Inexperienced and young workers remain a vulnerable group in all industries, in particular the construction industry, as demonstrated by the recent sentencing hearing of a concrete pump contractor in SafeWork NSW v NonAbel Concrete Pump Pty Ltd; Bilal Hamdan (2020). Case Background NonAbel Concrete Pump Pty Ltd (Company) is a company providing concrete pumping and …
By: Jared Butt HSEQ News The peak body representing Australian small businesses has slammed a South Australian Labor Opposition Amendment Bill that would provide automatic workers’ compensation to prescribed workers who contract COVID-19. The SA Bill would amend the State Return to Work Act 2014 so that when a person employed at a prescribed workplace or in …
As people and businesses across Australia and New Zealand feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more important to look after our health and wellbeing. Taking the necessary protective measures is crucial in the current climate and in all areas where our health and safety can be compromised. Let’s rise to …
By Safe Work Australia Australia is continuing to closely monitor the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). Cases of the COVID-19 virus are increasing in Australia and the situation is changing rapidly. You can access the latest information from australia.gov.au. The Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, has advised that employers should allow workers to work from …
By: Greg Jones: ACT Work Safety Commissioner – 06/02/2020 The tragic death of a 60-year-old worker occurred this week, after falling from the second storey of a residential construction site in Denman Prospect. This is the second death of a worker on a residential construction site in Denman Prospect in less than a month. The …
48-year Greg Page (Yellow Wiggle) is shining a light on the need for business and clubs to supply accessible defibrillators after he’s near death experience. Greg who suffered a SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) during a bushfire relief show, has described himself before the incident as being in good health and very fit with recent health …
Victoria now joins the ACT (under the Crimes Act) and Queensland in having specific workplace or industrial manslaughter laws in place. The Northern Territory has also introduced a WHS Amendment Bill creating the offence of industrial manslaughter while NSW has introduced a WHS Amendment Bill.  Determining factors of suicide could be a problem. Victorian Workplace …
By: workplaceohs 2 Dec 2019 The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly has passed the Territory’s first industrial manslaughter laws, creating a new offense to protect the safety of workers. The new law will ensure all businesses, regardless of the business size, face the same level of penalty if reckless or negligent conduct has caused a workplace …
Often when something goes wrong at work, it goes wrong quickly and with disastrous consequences. Putting on a different hat for a moment,  below are the top 12 workplace health and safety hazards that safety inspectors regularly find during visits to small businesses. manual handling housekeeping and slips, trips and falls storage and racking – …
By: health & safety bulletin, Michael Selinger A preventable fall from heights at a construction site in the ACT in 2016 that led to a 16-year-old work experience student suffering significant injuries has resulted in a fine of $180,000 being imposed this week on the head contractor Nikias Diamond. Two other contractors involved in the …
Negligent bosses can face 20 years in prison. Last Tuesday, the Victorian state government announced that it will be making workplace manslaughter a criminal offence under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. Under this new offence, any employer that negligently causes a workplace death can be fined up to $16.5 million, while individuals – …
By ACT Government OzHelp has availability for FREE onsite health checks across all ACT building and construction sites. The Tune Up program is funded through the ACT Government and has been developed to raise awareness of personal preventative health and provides a vital link to health and wellbeing. A Tune Up health check with a …
In an incident that should resonate with most employers, a hospital worker in Victoria received a severe electric shock when they touched a power cord which had damaged protective outer insulation. WorkSafe Victoria, who investigated the matter, issued a safety alert given the widespread issue of the need for employers to test and tag electrical …
By: Australian Institute of Health and Safety Resources Regulator Chief Inspector of Mines Garvin Burns said the new campaign is the result of an industry-wide roundtable held last year. “While the NSW mining industry’s safety record exceeds other high-risk industries and is statistically one of the safest in the world, there is no room for …
By: health and safety bulletin The long-running debate over the safety of quad bikes in Australia may be set to end with the ABC News reporting this month that the Federal Government may be introducing laws requiring mandatory rollover protection for all new quad bikes. The move by the Federal Government follows on from a …