Victorian "dividend" Bill could push up workers' comp premiums; Study finds injured workers require "intensive" help; Western Australia introduces firefighter compensation Bill; and WorkCover NSW investigates forklift death, releases investigations fact sheet.
Induction flaw ends in death plunge and $250k fine; Employer placed on bond after worker killed by unguarded machine; and Harmonisation guides for major hazard facilities and Queensland rural sector released.
Victorian employer United Petroleum has successfully appealed against a decision to change the industry classification of its Melbourne-based national head office to "service stations", and more than quadruple its workers' compensation premiums.
Forklift and traffic-management issues dominate safety blitz; NSW dust-disease Bill for victims' families defeated; and Essential safety news from across the country.
In a report on the death of a worker who fell from a ladder, the Victorian Coroner has criticised an employer for its "superficial" safety documents, and called for WorkSafe to "abolish the distinction between working at height above or below two metres".
In a long-running dispute involving a Victorian employer, which was fined $100,000 after an offsite subcontractor was killed by a falling crate, the High Court has heard it was widely known that such crates had been "jumping off trucks like lemmings over a cliff".
NSW might have been one of the first jurisdictions to pass and enact a mirror Work Health and Safety Act, but the COAG Reform Council has accused it of joining Victoria and Western Australia in "undoing" the harmonisation process. Also in this article, Safe Work Australia has launched new WHS resources for volunteers and HSRs.
A former Telstra technician who had nightmares after helping two strangers escape from a man wielding a knife, and who was later targeted by an "unreasonable" team leader, has been awarded compensation.
In this update, OHS Alert outlines all the important OHS and workers' compensation legislative changes made in the final quarter of 2011. We also recap the most significant court and tribunal rulings and other developments in each jurisdiction.
A NSW employer has been fined $225,000 after a worker was fatally crushed while working underneath a loader with no park brake. Also in this article, two Victorian employers have been fined for traffic-management breaches following a death.
