A PCBU has been found guilty of WHS breaches, for failing to properly supervise and train a worker so he could identify tasks he was prohibited from undertaking.
Employers will be required to prepare a "silica hazard control statement" and obtain a special licence under proposed Victorian regulations affecting four sectors and 24 sub-industries. Meanwhile, tighter workplace exposure thresholds, including for diesel emissions, take effect in NSW next week.
An employer has failed in its bid to stay a WHS improvement notice, by claiming a safety inspector's limited enquires led to him relying on outdated documentation and proposing remedial measures that "were incapable of being complied with".
> COVID-19 vaccine advice for workplaces coming soon; > Two individuals and one PCBU charged over teenagers' deaths; and > Air-conditioning gas explodes in work vehicle.
Industrial manslaughter provisions should be amended in Queensland to ensure all companies that negligently cause a worker's death can be prosecuted, according to a major inquiry report that also makes important recommendations on safety metrics.
A worker has lost her bid for compensation for chronic fatigue syndrome allegedly triggered by a viral infection she contracted while posted in India. A tribunal found her condition didn't satisfy the definition of "injury" under a High Court test.
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.
In a rare case, a PCBU has been convicted and fined under WHS consultation provisions, after its failure to "consult, co-operate and co-ordinate" with other duty holders led to a worker sustaining serious injuries in a fall.
