A South Australian employer that failed to properly induct an untrained labour hire worker has been convicted and fined over the serious incident that followed.
A Victorian road worker has been granted leave to apply for damages for impaired heart function, despite presenting misleading evidence about when he first experienced heart problems.
A supermarket chain has been fined $130,000 for failing to have in place an adequate traffic management plan, after a delivery driver's negligent act seriously injured another worker.
In two recent Victorian OHS prosecutions, a major rail freight company has been fined $50,000 over communications failures that led to a fatality; and two employers have been fined $30,000 over a botched shopping centre demolition job.
Tasmania to begin consulting on compensation reforms this month; Victorian bouncers to be better trained on safety; High Court agrees to hear WorkChoices challenge; and Latest guides and safety alerts.
In two separate OHS prosecutions against sole traders, the South Australian IR Court has ruled that one could have avoided being charged if he had "arranged his affairs properly" and another was entitled to a very low fine due to his financial situation.
Representatives of the various state and territory workers' compensation authorities have provided updates on recent developments and future challenges for their jurisdictions.
Key messages from this week's National Workers Compensation Summit 2006 include: Simple wellbeing initiatives can reap big returns; Positive reinforcement drives safety culture better than punishment; and Spending on prevention now saves much more on compensation later.
A major national employer has been reducing its workers' compensation costs by making individual sites accountable for their premiums and penalising late claim reporting.
The fact that an employer may not have the power to compel a worker to wear a safety harness has been rejected as a defence to OHS charges against a NSW scaffolding company and a principal contractor.
