In June 2010 WorkSafe WA began investigating the 2008 death from heat stroke of 46-year-old aboriginal elder Mr Ward. According to one media report : “A broken air conditioner forced Mr Ward to endure temperatures above 50 degrees during the non-stop, four-hour journey to face a drink-driving charge in court.” The same article noted that … Continue reading “WorkSafe prosecutes Dept of Corrective Services and G4S”
A recent prosecution by SafeWorkSA illustrates an odd situation but one of considerable importance. The media release of 15 December 2010 reports on the the penalties given to Hermes Precisa Pty Ltd (A$24,600) and Salmat Document Management Solutions Pty Ltd (A$22,400) for breaches of OHS law in May 2008. The circumstances of the offence are: ” A … Continue reading “Make buying a business a safe choice”
All workplace incidents result from a combination of actions and circumstances that come together at a specific point in time that can result in injury or damage. WorkSafe Victoria reported on 17 February 2010 about a company that was successfully prosecuted, and fined $A60,000, after a worker had his foot crushed under a forklift. The … Continue reading “Forklift incident leads to amputated foot and $60,000 fine”
Michael Tooma, of the Australian law firm Deacons, is often the first labour lawyer to comment on Australia OHS Law matters and this week was no different. While many of us are continuing to digest the draft OHS Act, Tooma has identified several issues of interest. Some are discussed below. [Tooma’s full legal update is available HERE] … Continue reading “Deacons are first with harmonised OHS law comments”
On 1 July 2009, the Australian industrial relations (IR) climate changed with the introduction of the Fair Work Act. Regardless of the politics of the new Act’s origin, this legislation changes the way that working conditions for Australians are negotiated and set. The Fair Work Act has no relevance to occupational health and safety, so … Continue reading “Fair Work Act and OHS”