A PCBU has been found guilty of WHS breaches, for failing to properly supervise and train a worker so he could identify tasks he was prohibited from undertaking.
Industrial manslaughter provisions should be amended in Queensland to ensure all companies that negligently cause a worker's death can be prosecuted, according to a major inquiry report that also makes important recommendations on safety metrics.
An employer has been convicted and fined $450,000 over a fatality, after a practice of leaving a worker alone to perform high-risk work "developed into a procedure in its own right" to allow his supervisor to complete residual tasks like paperwork.
An employer has been ordered to pay $120,000 in damages to an office worker who was injured while running to answer the phone, in a case highlighting the risks posed by systems requiring staff to rush.
In fining a company director for WHS breaches, a tribunal has found she failed to ensure her business complied with its duty to refuel a burner in a safe manner. The tribunal also questioned the suitability of equipment where risk-control hinges on strict compliance with every safety step in a manual.
In a rare case, a PCBU has been convicted and fined under WHS consultation provisions, after its failure to "consult, co-operate and co-ordinate" with other duty holders led to a worker sustaining serious injuries in a fall.
A PCBU has been convicted and fined $450,000 after a worker was fatally crushed, with a court rejecting its managing director's claim that its culpability was reduced by the alleged failure of workers to assess and control risks.