The final quarter of 2023 was marked by wholesale WHS changes affecting all duty holders. This report examines the amendments, as well as changes to other laws and all the need-to-know caselaw from the period.
Safe Work Australia has committed to immediately drafting changes to the national model WHS laws to reflect the outcomes of yesterday's WHS ministers meeting on engineered stone and other issues. The non-harmonised state of Victoria will make similar changes to its safety legislation.
The operator of the inflatable jumping castle that six children were using when they sustained fatal injuries at the Hillcrest Primary School in Tasmania, in December 2021, has been charged with a mid-level WHS offence.
A major infrastructure project that provided onsite mental health counselling, and an airport that integrated its workplace safety, aviation and security requirements, are among the winners of the latest safety awards announced in two jurisdictions.
A worker who suffered extensive injuries while travelling as a passenger in his employer's vehicle is entitled to compensation, a tribunal has ruled, rejecting the employer's claim he was using the car for his own benefit and was not employed at the time.
Australia has taken a big leap towards banning engineered stone products, with the country's WHS ministers agreeing to release a "powerful and compelling" Safe Work Australia report that recommends the ban, and warns there is no evidence that alternative measures can curb the alarming rate of silicosis in engineered stone workers.
Significant amendments were made to workplace health and safety laws in every Australian jurisdiction in the third quarter of 2023, including many increasing penalties and making it easier to prosecute duty holders. This major report - the only one of its kind in the country - examines all the need-to-know legislative changes, workers' compensation developments and court decisions from July, August and September.
A WHS regulator's role of investigating and possibly laying charges in relation to the Hillcrest Primary School jumping castle tragedy, in which six children died, must prevail over the coronial function of considering recommendations to prevent similar incidents, a judge has ruled in restraining a coroner from accessing key documents.
With National Safe Work Month starting this week, employers are being urged to host SafeTea chats, focus on issues like mental health and workloads, and provide safer workplaces for women. Employers have also been warned to properly maintain their defibrillators.
