> WHS blitz report sheds light on regulatory activities; > Dedicated psychological health officer to improve WHS performance; and > Alerts issued after fatality, drum burns and fall.
Industry associations have agreed to push for tougher sanctions for reckless conduct in the latest step towards a "safety reset" in the hazardous mining sector. Meanwhile, a regulator has warned that respirators are lower order dust controls and often ineffective, even when properly chosen and fitted.
An employer that could have prevented a fatality by using more appropriate machinery for a high-risk task has been fined $650,000. Meanwhile, an individual has been fined for failing to prepare a health and safety coordination plan, which contributed to a three-metre fall.
> WHS Amendment Bill tackles scissor lift deaths in SA; > Legislative review forms part of fatality response in Qld; and > Consultation on GHS transition officially launched.
> "Safety reset" agreed on after string of fatalities; > PCBU allegedly failed to act on induction advice before death; > Health department charged with OHS discrimination; and > Prohibition notice numbers nearly tripled in ACT.
> Two individuals fined over fatal fall from mobile plant; > Nearly 1,000 improvement notices issued in safety blitz; and > Australia's first occupational dust diseases register commences.
A multi-state PCBU has committed nearly $1 million to creating a steering committee to oversee safety at a national level and other undertakings, after a falling concrete beam nearly caused a scaffold collapse on a major construction site. Meanwhile, another employer has committed $387,000 to developing safety resources for workers with limited English after an employee was seriously injured.
> Two-year exemption from new WHS clauses granted in NSW; > Vic passes controversial cancer Bill, offers more WorkWell grants; and > Alerts issued after fatalities, traumatic amputations and other incidents.
