20 December 2024
Industrial Manslaughter now applies in all states
On 2 October 2024 industrial manslaughter became a criminal offence under Tasmania’s WHS which now means it applies in a...
12 December 2024
Will your Christmas function by Psychosocially safe this year?
Christmas is a great time of year but unfortunately, work functions can be fertile ground for incidents that lead to not...
06 December 2024
The pre-Christmas period is busy as usual. . .but is your workplace too busy to be Psychosocially safe this year?
All businesses experience the pre-Christmas rush. Workplaces seek to ‘clear the decks’ before they ‘deck the halls’ with...
04 December 2024
What are WHS regulators looking for when assessing an employer’s management of psychosocial risk?
Each case will be different, depending on an organisational risk profile, but recent commentary from Safe Work South Aus...
11 November 2024
Officer awarded $238,000 in costs against WHS Regulator as a result of a failed due diligence case
A company director was awarded $238,000 in costs (click here) following the WHS Regulator’s failed attempt to prosecute ...
18 September 2024
Take Inductions Seriously – Manage your major risks
An employer has been fined $400,000 in the Perth Magistrates Court after a contract worker was injured performing a task...
03 September 2024
Are you effectively managing your fatigue risks?
The Safety Regulator has charged a Director and his business with recklessly endangering a fatigued delivery driver who ...
28 May 2024
Expect increasing action from safety regulators on managing psychosocial health
Employers take heed. The new head of SafeWork Australia, Marie Boland, in recently releasing the latest SWA report into ...
22 May 2024
Are our internal safety audits a risk in themselves?
According to a recent study of 44 reports on major accidents in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and the US – Yes...
01 May 2024
Will I be charged for a breach of officer duties if there is an accident in my workplace?
Possibly. As a general rule the higher up in the ‘foodchain’ you are in an organisation the more likely the expectation ...
14 February 2024
Jail Term and Massive Fines for Fatigue and Vehicle Management Failures
The traffic accident on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway that resulted in the deaths of four police officers has resulted in:...
18 December 2023
The pre-Christmas period is busy as usual. . .but is your workplace too busy to be Psychosocially safe this year?
All businesses experience the pre-Christmas rush. Workplaces seek to ‘clear the decks’ before they ‘deck the halls’ with...
06 December 2023
Will your Christmas function be Psychosocially safe this year?
Christmas is a great time of year but unfortunately, work functions can be fertile ground for incidents that lead to not...
03 November 2023
Can an employer monitor and enforce an employee's compliance with road rules?
A resounding “Yes” according to FWC (Thien Huy Xuan Dang v Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Australia Pty Ltd (U2023/1175)...
31 October 2023
What psychosocial hazard is ‘trending’ at the moment?
Unsafe job demands, according to Comcare’s National Regulatory Program Director, are the most common psychosocial hazard...
27 October 2023
How to navigate medical marijuana use in your workplace
FWC recently upheld (Sheldon Haigh v Platinum Blasting Services Pty Ltd [2023] FWC 2465) the dismissal of an employee fo...
21 September 2023
New Sexual Harassment Guidelines - Plus Psychosocial Safety Update and Tools to Meet the Employer's Duties
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) recently published its Guidelines for Complying with the Positive Duty und...
14 April 2023
Psychosocial Safety Update and Tools to Meet the Employer's Duties
Australia is once again very close to achieving ‘enhanced’ obligations to tackle psychosocial safety with specific regul...
16 December 2022
COVID-19 Safety: What should workplaces be doing now?
In the wake of the 14 October 2022 scrapping of the mandatory COVID-19 isolation periods, employers and employees alike ...
09 December 2022
Can an Employer be responsible for an Employees psychological injuries suffered in an out of hours assault by a client?
Yes. In Bell v Nexus Primary Health, the Employer was held liable for its Employee’s sustained psychological injury an...
02 December 2022
Working from Heights - Safety Message not getting through to PCBU s
In a recent ruling, the NSW District Court has regretfully made comment that it seems the general deterrence message of ...
23 September 2022
Is an employee's failure to comply with an employee's mandatory PPE policy ground for dismissal?
Yes, but only if the dismissal is not harsh, unjust or unreasonable....
15 September 2022
What happens if employees are unwilling to take sick leave
Employers and employees both have Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations which include preventing sick individuals (in...
02 September 2022
Safe Work Australia's model WHS Code of Practice released: Managing psychosocial hazards at work
In line with the rapid growth in awareness (and claims) relating to psychosocial health at work, Safe Work Australia ha...
12 August 2022
Employers encouraged to keep a focus on Sexual Harassment, Gendered Violence and Sex Based Harassment
Many employers will notice an increase in Safety Regulators focusing their WHS campaigns on Sexual Harassment, Gendered ...
28 June 2022
The High Court confirms employer's positive duty to keep employees safe from work-related psychiatric injuries
The High Court recently handed down its decision in Kozarov v Victoria [2022] HCA 12, in which it made clear that employ...
03 June 2022
Jail term (suspended) for disregarding WHS risk
In a recent Work Health and Safety (WHS) prosecution, a director (of Illawarra Enterprises (QLD) Pty Ltd) was sentenced ...
31 May 2022
Labor promises improved WHS laws
Following on from our earlier article on the Labor government’s IR agenda – the party have also, at their most recent Na...
06 April 2022
WHS duties the same even with COVID-19 restrictions easing
A lack of public health orders is not an excuse for employers to drop the ball on keeping workplaces COVID-safe – that’s...
10 March 2022
Employer liability travels with employees
A South Australian tribunal decision provides a caution to employers who provide non-work related benefits to their empl...
11 June 2021
First Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Conduct Introduced
As of 28 May 2021, New South Wales became the first jurisdiction in Australia to introduce the Code of Practice: Managin...
17 May 2021
Don't want to be personally liable for WHS breaches? How is your due diligence going?
The following headlines arising out of 3 recent WHS prosecutions should worry any ‘officer’...
05 May 2021
Has the recent FWC decision regarding flu vaccinations just changed the position regarding COVID vaccinations?
The short answer is still “no”....
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