An employer had a valid reason to dismiss a worker, who spent half a night shift in a crib room for ostensible safety reasons, but failed to properly investigate the incident, the Fair Work Commission has found.
A NSW employer that failed to enforce its "comprehensive and sophisticated" OHS policies, or clearly label a butane pipe, has been fined $110,000, after a contractor suffered arm and head burns.
A subcontractor who injured his back while conducting an awkward lift has been awarded more than $820,000 in damages, after the ACT Supreme Court found an employer failed to check the size and weight of the item being lifted before the task was undertaken.
WA death could have been prevented with $1000 investment; Inspectors focus on non-compliant sleeper cabs; Gardeners warned of Legionella risk; SA police to be protected by new blood-test laws; and Draft electrical safety guide released for comment.
The NSW Government has introduced legislation to "place it beyond doubt" that the District Court has jurisdiction to hear OHS prosecutions, and to make it clear that legal practitioners who represent WorkCover prosecutors can sign safety summonses.
In this update, OHS Alert recaps all the important OHS and workers' compensation legislative changes made in the third quarter of 2013. We also point subscribers to the most significant court and tribunal rulings and other developments in each jurisdiction.
A worker, who claimed the aggressive emails and text messages he sent to colleagues were neither threatening nor work-related, was fairly sacked, the Fair Work Commission has found.
