Resources companies have been urged to implement a string of extra precautions to protect fly-in-fly-out and drive-in-drive-out workers, in camps or "on the move", from COVID-19. Meanwhile, ACT employers have been directed to conduct coronavirus risk assessments and ensure their contractors comply with hygiene rules.
An employer is facing a $2 million-plus damages bill, after a court found its failure to inspect and maintain road surfaces caused a worker's debilitating musculoskeletal injury.
A PCBU's new "positive investigation methodology", being rolled out under a $1.5 million rectification and undertaking package, will better engage workers in safety probes and strengthen incident prevention, the company claims.
Workers testing positive for COVID-19 can breed a lot of fear and anxiety, both for the infected workers and their colleagues, and workplace leaders need to ensure their response is clear and strong, an organisational psychologist says.
Disposable and reusable respirators play a crucial role in protecting workers from hazardous substances, but the fit-testing process can actually expose them to viruses like COVID-19, meaning employers must implement special fit-testing measures for the pandemic, the UK Health and Safety Executive has warned.
A site occupier's injury damages bill has been increased significantly to $1.2 million, in an appeals court judgment examining the company's duties to a visiting worker who fell in a four-metre pit covered by a pallet.
