A superior court has found a major employer harassed a female employee for suffering a gynaecological disability requiring extended absences, but stressed that employers aren't obliged to grant unpaid sick leave to such workers. Meanwhile, a s-xually-harassed apprentice has been awarded $30,000 in compensation.
In an unprecedented review of occupational factors associated with obstructive sleep apnoea, researchers have found commercial drivers are twice as likely as others to suffer from the condition, greatly increasing their chance of being involved in road accidents.
A health expert has questioned the veracity of research linking workplace electromagnetic fields to motor neuron disease, while Australia's radiation regulator has called for more prospective studies on the possible effects of using mobile phones, including cancer and neurobehavioural symptoms.
Australian researchers have identified five "classes" of workplace bullying experiences that affect absenteeism, including subtle but pervasive forms of negative behaviour, and explained how employers can prevent conflict from escalating.
Safety and workers' comp laws are being amended in Queensland to allow dust victims to "re-open" lump sum claims, and crackdown on dodgy electrical work - a move driven by a workplace fatality and coronial inquest.
A manager bullied his subordinates by humiliating them when they made errors or deviated from his interpretation of company practices, a commissioner has found, in stressing that a supervisory role does not involve teaching employees "a lesson".
European researchers have discovered an "untapped potential" for employers to reduce the risk of workers suffering abdominal hernias, which affect about one in three men.
The national industrial chemical reforms introduced yesterday will slash the number of substances requiring pre-introduction scrutiny by more than 70 per cent, while strengthening enforcement powers to protect the safety of workers and the environment.
