The rate of unsuccessful return-to-work attempts has increased significantly in the last two years, with one in five injured workers requiring more than one attempt, a major Safe Work Australia survey has found.
Employers covered by the Comcare scheme should expect increasing scrutiny from the regulator, after it revised its enforcement policies and more than doubled its WHS notice activities within a year.
A Senate inquiry has called on the Australian Government to ensure legislated workplace health and safety rights for workers who are not classified as employees or perform non-standard work, with the proliferation of the gig economy.
A unique Monash University report has found that while the truck driving sector is notorious for fatal and debilitating crashes, more than four in five lost-time injuries result from other causes. It also identifies the geographical regions that will benefit most from interventions, and warns that falling claim numbers could be linked to legislative changes rather than safety improvements.
Workers in occupations with high injury and illness rates are dying from overdosing on opioid medication at a rate of up to six times higher than the all-worker average, according to an alarming government report.
A former Federal Court judge has rejected submissions that a ruling in favour of a worker injured by opioid medication encourages a culture of litigiousness and sickness, but recommended that consideration be given to amending South Australia's Return to Work Act if the man's claim is upheld in upcoming proceedings.
Australia's chemical safety regulations have been amended to reflect changes to the Rotterdam Convention, while Safe Work Australia has released a series of guidance on workplace exposure standards and psychological injuries.
In this major report, OHS Alert examines all the important work safety and workers' comp developments from the second quarter of 2018, including unprecedented regulatory action against a safety officer and eight other parties after a fatality, the High Court agreeing to determine the reach of the WHS Act, and numerous legislative changes.
Setting up a representative steering group is one of six steps employers should take to kick-start their stress-prevention interventions, according to the UK's Health and Safety Executive.
