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what’s news in occupational health & safety?
latest news 26 june 2008
CASA to 'ground' alcohol and drugs
22 June 2008 Random drug and alcohol tests for aviation workers
across the country are a step closer.The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
is on the verge of signing a 3-year, $9 million deal with Symbion Health to
undertake the testing, which would be a first for Australia's airports. more...
Unions call for scaffold ban after buildingtragedy
23 June 2008 Construction sites could be hit by cost blowouts
as unions call for a ban on swing-stage scaffolding after 2 workers fell to
their deaths. Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union spokesman Jason
Stein said swing-stage scaffold was the cheapest, most dangerous and popular
method to perform exterior high-rise work. more...
SA failing Olympic Dam workers: Greens
19 June 2008 South Australia is failing to protect workers
exposed to radioactive polonium dust at Olympic Dam, the Greens say. Greens
MP Mark Parnell says monitoring of radioactive polonium airborne dust has been
poor at the SA uranium mine since the Environment Protection Authority relaxed
BHP Billiton's reporting requirements in 2006.BHP Billington’s President Mr
Hunt was launching, on behalf of the Australian Uranium Association, a binding
code of practice for the ethical conduct of uranium mining and exploration
in Australia.
more...
Safety alert on excavation sites
19 June 2008 WorkCover NSW has issued a reminder to earthmoving
equipment operators working near excavation sites following a serious injury
to a labourer last month. more...
Report criticises mines inspectorate
19 June 2008 The report released
by the Queensland Ombudsman on
17 June 2008 has criticised the states mine safety inspectorate. According
to the Ombudsman, the Queeensland
Mines Inspectorate which
is the body responsible for mine safety regulation was not recording compliance
and safety activities at mines. It was also criticised as being too close to
the industry.
more...
Independent report on rail worker fatalities released
18 June 2008 3 Queensland Rail workers did not have required
10-hour breaks between jobs in the lead-up to the accidental deaths of 2 colleagues,
a report has found. QR Limited is to produce an action plan to address an independent
report on the deaths of 2 railworkers in Mindi which revealed a lack of compliance
with safety management and inadequate communication. more...
Workplace Safety strengthened following review
17 June 2008 Victorian workplace safety will be even stronger
following the Brumby Government’s response to a review of the landmark Occupational
Health and Safety Act 2004.Minister for Finance, WorkCover and the
TAC Tim Holding said the Government had accepted the majority of the review’s
recommendations to ensure Victoria remains a leader in workplace safety. The
review report was released in December 2007 and it can be found, along with
the Government’s response at:
www.worksafe.vic.gov.au
No winemaking regulation changes despite deaths
17 June 2008 WorkCover says there are no planned changes
to winemaking regulations in New South Wales after 3 workplace fatalities,
but the deaths prompted WorkCover to announce a review of industry safety. more...
Men forced to work with broken hands, arms
18 June 2008 2 Chinese nationals working under Federal Government
457 visas were forced to work with broken hands and arms on unsafe equipment
at a printing company in the Melbourne suburb of Campbellfield a court has
heard. more...
Commission rules Linfox offside on drug policy
11 June 2008 The Australian Industrial Relations Commission
(AIRC) has cast doubt on the ability of trucking companies to fire staff if
they refuse or fail a drug or alcohol test. The AIRC found trucking giant Linfox
was wrong to terminate a driver’s contract for not submitting to a saliva test
because the company failed to inform him of his obligations under its drug
and alcohol policy. It also found Linfox had breached its own policy by trying
to test him. more...
New overarching code replaces 27 OHS codes
The federal government has consolidated all its approved
OHS codes of practice under 1 document. The Occupational Health and Safety
Code of Practice 2008 (OHS Code 2008), from 12 June 2008, revokes 27 former
OHS codes. The new code consists of 25 parts, developed following a critical
review and consultation period.
more...
Qld companies cop safety breach fines
12 June 2008 2 south-east Queensland companies have been
fined more than $20,000 each for workplace health and safety breaches. more...
Company penalised for unsafe work practices
10 June 2008 Businesses are being warned that breaches of
workplace safety laws will not be tolerated after a $5,000 infringement notice
was issued to a company that did not adequately protect its employee. Attorney
General Simon Corbell says the Office of Regulatory Services issued the infringement
notice to the company for failing to take all reasonably practicable steps
to ensure that the workplace was safe and without risk to health. more...
Meatworks fined over injured worker
10 June 2008 The New South Wales Industrial Relations Court
has fined Rockdale Beef $100,000 after an accident in the abattoir at Yanco
left a contract worker with serious arm injuries in late 2001. The court found
there was room for a penalty discount because of an early guilty plea and the
fact the company took a number of safety measures at the plant in the wake
of the accident. more...
Fall from height costs Drouin company $12,500
6 June 2008 Failing to ensure a truck driver used a fall
prevention harness has resulted in a conviction and $12,500 fine for West Gippsland
company, Evison Grain in the Morwell County Court. The court was told that
while there was a safety harness at the company’s Drouin depot, it was not
provided to him and he had not been instructed to wear it. more...
practice notes/directions
VIC: Update on Melbourne Uni EWP fall
A recent incident on a construction worksite involved cherry
picker which collapsed with a 27year-old operator escaping serious injury only
due to sheer luck. A witness to the incident says the EWP was only stopped
from crashing into a neighbouring building as it was deflected by a crane.
The manufacturer, Genie, has sent a letter to all owners of the Z135.70 boom
lifts. Genie has advised the owners of these EWPs of the cause of the incident
and is in the process of carrying out inspections and repairs to all these
machines in Australia. Owners are advised to remove these booms from service
until the repairs are completed. The incident took on added significance in
light of a catastrophic crane collapse in New York on 30 May 2008. 2 workers
died and others injured when the crane collapsed into the street. 9 workers
in New York have died in crane mishaps this year. more... more...
legislation
Queensland
Regulations
Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 (SL No 160 of 2008)
(principal) Electrical Safety and Another Regulation Amendment Regulation (No.
1) 2008 (SL No 154 of 2008)
VIC: New Workplace safety regulations
The new regulations covering the construction industry come
into effect from 1 July 2008- this is Chapter 5.1 of the consolidated OHS Regulations
2007. more... more...
NSW: Asbestos regulation reminder
WorkCover NSW has urged builders and contractors to ensure
they comply with regulations for removing asbestos since recent changes increased
the number of people needing licenses. From 1 January 2008 the threshold for
the removal, repair and disturbance of bonded asbestos was reduced to 10 square
metres. Under the changes, work undertaken that involves the removal of 10
square metres or more of bonded asbestos material will need to be performed
by appropriately licensed operators.
more... more...
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and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual
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we do not guarantee that the information in this publication is accurate at
the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future.
We are not responsible for the information of any source to which a link is
provided or reference is made andexclude all liability in connection with use
of these sources. This publication is not legal advice and should not be relied
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