A Bill allowing workplace dust victims to re-open lump sum compensation claims, cracking down on unsafe electrical work and amending the WHS Act, should be passed by Queensland Parliament, according to one of five recommendations from an inquiry into the proposed laws.
Adversarial workers' comp schemes must be overhauled to ensure emergency services workers with PTSD don't have to battle insurers and non-independent doctors when they're at their most unwell, a paramedics union says.
European researchers have identified two occupational exposures that double a worker's likelihood of sustaining painful, compensable shoulder conditions like tendinitis, impingements and bursitis.
A parliamentary committee inquiry has failed to reach consensus on a Bill establishing a labour-hire licensing scheme in Queensland, with some members saying there is no evidence the legislation will "defeat" rogue operators that don't meet their WHS and workers' comp obligations.
Workers who perform high levels of physical activity at work but are inactive in their leisure time are at the highest risk of developing a work disability, according to European researchers.
In this edition of OHS Alert's must-read quarterly update series, now in its 14th year, we examine all the major workplace safety and workers' compensation developments from April, May and June 2017, including three record safety fines and a raft of legislative changes.
Injured workers should be subjected to "qualitative tests" to ensure they aren't denied ongoing compensation if they're incapacitated but don't meet the serious injury threshold, an inquiry into South Australia's RTW scheme has heard.
Comcare will extend its "proactive regulatory reach" and take steps to reduce workers' comp premiums in 2017-18, while Safe Work Australia will finalise its policy on harmonised explosives laws, the Australian Government budget shows.
