> Safety regulator issues workplace measles warning; > New fitness-for-work and ground control guidance released in WA; and > Work alerts issued after three fatalities in NSW.
In this update, OHS Alert revisits all the important work health and safety and workers' compensation legislative changes from the third quarter of 2019. We also recap the most significant court and tribunal rulings and other developments from across the country.
Employers have been warned there are no excuses for allowing workers to risk their safety by clearing machinery that is not switched off, after a company was convicted over a young worker's injuries. Meanwhile, the employer of a worker killed by a runaway vehicle could be fined up to $9 million, after being charged with WHS offences.
> Workplace champions key to reducing excessive sitting; > Federal Govt bans unprotected quads, with transitional periods; and > ACT amends WHS Act, hints at manslaughter changes.
A worker developed the painful condition trigger finger as a result of overusing his non-dominant hand, and using it differently, while on suitable duties recovering from a work injury, a tribunal has found.
A major employer in the health sector is implementing a "kiosk system" with status alerts to monitor contractors and safety performance, as part of a WHS undertaking relating to the death of a newborn baby and severe injuries sustained by another.
> Workplace stress training urged for World Mental Health Day; > Alerts with tips issued after trench and formwork collapse; and > Safe ladder system among WHS and RTW winners in Qld.
The hierarchy of controls is referred to in most employers' high-level safety documents but is often overlooked when determining risk control measures, an investigation into an incident involving semi-autonomous equipment has warned.
