Browsing: Remote work

The struggle of workers to "decode" written communications, which are prolific in remote-work set-ups, is triggering a hunter-gatherer survival mechanism and perceptions of being bullied, a senior WHS researcher says.

In a major report on Australia's "forced experiment" - widespread working-from-home arrangements for the pandemic - the Productivity Commission has detailed employers' WHS duties to remote workers, examined the "right to disconnect" and called for an upcoming WHS review to address the issue.

A recent multi-million dollar COVID-19 workers' comp case shows that employers need to be aware of the risk of sending workers into high-risk environments, and that their responsibilities aren't limited to the workplace, two senior employment lawyers say.

For R U OK? Day today, a clinical services expert has highlighted the difficulties of meeting work demands during the COVID-19 pandemic, and stressed that reaching out to colleagues can "spark a life-changing conversation". Meanwhile, a safety regulator has outlined how to develop a mentally healthy workplace through the risk management process.

• Dingo attack prompts workplace safety prosecution; and
  
• COVID vaccines mandated in major WA sector.

• COVID lockdowns creating WHS gaps, PCBUs warned; and
  
• WA releases resources and start date for WHS transition.

Minimising "boundaryless working hours" allows employees to recover and remain healthy, according to a study of nearly 9,000 workers that provides pertinent advice for COVID-19-driven flexible and remote work arrangements.

A man has been convicted of two category-1 WHS breaches - the first reckless conduct convictions recorded in his jurisdiction. After he was sentenced, a regulator slammed his workplace's stoic culture and the inaction of witnesses to a teenage worker's serious burns.

An employer has been found liable for the debilitating complications of a worker's parasitic disease, which he contracted while deployed to a remote area without any training, personal protective equipment or health checks.

Resources giant BHP has been ordered to pay nearly $600,000 in damages to a worker who was injured in an incident that also attracted a safety fine. The man hurt his back and developed post-traumatic stress disorder after an unsafe BHP road forced him to engage in dangerous driving.