An inquest has found that a 457-visa worker fell from scaffolding and drowned after he accidentally dislodged a load-bearing wedge while, according to one expert, performing "one of the most dangerous" scaffold tasks "I have ever witnessed".
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.
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.
PCBUs are being reminded of their duty to prioritise engineering controls over administrative measures like training, after the "largest ever" survey on workplace quad bikes found no evidence that operator protective devices cause serious injuries or deaths.
The dispute over union powers to enter sites to assist HSRs appears to be far from over, with a safety regulator "considering its options" in relation to the full Federal Court's Friday decision on the matter.
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.
