As safety professionals start to return to work in Australia after their Summer break, speculation for 2010 increases. Many are wondering who will replace John Merritt as the executive Director of WorkSafe Victoria? The appointment process is likely to take a couple of months but there are several possible candidates. One could be Julia Davison of WorkCover … Continue reading “CEO changes in Australian OHS”
John Merritt is leaving WorkSafe Victoria to head up the Environmental Protection Authority. Nothing special in such a move as such progression is part of many senior executive public servant’s career plans. But Victoria’s politicians have started to use this change for political point-scoring on the basis that Merritt is married to Victorian parliamentarian, Maxine … Continue reading “Changing the OHS guard”
Twelve days in 2010 and Victoria has experienced its first workplace death and it was due to the use of a forklift. A 60-year-old man was crushed after a load being removed from a truck by forklift fell. According to WorkSafe Victoria: “…the man was guiding a forklift driver who was to remove the computer … Continue reading “Forklift death and safety posters”
The Safety Institute‘s OHS Professional magazine for December 2009 included an article (originally published in an OHS newsletter from Piper Alderman for those non-SIA members) about the application of legal professional privilege using a New South Wales Industrial Relations Commission decision as its basis (Nicholson v Waco KwikForm Limited). The case received considerable attention by OHS law firms.
Illegal migrant workers are not a big problem in Australia. Those who are caught are usually working outside of the allowances of their tourist or student visas. Being an island nation and the bottom of the world, Australia does not have border protection issues to the extent of the United States or Europe. That’s an … Continue reading “Coordinated raid on illegal workers in Australia”
In 2007, according to the ABC news site, “42-year-old Geoffrey Johnson [died after he] inhaled toxic fumes from paint stripper when he was cleaning the inside of a large chemical tank”. On 16 December 2009, his employer, Depot Vic P/L, was fined half a million dollars over this breach of the OHS legislation. Initial reports … Continue reading “Unique company response to confined space penalty”
According to the WorkSafe Victoria website, changes to the Accident Compensation Act were introduced to the Victorian Parliament on 10 December 2009. WorkSafe is very confident that the changes will be passed. The summary only talks about “when” the bill is passed. There is every likelihood it will be passed but the summary has a tinge … Continue reading “Accident Comp changes put to Victorian Parliament”