Browsing: Psychosocial issues | Page 136

A psychologically injured worker who engaged in a "tug of war" with her supervisor during a "momentary lapse of judgement" should not have been sacked, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.

In its first anti-bullying decisions, the Fair Work Commission has rejected two applications because the alleged bullying victims didn't pay their filing fees. Meanwhile, the Northern Territory has convicted 121 people under new laws aimed at protecting workers from violence.

A toxic safety culture not only arises from inadequate processes and procedures, but when workers are cynical and "game-playing" surrounds the reporting of injuries, according to risk expert Robert Long.

Construction companies will be required to test their workers for drugs and alcohol to be eligible for Victorian Government contracts, under a controversial plan to amend the industry's Code of Practice announced this morning.

A Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions solicitor was unfairly sacked for "misconduct" after his bouts of depression affected his work performance, attendance and conduct, the Federal Circuit Court has ruled.

The Fair Work Commission received 44 applications for anti-workplace-bullying orders in January, well short of the foreshadowed average of nearly 70 a week.

A shift worker who claimed he couldn't work on Saturdays - because he had "re-engaged" with his religious faith - has been denied compensation for stress, after a judge found his employer acted reasonably in offering him a weekday roster with considerably less pay.

Middle managers must be encouraged to appear approachable and take an interest in workers' non-work-related difficulties, to foster supportive environments and reduce psychosocial risks, a new EU-OSHA campaign brief says.

A law firm is urging employers to ensure their treatment of alleged bullies is "consistent throughout the workplace", after BHP Coal was fined $60,000 for taking adverse action against two union delegates.

Endeavour Energy's renewed push to replace oral swabbing with urine tests - as part of its drug and alcohol policy - has been rejected by the Fair Work Commission, despite a national association's recent decision to suspend accreditation of workplace saliva tests.