A Queensland employer, that failed to address a meltdown in staff relations, has been ordered to compensate a worker who claimed she was psychologically injured by being bullied at work.
Queensland could follow Victoria's lead and introduce jail terms for workplace bullies, the State Industrial Relations Minister has hinted in announcing the establishment of a special reference group to examine the issue.
In this update, OHS Alert outlines all the important OHS and workers' compensation legislative changes made in the second quarter of 2011. We also recap the most significant court and tribunal rulings and other developments in each jurisdiction.
Employers fined for ignoring Codes of Practice; Safety reviews urged after three horror incidents in 24 hours; OHS prosecutions to be fast-tracked in Victorian blitz; and South Australia offers $412K in OHS research grants.
Coles has been ordered to pay workers' comp to an "inattentive" Queensland employee who suffered head injuries and brain damage after he ran his car off the road while driving to work.
Employers warned of height and storage dangers after deaths; Greens to push for automatic cancer compensation for firefighters; Western Australian employers fined for scaffold and guarding failures; and Essential safety news from around Australia.
Bullying problem perseveres as damages awarded for racist joke; Widow wins workers' comp after red-back death confirmed; and Commonwealth workers one step closer to recess compensation.
An employer cannot be expected to have systems in place to identify and accommodate the "particular psychological vulnerabilities" of all of its workers, a judge has ruled in rejecting a QR Ltd employee's compensation claim.
Queensland employers will no longer pay the lowest workers' comp premiums in the country, with the average rate set to increase significantly for the second year in a row.
