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News

Quad bike safety measures announced
15 June 2011
Australian and New Zealand workplace safety authorities have committed to taking a tough stance of quad bike safety. The Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities, which includes representatives like WorkCover NSW, have endorsed measures to improve safety for quad bike users. More…

Companies fined due to lack of fall prevention
16 June 2011
A building and roofing company have been fined a total of $10,000 for not providing fall prevention measures for workers on a building site. Boutique Building Company and Western Metal Roofing both pleaded guilty to failing to provide edge protection when there was a risk that a person could fall three metres or more, and were each fined $5000 in the Rockingham Magistrates Court. More…

Lack of guard leaves man with fractured arm
16 June 2011
A Muchea hay processing plant has been fined $10,000 over an incident in which an employee’s arm was fractured when it was caught in a hay baling machine. Hay Australia pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment, and was fined in the Joondalup Magistrates Court. More…

OH&S work changes too late for NSW
10 June 2011
The O’Farrell government will not intervene in 67 cases involving 170 small businesses and major companies before the Industrial Relations Commission when his workplace reforms passed parliament. Those firms were charged under a system whereby employers are seen as guilty until proven innocent if a worker suffers a workplace injury. More….

Ageing workers’ health a concern for coal industry
9 June 2011
Rates and severity of coal mining injuries increase with workers’ age, with 59% of NSW coal miners are in the 40-59 year age bracket, according to statistics. The NSW Government recently gazetted Order 41 under the Coal Industry Act, that stipulates standards and guidelines for health professionals that carry out assessments.. More…

Queensland defends mine safety credentials
9 June 2011
Queensland Mine Safety Inspector has failed to prosecute a single mining company for failing to report a serious accident or potential incident over the past six months despite endemic under-reporting. More…

Improved Safety for Uranium Workers
9 June 2011
The Australian Government has developed a Australian National Radiation Dose Register to better protect workers by tracking the radiation dose histories of employees in uranium mining and milling industries across Australia. The register has been open for dose records from mining companies since 2010 and records are protected by privacy legislation. More…

Ministers approve changes to national heavy vehicle fatigue laws
9 June 2011
Ministers approve changes to national heavy vehicle fatigue laws but these only come into effect once relevant state and territory governments pass the revised legislation. The NTC put the proposed changes to the ATC after working with fatigue experts, industry and governments on a solution to the issue. More…

Fines imposed after multiple electric shocks on the mid-North Coast
6 June 2011
A Hunter Valley heavy vehicle hire and haulage company has been fined $65,000 and ordered to pay WorkCover’s legal costs after two of its workers received electric shocks while unloading construction material underneath live powerlines. The company pleaded guilty to a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000. More…

31 seriously injured with angle grinder in past year
9 June 2011
WorkSafe Victoria has released a new guidance on the safe use of workplace angle grinders following 31 serious workplace injury reports over past 12 months. WorkSafe’s new publication, Safe Use of Angle Grinders, identifies the potential hazards and consequences, and what can be done to prevent them. More…

NSW building firm fined for worker death
8 June 2011
A construction company in northwest Sydney has been fined for the death of a roof contractor. A WorkCover NSW investigation found Mr Murphy had been working under inadequate safety conditions, and that his death was foreseeable and preventable. More…

Practice Notes

The Australian National Radiation Dose Register
The register has been open for dose records from mining companies since 2010 and records are protected by privacy legislation. A worker can request a dose history report from ARPANSA which will show the cumulative dose the worker has received during the course of their employment in the uranium mining and milling industry in Australia, and while the worker has been registered on the ANRDR. More…

VIC: WorkSafe Victoria guidance on Safe Use of Angle Grinders
9 June 2011
Safe Use of Angle Grinders, identifies the potential hazards and consequences, and what can be done to prevent them. Click here. For more detailed information on angle grinder safety and preventing the misuse of angle grinders as saws, go to www.worksafe.vic.gov.au.

NSW: Workers Compensation (Dust Diseases) Act 1942: Contributions under section 6 for 2011-2012
This determines the 2011-2012 financial year interim contributions to be paid by an insurer to the Workers’ Compensation (Dust Diseases) Fund. Workers Compensation (Dust Diseases) Act 1942: Contributions under section 6 for 2011-2012

Legislation

Commonwealth

Bills
Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2011

New South Wales

Acts
Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act 2011 No 11
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 No 10

Queensland

Acts
Work Health and Safety Act No 18
Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act No 19

Current Reprints
Mining and Quarrying and Health Regulation 2001 No.3D
Public Health Regulation 2005 No.2C
Radiation Safety Regulation 2010 No.1A
Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 No.5E
Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 No.9E
Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008 No.1I