A PCBU that claimed it wasn't contractually obligated to implement safety measures that could have prevented a fatality has been fined $500,000 for category 2 WHS breaches.
As COVID-19 pandemic restrictions ease across the country, a WHS regulator has outlined its policies for enforcing physical distancing rules for lifts in work buildings, transport operators have been told to closely monitor workers' health and separate them from passengers, and the Australian Industry Group has warned against tough penalties for working-at-home breaches.
With the dramatic swing to working-from-home arrangements and new work technologies because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Comcare "emerging evidence alert" has highlighted new research on the connection between technology acceptance, engagement and wellbeing.
A court has recorded a conviction against a company and nearly doubled its fine for failing to reduce or eliminate height risks, while a regulator has called for employers to review their engineering control plans, following a string of electric shock incidents.
A psychologically injured worker's dysfunctional relationship with a purportedly messy co-worker, whose constant meetings and phone calls disrupted his work, did not constitute an "action" that barred his access to compensation, an appeals judge has ruled.
A coronial inquest has found a major workplace's "grossly deficient" record keeping was the main cause of a worker's asphyxiation death, and referred the actions "or inactions" of the manager allegedly responsible for updating the relevant records to a safety regulator for further investigation.
> NSW's COVID-19 work recovery tool guided by 100 years of crises; > SA employers should expect COVID call from a WHS inspector; > Vic workers told to keep working at home; and > Start date for ACT's labour-hire licensing scheme confirmed.
A sweeping review has highlighted the link between prolonged sitting and standing at work and lower limb venous diseases like varicose veins and potentially deadly deep vein thrombosis, which the researchers say warrants intervention.
An international academy of leading occupational and environmental health experts has called for employers of all sizes to take all necessary steps to protect workers in the COVID-19 pandemic, which include appointing an "infection control officer", prioritising higher order controls and reducing exposure to dust and fumes, which increase the severity of infection.
A follow-up union survey has found that few employers are taking steps to support workers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, or have consulted their workers on how they plan to respond if a staff member develops coronavirus symptoms or tests positive to the disease.
