Workers who are subjected to bullying and stress at work are more likely to have children and grandchildren with autism or cancer, and their employers could be held liable under the due diligence provisions of the model WHS Act, a new Australian white paper says.
Safe Work Australia will host free training and information sessions in 10 cities to help employers transition to the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Also in this article, OHS Alert examines the progress of the safety prosecutions arising from the Pike River Coal Mine tragedy.
Waterfront employers that obey the model WHS Act will not face additional compliance costs with the introduction of the Code of Practice on managing stevedoring risks, the Maritime Union of Australia has stressed at rallies today.
The vast majority (87%) of workplaces are failing to comply with provisions of the harmonised first-aid Code of Practice relating to resources, training and first-aid emergency drills, according to St John Ambulance Australia.
Principal contractors are being advised to review their procedures relating to safe work method statements (SWMSs), with OHS regulators likely to audit them in the coming months.
Are the officers of a PCBU required - under s27(5)(a) of the model WHS Act - to be aware of a study on hazards relating to their industry that is published in a Russian or a Brazilian journal?
PCBUs should identify all workers responsible for gathering and analysing safety information - as required by the model WHS Act - and clarify the role in job descriptions, according to OHS lawyer Barry Sherriff.
Harmonised WHS Acts have commenced in South Australia and Tasmania, while in other jurisdictions new Codes of Practice have taken effect, and some transitional arrangements have expired or been extended.
Mirror WHS Acts take effect in South Australia and Tasmania in less than two weeks. In this article, OHS Alert points SA and Tas readers to the resources they need to prepare for the new laws, and looks at the ongoing transitional arrangements in other jurisdictions.
