Lawyer not convinced by South Australian "control" clause; NTC pushes to align Dangerous Goods Code with UN regulations; and COAG to consider ratifying ILO safety conventions for mines and dock work.
NSW and WA work deaths spark risk-assessment call; South Australia offers OHS research grants, releases formwork guide; and Essential safety news from around Australia.
In this update, OHS Alert outlines all the important OHS and workers' compensation legislative changes made in the second quarter of 2012. We also recap the most significant court and tribunal rulings and other developments in each jurisdiction.
South Australian employers that exposed their workers to asbestos-containing materials are more likely to be sued for exemplary damages after Monday's full Supreme Court decision, an asbestos victims advocate says.
Queensland premiums increase by 2% as bigger hikes recommended; NSW coal premiums falling thanks to safety training and gas monitoring; SA Greens adjourn workers' comp retirement-age Bill; and Western Australia's maximum weekly benefits increasing by 4%.
South Australia's mirror WHS Bill looks increasingly likely to pass through Parliament, after the State Government agreed to insert an explanatory clause on "direct control".
In another major case involving the issue of "control", the South Australian IRC has, in a majority decision, reinstated an OHS fine imposed on a principal contractor.
A South Australian employer that had an informal procedure for cleaning an unguarded machine has been fined $187,500, after a worker fell into the machine and lost his arm.
National rail safety law passes in first jurisdiction; Rail protection officer fined for drugs as latest Waterfall report released; Tasmanian asbestos victims paid $3m in six months under no-fault scheme; and Tasmanian and Victorian workplace safety awards open.
An employer has successfully appealed against a decision to award compensation to an employee who was assaulted on his way home from a work-related social event - via a pizza shop - while attending an interstate training course.
