Australia's WHS ministers have agreed to amend the model WHS Regulations to prescribe control measures for psychological risks, and significantly increase safety penalties, but proposed industrial manslaughter laws were voted down at their meeting yesterday.
Twenty WHS Codes of Practice have been updated in Queensland, while an amended Code for managing workplace electrical risks has been approved, and asbestos regulations have been changed.
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.