A services provider whose employees regularly drive for work has reduced its insurance premiums by nearly $30,000 through safety interventions that target drivers, supervisors and senior management, according to organisational psychologist Dr Sharon Newnam.
The winners of the 2014 Comcare Awards have been announced, with four of the victors and runners-up being the subject of recent OHS Alert case studies. Also in this article, Safe Work Australia is urging workers to become safety ambassadors.
A rail worker who suffered a seizure was fairly sacked for being unable to satisfy the medical requirements of his safety-critical role, the Fair Work Commission has found.
Employers can significantly increase the likelihood of workers protecting themselves from the sun through role modelling, PPE and "sun safe" clauses in policies, according to Australian researchers.
New workers' compensation regulations have taken effect in NSW and Queensland, while NSW's Finance Minister has claimed that returning injured workers to work by an average of just one day earlier could save the WorkCover scheme millions of dollars.
The $130,000 Oracle s-xual harassment case shows that "well-intentioned but unskilled attempts" to respond to workers' complaints can cause as much damage as harassment itself, according to a lawyer.
Workers aged under 44 with physically demanding jobs are more likely than older workers in similar roles to claim workers' compensation for musculoskeletal injuries, suggesting employers should keep younger workers in mind when introducing safety interventions, Australian researchers have found.
Lend Lease has slashed its injury rate by transforming its leadership culture, but hit a stumbling block when it declared a victory on safety prematurely, according to a senior manager.
OHS professionals and other managers can engage workers in safety by using "little bits of detail" about them to get to know them better and gain their trust and respect, says John Holland Group structure superintendent Kerry Brand.
