An employer that had extensive safety systems, but failed to adopt two processes that could have prevented a worker from being fatally crushed by falling cargo, has been fined $150,000.
An award-winning civil construction company has taken the guesswork out of one of its highest-risk activities, by creating its own easy-to-use operator guides.
An employer didn't breach its duty of care to a worker, in failing to instruct her on how to safely use a stepladder, because using the ladder was a "relatively straightforward" task, a court has found.
Employers have been urged to prioritise higher order controls over administrative controls like safety zones, and use a "fresh pair of eyes", to tackle the growing risk of potentially fatal falling objects.
Safe Work Australia has reported a record-low worker fatalities rate, but found that the proportion of work deaths resulting from falls has steadily increased since 2003.
An employer has been convicted and fined $80,000 after a worker fell three metres down an unguarded stairwell void, while a local council has entered a $120,000 enforceable undertaking after an employee's foot became entangled in a machine.
An employer has committed $430,000 to boosting safety leadership and other initiatives, in lieu of prosecution, after identifying a gap in "supervisory input".
An employer's WHS fine for a workplace death has been slashed by more than 50 per cent, after it agreed to publish details of the offence in newspapers.
