Amendments being proposed today to the NSW OHS Act include clarifying employers' duty of care to do what is "reasonably practicable" and a new requirement on workers to take care for their own safety. WorkCover NSW will also have an increased focus on providing advice, assistance and education.
The NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal has provided new guidance on when information about a worker's compensation claim is considered "personal information" and must be protected under the Privacy Act.
A new Australian study has found that staff training alone isn't enough to reduce injuries to healthcare workers caused by violent patients, but a multi-strategy approach can be successful.
The Federal Government has today announced plans to require the aviation sector to introduce mandatory drug and alcohol testing for safety-sensitive personnel.
South Australia's Industrial Relations Court has convicted and fined a builder that had a "surprising level of ignorance" about the dangers of asbestos and used an unsafe removal method during demolition works.
It is not enough for employers to "make available" the manuals for dangerous equipment - the contents should be incorporated into training and instruction, according to the NSW Industrial Court.
The Full Court of Tasmania has overturned a worker's $467,000 damages award, finding the risk of him sustaining his manual handling injury was so small that it was reasonable for his employer not to have taken steps to prevent it.
Employers that rely on specialist contractors still have to obtain written work procedures and verify their safety, the NSW Industrial Court has ruled in handing down a $150,000 fine.
