> Employer fined in latest action on coffee burns; > Labour-hire workers not properly trained; and > PCBU and directors fined for disregarding asbestos regulations.
This article examines all the must-know workplace safety, workers' compensation and COVID-19 developments from July, August and September 2020, with highlights including a new WHS Code for the pandemic, the Dreamworld judgment, a record double-fatality fine and gross negligence cases.
> West Gate Bridge anniversary sends work safety message; > PCBU failed to enforce exclusion zones; and > Safety blitz moves to next Canberra suburb, issues 31 notices.
A company and its director have been handed maximum OHS penalties, totalling more than $466,000, after a truck with poorly maintained brakes crashed and killed its young driver, while a safety regulator has issued a string of notices in the latest phase of its Canberra blitz.
> COVID face coverings can create new work risks, regulator warns; > "Second line of defence" prescribed for Qld mines; > Employers reminded of new quad bike safety standards; and > New online system helps WHS notifications in Tas.
Four employers have been fined a total of $160,000 for safety breaches, after a worker was pinned under a 500kg machine that wasn't bolted down, a non-worker wandered onto a site with missing fencing, and other incidents.
> OHS enforcement stepped up in Vic's latest COVID-19 Bill; > Consultation launched for flagged gig safety changes; and > WA introduces COVID-19 disaster payments for workers.
A company director who falsely claimed a health and safety representative was a poor performer and sacked him, after the HSR complained to a safety regulator, denied other employees the important protections provided by the elected role, the Federal Court has found.
