Under the model Work Health and Safety Legislation, employers with remote or isolated workers are required to have in place processes for effective communication with remote and isolated workers by January 2014. The Model Safework Australia Code of Practice Managing the Work Environment and Facilities provides guidance for the WHS Regulation Section 48 requirement for […]
In Queensland a number of new codes of practice took effect from 1st December 2013. A code of practice provides details on how to achieve the standards required under the work health and safety (WHS) legislation, by identifying hazards and managing risks. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, codes of practice are admissible […]
Under new work health and safety legislation, business owners need to demonstrate they have processes in place to maintain a safe workplace. Since 2012 all states and territories except Victoria and Western Australia have agreed to cooperate on adopting new harmonised WHS laws. The result is an increased responsibility placed on the business to know what workers […]
South Australia has announced the suspension of three workplace safety codes of practice that have been highly criticised by businesses and the State Government’s own advisers. Industrial Relations Minister John Rau announced the move saying the codes were difficult to understand and had the unintended effect of driving up costs. The codes of conduct are additional documents based on […]
The director of a boat-making business Seawind Catamarans has been fined $6500 for a 2008 breach of workplace safety laws resulting in the death of a 25-year-old worker. WorkCover NSW charged company director Richard Ward with contravening the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act. The worker, Michael Parsons was unable to be revived after he […]
Taking out insurance policies to evade criminal penalties could be a thing of the past if SafeWork Australia has its way. Under a proposal being considered by SafeWork Australia, directors of companies could be prohibited from claiming an indemnity if charged with criminal penalties under new WHS laws. This is after a noticeable upsurge in the number […]
A coal seam gas (CSG) company now owned by Santos was recently convicted and fined for a safety breach during underground drilling work which resulted in a fatality. In September 2013, in the matter of Nash v Eastern Star Gas Ltd [2013] NSWIRComm 75, the company (acquired by Santos in November 2011) was convicted and […]
SafeWork South Australia has just released a new set of work health and safety best practice guidelines for small businesses. The document, entitled Work Health and Safety – Seven Steps for Small Business, presents a series of easy and effective steps that SMEs can take in order to improve the safety of employees on the […]
According to the most recent Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia, 2013 issued by Safe Work Australia our national work related injury fatality rate is reducing but still very high compared to other countries with mature work safety cultures. While these statistics are a few years old (and show up the time lag in our […]
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