WorkCover SA to be scrapped and replaced; Seven-step safety guide released; New Victorian dangerous goods Code commences; and Explosives and dozer alerts issued in Qld and WA.
WA death could have been prevented with $1000 investment; Inspectors focus on non-compliant sleeper cabs; Gardeners warned of Legionella risk; SA police to be protected by new blood-test laws; and Draft electrical safety guide released for comment.
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.
A South Australian employer, whose failure to guard a pinch point resulted in an amputation, has received a significant discount on its fine, due to recent changes to the State's criminal sentencing laws.
An employer that sacked a worker with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, who refused to undertake a competency assessment because he was ill, has been ordered to pay him $100,000 in fines and compensation.
A coronial inquiry into the drowning deaths of two South Australian workers has highlighted the risks of modifying plant without having the changes approved or inspected.
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.
Injured workers should follow their treating doctor's advice, and not the recommendations of a WorkCover medical panel, if the two opinions vary, a South Australian judge has ruled in a workers' comp dispute.
Qld employers urged to check validity of safety summonses; Cancer compensation laws pass in Tas, trudge forward in SA; and Caution urged after concrete panel incidents and welding explosion.
