what’s news in occupational health & safety?

latest news 13 november 2008

Proposed OHS fines 'not big enough'

7 November 2008 The ACTU says penalties under proposed national work safety laws need to be made tougher if they are to be an effective deterrent. Penalties of up to $3 million for companies are far less than the fines that would be imposed for breaches of the trade practices legislation. The proposed jail terms with criminal charges up to five years in jail for individuals are less than the maximum sentences already in place in some states and territories such as the ACT according to the ACTU. more...

Virgin Blue locks out union official amid safety fears

7 November 2008
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) says it is taking Virgin Blue to the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) after an official was denied access to the airline's Brisbane Airport terminal yesterday after reports that two baggage handlers were seriously injured. Virgin Blue says a union official was denied access for not complying with legal requirements and there has not been a series of injuries at the terminal. more...

No seatbelt, but $2.4m compo

7 November 2008
A Former courier has been awarded a staggering $2.37 million compensation for injuries from a smash in which he was not wearing a seatbelt. Justice In a written decision, Justice Kerry Cullinane said there was no evidence to suggest Nyholt's injuries would have been any less had he been wearing his Toyota Hi Ace van's "lap-sash" seatbelt. Justice Cullinane said he could not understand why the case had taken so long to settle. more...

Prison time for unsafe bosses

6 November 2008
Employers face jail, bigger fines and a wider duty of care under proposed changes to the nation's occupational health and safety laws. The report recommends making the most serious breaches of the laws indictable, permitting trial by judge and jury, as is the practice in Victoria and South Australia. It also calls for a significant increase in fines, with the biggest penalties applying to serious cases of non-compliance involving recklessness, gross negligence, serious injury or death. more...

Training provider fined for worker death

6 November 2008
A Cairns-based training provider was fined $13,000 after a construction worker he was assessing died in September 2006. Lance James Pyne pleaded not guilty to breaching the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995, as brought against him by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. According to the safety authority, it is important for proper risk assessment and safety measures to be taken during training in the industry. more...

Overhaul for examining safety and healthpositions in mines

6 November 2008
The Queensland Government says it is ramping up its testing systems for mines overseers. According to Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson, the Queensland Board of Examiners is being overhauled to ensure only qualified and competent people hold statutory positions managing safety and health at mines. more...

Power companies vow to improve safetyrecord

4 November 2008
Energex and Ergon have promised to improve their safety performance in submitting their 2008 annual reports in Queensland Parliament. more...

No compo for Sharon Shacklock in Braybrookscalping case

6 November 2008
A woman who was scalped at work in Melbourne is disappointed a $360,000 fine imposed on her former employer will probably never be paid after the County Court Judge John Barnett said her former employer, Bazmac, had been placed in liquidation in October. more...

Company fined after employee scalped

5 November 2008
Bazmac, who were trading as Omni Bedding at the Braybrook factory, pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a plant that is safe and failing to provide necessary information, instruction, training or supervision and was fined $360,000. Sentencing Bazmac, Judge John Barnett said it was a gross failure by the company to comply with workplace safety standards. more...

Jail urged for safety breaches

6 November 2008
Corporations should be fined up to $3 million and individuals face up to five years' jail and $600,000 in fines for the most serious breaches of workplace safety. The recommendation was included in a new report handed to workplace relations ministers, which focused on duty of care and offences and contained 75 proposals to harmonise occupational health and safety legislation within five years. more...

Union safety expert denied access

29 October 2008
Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd has denied CFMEU National Health and Safety Officer, Martin Kingham access to the site of the catastrophic collapse of formwork and cement, which put at risk workers' lives. more....

Building site collapse will be safety test case: union

30 October 2008
The collapse at a multi-storey building site in Civic will be used as a test case in ensuring safety for members of Australia's largest construction union. In the wake of the collapse, the union has called for an audit of all formwork construction sites, in Canberra and throughout the country, and has brought in Mr Kingham, regarded as the union's foremost expert on all occupational health and safety issues. more...

Don’t fall asleep on safety, Jennings

31 October 2008
New South Wales Mines Safety Advisory Council (MSAC) chairman Norman Jennings has revealed details of a working party of MSAC nominees currently developing a fatigue risk management standard for the NSW mining industry. more...

Explosive mine safety report

30 October 2008
Underground coal mines in the Mackay region have been singled out for putting their workers in danger. The Department of Mines and Energy released a "safety alert" last week that outlined 13 different examples of miners' lives put on the line by faulty equipment that, at worst, could have led to a fireball at the coal face. more...

Asbestos management and control literature review released

29 October 2008
The Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) Chairman, Mr Bill Scales AO, has announced the release of Asbestos management and control: a review of national and international literature. This literature review of Australian and overseas studies on the release of airborne asbestos fibres from building materials as a result of weathering and / or corrosion. more...

legislation

Queensland

Bills Introduced

Workplace Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2008