A Fair Work Commissioner has referred a major employer to a WHS regulator, after finding a worker was allowed to return to work immediately after threatening to commit suicide.
A WHS inspector's belief that an employer had "no system in place" to prevent life-threatening falls was "based on a misconception", the NSW Industrial Relations Commission has ruled in revoking another WHS notice.
> Three PCBUs charged with four category 2 breaches; > More WHS inspectors exposed to violence, this time in NSW; and > Guarding set-up breached Australian Standard and OHS Act.
> Families contributing to workplace manslaughter reforms; > Missing beeper and beacon constitute OHS breach; and > NSW launches eToolkit to improve young workers' safety.
> WHS tools for officers and psychological risks released; > Fuel controls urged after three workers burned in NSW; and > Gas, fume and dust alerts issued in wake of WA inspections.
In this article, OHS Alert reviews all the major WHS and workers' comp developments from the final quarter of 2018, including the release of ISO 45001 as an Australian Standard, record-breaking safety fines and enforceable undertakings, and legislative changes.
An employer has committed to spending more than $500,000 on promoting truck safety and developing mental health tools, after a contractor suffered fatal head injuries cleaning a vehicle outside the designated area.
New WHS and workers' comp standards have commenced or been postponed in three jurisdictions, while two jurisdictions have issued confined space alerts after three deaths and an electric shock.
Work safety authorities have issued special heat warnings to employers, which are particularly important to heed given the Bureau of Meteorology's latest annual climate statement and three-month forecast.
