Employers that disagree with an insurer's decision on a workers' comp claim should prepare well to make their written and spoken appeal submissions as "compelling" as they can, says employment lawyer Hedy Cray.
A subcontractor who injured his back while conducting an awkward lift has been awarded more than $820,000 in damages, after the ACT Supreme Court found an employer failed to check the size and weight of the item being lifted before the task was undertaken.
In this update, OHS Alert recaps all the important OHS and workers' compensation legislative changes made in the third quarter of 2013. We also point subscribers to the most significant court and tribunal rulings and other developments in each jurisdiction.
Severe weather and hand-tool warnings issued in NSW; ACT flags mandatory asbestos training and suspends high-risk licence; and NT adopts new dangerous goods driver training course.
Safety inspectors in the ACT visited more than 2000 workplaces and issued hundreds of improvement and prohibition notices in 2012-13, significantly increasing their presence in some sectors, a new report shows.
Employers urged to step up safety focus during October; Government told to tackle rising suicide and PTSD rates among soldiers; and Warnings issued after structure collapse and high winds.
Employers urged to maintain "hard-line" anti-drug stance despite cannabis study; Shrinking NSW IRC to be less effective at tackling bullying; WA to crack down on unsafe supervisors as ACT issues supervision guide; and Seven overhead powerline incidents prompt warning.
Three ACT employers have been ordered to pay injured workers nearly $1.5 million in damages. In separate proceedings, the Supreme Court found one of the employers had an "unsatisfactory" system for storing and lifting files, while another failed to identify and eliminate hazards at a building site.
