, which led to the death of a newborn baby and serious injuries to another in a Sydney hospital, with a court finding a subcontractor "lied" about completing the pipeline tests.
A PCBU accused of breaching WHS laws, in failing to prepare a proper emergency plan for "worker entrapment by... robotic arms", has avoided prosecution through a $500,000 commitment to digitalise its safety management system and other initiatives.
The role that OHS professionals and services are playing in transforming organisational and national systems and policies, for COVID-19 and future pandemics, is a key focus of World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Workers' Memorial Day tomorrow. Meanwhile, employers have been warned that flu vaccinations are particularly crucial this season.
Applying the hierarchy of controls, consulting workers and maintaining stringent workplace hygiene measures as coronavirus restrictions are eased, are among the new workplace principles agreed to by the National Cabinet. Meanwhile, employers are being urged to encourage staff to download the new COVIDSafe app.
A worker has been sentenced to 12 months' jail for reckless conduct that killed a co-worker, in a judgment revealing a litany of safety failures resulting from inadequate training, time pressures and cost-saving measures.
Two company officers and their companies have been convicted and fined in separate cases, after the officers failed to provide the PCBUs with the resources to regularly inspect and maintain dangerous equipment or align work practices with weather conditions.
An employer's equipment cleaning policies, and evidence that workers abided by them, have helped it avoid liability for a worker's injuries and hefty damages bill.
A contractor has been slammed by a court for blaming a fatal fall on the victim, and fined $450,000, taking the total penalties over the incident to $900,000.
