In this major report, OHS Alert examines all the must-know work health and safety, workers' compensation and work-related COVID-19 developments from the fourth quarter of 2020, with highlights including a series of important legislative changes and near-record WHS fines.
An injury sustained by an on-call worker in his work vehicle in the driveway of his home occurred in the course of his employment, either because he was carrying out his duties or there was a "real and substantial connection" between the employment and his "journey", a judge has ruled.
A tribunal full bench has rejected a worker's claim that injuries sustained during work-related social or sporting activities attract a different, stand-alone compensability test to other injuries.
In fining a company director for WHS breaches, a tribunal has found she failed to ensure her business complied with its duty to refuel a burner in a safe manner. The tribunal also questioned the suitability of equipment where risk-control hinges on strict compliance with every safety step in a manual.
Safe Work Australia has updated the model WHS Regulations and its guidance on the meaning of "person conducting a business or undertaking", while WHS provisions have been amended in NSW and South Australia, and the ACT has established a public register for reporting infringements by WHS licensees.
OHS Alert is taking a break for a few weeks, and we're leaving you with a list of our most popular articles from the last 12 months - a list dominated by our leading stories on managing the work-related risks of COVID-19, and high-profile court cases.
In upholding a worker's noise-induced hearing loss claim, a tribunal has found claimants bear the onus of proving the relevant employment involved excessive noise exposure, before the evidentiary onus shifts to the respondent to show otherwise.
A safety regulator has urged workplace leaders to learn from the first successful prosecution, under the harmonised WHS laws, of an individual for workplace bullying, and revealed it received more than 1,300 calls on psychological risks and bullying in 2019-20. Another regulator says it is targeting unhygienic toilets in a blitz.
