A company secretary has been fined for the most serious OHS offence of reckless endangerment for forklift breaches, in one of several new cases showing regulators are willing to prosecute unsafe entities even where injuries haven't occurred.
In this comprehensive report, OHS Alert reviews all the major WHS and workers' comp developments from the first quarter of 2019, including the unprecedented jailing of company directors, the outcomes of the national WHS review, and significant legislative changes in every jurisdiction.
A business partner has been fined $130,000 after a worker died falling off a vehicle being driven by an inexperienced operator. Meanwhile, Victoria has launched campaigns targeting workplace bullying in the healthcare sector and urging workers to call out s-xual harassment when they see it.
> Forty-four silicosis claims lodged in Vic, new Code released in WA; > New fitness-for-work tips and WorkSafe inspectors for WA; > WHS Regulations for lead amended in SA; and > Comcare forums target engagement and unknown WHS risks.
Four employers have been fined a total of nearly $350,000, after a misdirected swim school student sustained debilitating spinal injuries, a student worker fell five metres and other serious incidents, while a company's low safety fine has been increased six-fold on appeal.
An individual has become the second entity to be fined over the deaths of two workers in a smoko area, while a safety commission has identified six potentially common contraventions relating to the development and use of safe work method statements.
> Ladder fall results in full arm amputation, $120k fine; > Work-related DV guide and patient-ratio Regs released; and > Free videos help injured workers prepare for treatment.
> Labour-hire scheme with OHS rules commences in 8 weeks; > Host fined $100k in OHS case affected by new labour-hire scheme; and > Industrial manslaughter laws progress in Vic.
