A services provider whose employees regularly drive for work has reduced its insurance premiums by nearly $30,000 through safety interventions that target drivers, supervisors and senior management, according to organisational psychologist Dr Sharon Newnam.
The winners of the 2014 Comcare Awards have been announced, with four of the victors and runners-up being the subject of recent OHS Alert case studies. Also in this article, Safe Work Australia is urging workers to become safety ambassadors.
A rail worker who suffered a seizure was fairly sacked for being unable to satisfy the medical requirements of his safety-critical role, the Fair Work Commission has found.
A safety blitz on a subset of the ACT's most dangerous industry has identified widespread non-compliance with the Territory's mirror WHS Act, and caught one employer ignoring a formal prohibition notice.
NSW's dangerous goods regulations have been amended to require all tanker trailers to be retrofitted with roll-stability systems, while a Western Australian employer has been fined for unsafely storing dangerous goods. Also in this article, regulators in five jurisdictions have issued alerts after two workers were killed and other incidents.
Employers can significantly increase the likelihood of workers protecting themselves from the sun through role modelling, PPE and "sun safe" clauses in policies, according to Australian researchers.
A Western Australian employer failed to ensure the safety of a worker who was assaulted and developed PTSD, but it won't have to pay him damages, after the District Court found his permanent whole person impairment was two per cent lower than the damages threshold.
A recent OHS prosecution has driven home the message that regulators are prepared to take action against employers for safety breaches regardless of whether an incident has occurred.
The Fair Work Commission will allow an employer to be represented by a lawyer in an anti-bullying case to speed up the process, but has rejected its alternative claim that its managers and the alleged bullies are incapable of representing the company or themselves.
