Employers have a duty of care to ensure the health and safety of their staff. This translates to a need to provide a sufficient system for managing health and safety hazards and risks in the workplace. One way of ensuring compliance with your duty of care is to implement work health and safety manuals and […]
NRA Legal A new Bill introduced to Queensland State Parliament recently proposes some significant changes to Queensland’s Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (‘WHS Act)’, including a new, criminal offence for industrial manslaughter, carrying up to 20 years’ imprisonment for individuals and $12,615,000 for bodies corporate. The Bill adopts some of the 58 recommendations made […]
by Sid Sidhu and Troy Wild, NRA Legal A new Bill, introduced to Victorian Parliament earlier this month, proposes to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (‘the Act’) as well as some other legislation, including the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 (Vic). If passed, the new changes may take effect as soon as […]
by Angela Szczepanski and Troy Wild, NRA Legal The ACT Supreme Court has ordered Coles to pay a former staff member over $1 million after she fell from a safety step she says she wasn’t trained to use. Nicole Harris suffered injuries to her right hip, right ankle, right knee and right shoulder when she […]
The prevalence of depression and anxiety among Australians is high and often goes unrecognised, despite the substantial labour cost of mental illness in Australia (estimated to be $49 billion). Supervisors hold a key leadership responsibility in managing and enhancing the welfare and mental health of their staff. Clear guidelines have been made available outlining the […]
This week, we’ve seen more upset for Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall, after the discovery of a suspicious package left on the makeshift memorial for the now six people murdered in the 20 January vehicle rampage. After the hundreds of flowers, stuffed toys, cards, photos and balloons were removed on Monday to be replaced with a […]
SafeWork NSW has released a safety alert after workers suffered severe chemical burns to their feet whilst cleaning chemical spills in restaurant and hotel kitchens in two separate incidents. On both occasions the workers did not notice the caustic chemicals soaking into their footwear (casual soft soled shoes) and socks and it was not until […]
With National Safe Work Month being just two months away, it’s time to think about how your organisation can recognise work health and safety and win a reward worth $5000.Safe Work Australia is inviting workplaces around Australia to submit entries to the Workplace Participation Reward. Enter the Reward and tell us about your October work […]
WorkSafe Western Australia is undertaking a proactive inspection program to look at safety issues in takeaway food outlets which will involve inspectors visiting fast food outlets in Perth and regional areas of the State throughout the 2016/17 financial year. WorkSafe Director Joe Attard said the inspection program had been prompted by a significant number of […]
Young workers have a higher rate of injury in the workplace, according to a factsheet published by the NSW Better Regulation Division. From 2011 to 2014, over 45,000 young workers were injured while at work. This rate may actually be 6 times higher due to young workers underreporting work injuries. This is cause for concern, […]
Bullying is a serious issue. It dramatically raises stress levels for the person being bullied and is a major risk factor for developing mental health conditions. Unsurprisingly, beyondblue’s State of Workplace Mental Health in Australia study found 76 per cent of employees said depression and anxiety – the most common forms of mental health conditions […]
As part of its commitment to improving safety for Queenslanders at work, the Palaszcuk Government has passed a new Bill, which introduces a number of changes to the State’s work health and safety (WHS) laws. The WHS Bill aims to restore elements of the original Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), which were altered […]
As part of its commitment to improving safety for Queenslanders at work, the Palaszcuk Government has introduced a number of changes to the State’s work health and safety (WHS) laws. Legislation that was recently passed to restore elements of the original Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), which were altered following a review of […]
As a business owner or manager, you deal on a daily basis with a wide range of expenses – some large and some small, but each one impacting on your bottom line. And, no doubt you often stop to reflect on the worth of each overhead to your ultimate performance. Membership of an industry association […]
Article by F.Dunstone – Workplace Advisor In this case update, the National Retail Association (NRA) Legal team reviews the recent Fair Work Commission decision on 16 November 2015 of Sharon Bowker, Annette Coombe and Stephen Zwarts v DP World Melbourne Limited T/A DP World; Maritime Unions of Australia, The, Victorian Branch and Others [2015] FWC 7312. […]
As part of Safe Work Month, Safe Work Australia is hosting a series of free, interactive online seminars that showcase the latest thinking, innovation, research and developments in work health and safety. The seminars features business leaders, academics and work health and safety experts sharing ideas, experiences, skills and knowledge. Program items include live broadcasts,online […]