A worker has failed to convince a commission his acts of road rage and dangerous driving were "proportionate" to the unsafe situation he was forced to react to and didn't warrant his dismissal.
A PCBU that relied on technical specifications instead of conducting a site-specific risk assessment for storing 17-tonne materials has been fined $300,000, after a worker was crushed to death.
A worker whose plans for a high-risk task allegedly included a farcical sketch of the "designated safety zone", has been charged with recklessly exposing multiple persons to the risk of death in a blasting incident. Another individual and two PCBUs have also been charged over the incident.
A tribunal has upheld a worker's bid to obtain her supervisors' disciplinary records and details of any complaints made against them, to show if they had a "propensity" to bully subordinates to support her psychological injury claim.
A new WHS Code of Practice has provided PCBUs with clear guidance on their duties to consult with workers, health and safety representatives and other businesses in a COVID-19 context. Meanwhile, Comcare has produced a "micro-learn" video on using face masks at work in the pandemic.
Shift workers will never fully acclimatise to their schedules, meaning workplace lighting plays a crucial role in keeping them alert and preventing incidents during and after work, a circadian rhythm expert says.
Four employers have been fined a total of $160,000 for safety breaches, after a worker was pinned under a 500kg machine that wasn't bolted down, a non-worker wandered onto a site with missing fencing, and other incidents.
> OHS enforcement stepped up in Vic's latest COVID-19 Bill; > Consultation launched for flagged gig safety changes; and > WA introduces COVID-19 disaster payments for workers.
A PCBU that failed to properly train personnel on the use of heat sources around hazardous materials has been convicted and fined $800,000 for reckless conduct, after a worker was engulfed by flames and died.
