Employers can take a number of steps to eliminate workers' comp fraud and drive down their premiums, including checking injured workers' social media pages, Comcare says.
Employers in the resources sector and other industries should maintain their light vehicles more often than recommended by manufacturers, require workers to inspect cars every time they drive, and hold unsafe drivers to account, according to a vehicle crash investigator.
Draft harmonised WHS Regulations for the NSW mining industry have been released for a six-week consultation period, with stakeholders being urged to comment on clauses developed in response to the New Zealand Pike River Royal Commission.
A Queensland distributor has become one of the first employers to enter into an enforceable undertaking under the State's mirror WHS laws, after a forklift entered a pedestrian zone and injured a worker.
A contractor has been ordered to pay $1 million in damages to a worker injured in an eight-metre scaffolding fall, after the NSW Court of Appeal found it took control of the worker's system of work, and revised the SWMS, just days before the incident.
A judge has rejected an injured subcontractor's $650,000 damages bid, as well as his claim that he felt compelled to perform an unsafe task for fear of being refused future work.
A recent case involving a worker who was awarded $240,000 in damages - after being bullied for just 11 days - demonstrates how important it is to proactively respond to all workplace bullying complaints, according to employment and safety lawyer Hedy Cray.
Workplace storytelling is a powerful and effective tool for improving safety culture, because it's more likely than "information and instruction" to provoke emotion and encourage workers to act, says communication expert Jonathan Champ.
A Queensland employer, whose barman hit a customer in the head during an unruly work Christmas party, has lost its appeal against a $1.4 million damages ruling, after the Court of Appeal found the barman acted in the employer's interests.
