Employer fined after bystander death; New CEO announced for Safety, Return to Work and Support; Better communication techniques reduce workplace stress; and Essential safety news from three jurisdictions.
An employer is tangibly improving the mental health of its workforce with a program that trains employees to approach and mentor co-workers who might be facing problems.
There is a "qualitative difference" between swearing in the workplace and swearing at a colleague, the Fair Work Commission has affirmed, in finding an employer fairly sacked a worker for verbally abusing his manager.
Union "abuses" of safety issues would be reduced if each relevant jurisdiction followed Queensland's lead on amending model WHS right-of-entry provisions, according to Master Builders Australia.
Shifts separated by less than 11 hours increase workers' risk of developing sleeping problems and other long-term health issues, but longer breaks can negate the impact, according to new research.
The Fair Work Commission has ruled that a worker who threatened to shoot his supervisor was fairly sacked, and found the supervisor had reasonable grounds to be concerned about his safety.
An employer that asked a worker to look for another job "for OH&S reasons" after he suffered heart problems has failed to defend an adverse action claim in the Federal Circuit Court.
Workplace inspections can detect day-to-day safety issues, but employers can't rely on them to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of their broader safety management systems, a consultant warns.
New research casts doubt on the merits of providing workplace exercise facilities, finding no evidence they increase employees' physical activity levels.
