An employer's anti-s-xual harassment training failed to deter harassment because it didn't convey the seriousness of the conduct, a full court has found in a vicarious liability case.
A PCBU that sent a series of emails to a subcontractor urging it to accelerate works, and threatening it with financial consequences if it failed to do so, has been fined for exposing four site neighbours to the risk of death or serious injury.
The coronial inquest into the Dreamworld disaster, which killed four patrons, has provided an enlightening albeit disturbing guide on how not to run a workplace safety department, with the theme park's numerous failings including its reliance on "frighteningly unsophisticated" safety systems and unqualified staff, and the absence of holistic risk assessments across 30 years.
The former public prosecutor awarded more than $430,000 in damages for PTSD and depression this week should have been monitored for psychological "red flags", and the failure to do so represented a missed opportunity for welfare checks and early intervention, court documents show.
Employers have a legal duty to identify and manage reasonably foreseeable workplace psychological hazards, and protect workers from unsafely high work demands and bullying, a SafeWork NSW director told a forum on mental health in the legal industry today.
Exclusion sanctions imposed on businesses that commit WHS breaches could be extended under a Federal Government plan to improve the safety and efficiency of the building industry.
A government department that was charged with category 2 WHS breaches after a motorcyclist crashed and died at a road works site, which wasn't set up on accordance with Australian Standards, has been permitted to enter a $1.4 million undertaking in lieu of prosecution.
A crane operator originally charged with the manslaughter of a co-worker has pleaded guilty to reckless conduct, and faces penalties of up to five years' jail and $300,000.
