The model WHS laws could be amended to increase the focus on psychological health, with the public consultation process for the ongoing review of the laws identifying widespread concerns over this issue and the absence of a "notification trigger" for psychological injuries.
> Electrical safety amendments commence in WA today; > New WHS fines and asbestos-training rules introduced in ACT; and > NT WorkSafe clarifies status of CFMMEU entry permits.
Safe Work Australia has launched the public consultation process for the review of the model WHS laws, posing 37 questions for discussion and pointing to the reasons why industrial manslaughter provisions weren't included in the Act.
> New safety bans with $1m fines receive assent in NSW; > ACT adopts final model WHS Regulations and extended "wiring rules"; > Workers' comp changes progress in ACT and Tas; and > Hazardous substances regulations commence in NZ today.
An employer has been handed the highest fine for a single safety offence in Australian history, in a case, according to the ACT Work Safety Commissioner, which shows judges will impose significant penalties, under the harmonised WHS Act, on those with poor safety records.
An Industrial Magistrate's June decision to acquit the first person charged as an "officer" under the harmonised WHS laws has been published, and is, according to a leading safety lawyer, the first judgment to examine the meaning of due diligence under the new laws.
A recent safety prosecution involving a liquidated company, and the first person charged as an "officer" under the harmonised WHS laws, has highlighted one of the main reasons the officer provisions were included in the new legislation, according to a regulator.
The final quarter of 2014 was a busy three months for workplace health and safety and workers' compensation, with major legislative changes and other developments in all jurisdictions. What did you miss?
