Browsing: WHS decisions (National) | Page 9

A major employer that has received two record-high workplace health and safety penalties, and could be fined millions of dollars over two road deaths, has been charged with more WHS contraventions, this time in relation to an ACT incident.

• Interaction of WHS laws and Australian Standards explained; and
  
• Fatigue breaches committed through 19.5 hours of work.

• Heavy penalty for injury-causing ageism locked in; and
  
• Sentences for injury fraud come with jail warning.

A major defence contractor has been convicted and fined $450,000 over a death, after a court heard it had been aware that workers were experiencing difficulties with what turned out to be the fatality-causing task.

A commission has rejected a worker's bid for stop-bullying orders requiring her employer to cover her medical expenses and stand down its CEO, after finding her supervisor's frank and firm comments didn't constitute bullying.

A worker has unsuccessfully claimed his brother and his employer took unlawful adverse action against him for making workplace complaints, with a court finding the company was forced to take action when a dispute between the "warring" brothers started to affect the health and safety of staff.

The Federal Court has overturned a finding that two union officials made homophobic slurs towards a project's safety advisor. The Court reduced their pecuniary penalties, but confirmed they "deliberately" breached the site's WHS requirements.

A worker who claimed she was fired for exercising her workplace rights, under health and safety laws, has had her adverse action claim denied, with a court finding she was terminated for performance and disciplinary issues.

The Federal Court has increased a damages award by more than $200,000 for a worker, now in his 70s, who suffered a psychiatric injury from feeling pressured to retire. However, it rejected the worker's claim his employer's actions involved a work health and safety breach.

• "Swearing" constituted unsafe workplace harassment; and
  
• Workplace safety fraudsters face big fines under rail amendments.