Regulators in three jurisdictions have issued a score of alerts following incidents involving mobile plant and dangerous substances, and one has released guidance on mental health training. Meanwhile, more than nine in 10 truck drivers have reported being exposed to increasing unsafe practices since the Safe Rates system was scrapped.
The High Court has revoked its own decision to grant a worker special leave to appeal against a ruling that her employer didn't have a duty to protect her psychological health from "insensitive" investigation letters blaming her for an altercation.
The Greens have called for a WHS regulator to reveal how many abandoned cases are under review, after it re-classified a nurse's murder as work-related and apologised to her family.
A Senate committee has been directed to inquire into whether the limited harmonisation of WHS laws and the increasing use of temporary workers are hampering the prevention of workplace deaths. Meanwhile, the Turnbull Government has promised to extend domestic violence leave to six million more workers, following the Fair Work Commission's ruling on the issue.
A major employer should have undertaken psychological profiling of a worker before offering him a role where he had to deal with threatening situations, a court has found in awarding him more than $150,000 in damages for mental injuries.
NSW is amending its mirror WHS Act to include extraterritorial powers and other recommendations from last year's statutory review, and to exempt police officers from prosecution for WHS breaches committed while dealing with armed offenders.
