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 PCBU has been found guilty of breaching WHS laws in failing to revise its work methods after being allocated an additional task, which exposed two young workers to serious safety risks and resulted in the death of one of them.
A PCBU that defied hierarchy of control regulations, by relying on a painted yellow line to manage forklift and height risks, has been convicted and fined after a worker was thrown out of and trapped by a toppling forklift.
> Employer fined for non-causal failures after fatal fall; > COVID-19 work cluster sparks renewed calls for WHS overhaul; and > COVID-19 safety strategies announced in Tas and NT.
> SWA launches COVID-19 hub and home setup guide; > More work-related COVID-19 guides and fatality alerts issued; and > HSEQ manager appointed boss of NT WorkSafe.
> PCBU enters $770k EU after crane failure on 51st floor; > WHS fees waived under NSW's COVID-19 stimulus package; > Fatality and other incident alerts issued in five jurisdictions; and > New ACT WHS Commissioner appointed.
A contractor has been slammed by a court for blaming a fatal fall on the victim, and fined $450,000, taking the total penalties over the incident to $900,000.
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.
