OHS&E News
Want to keep up to date with the latest in OHS&E news and safety training? View our articles below:
29/07/2010 AIR CONTROLLERS LAUNCH $2M SEX HARASSMENT AIRSERVICES SUIT
Emailed porn and other alleged sex harassment has sparked a $2 million lawsuit by two female air traffic controllers who claim it ruined their careers. Read more. Source: Herald Sun
28/07/2010 TRANSPORT UNION FLAGS FATIGUE LAW CONCERNS
Truck drivers could automatically lose demerit points for breaching new national fatigue laws in a major shake-up of the transport industry. Read more. Source: ABC
27/07/2010 HR FAILS TO HELP STAFF
Human resources departments have emerged as a powerful force in big organisations, but a new book suggests they fail in their most crucial function - helping humans. Read more.
Source: The Age
23/07/2010 HIGH STRESS LEVELS HIT COMMUNITY WORKERS
A lack of funding, staffing and support is leading to high stress levels among health and community workers in the Northern Territory. Read more. Source: ABC
23/07/2010 FARM ACCIDENTS COST $1B PER YEAR:RESEARCH
A national farm safety researcher says farm accidents and deaths are costing the agricultural sector more than $1 billion per year. Read more. Source: ABC
22/07/2010 POLICEMAN SHOOTS HIMSELF IN THE THIGH
A policeman shot himself in the thigh yesterday while training with the force's new semi-automatic pistol. Read more. Source: the Age
21/07/2010 MOTHERS STILL FACE WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION
Victoria's equal opportunity commissioner Helen Szoke says pregnant women and new mothers are still suffering workplace discrimination, three decades after protective laws were introduced. Read more. Source: ABC
14/07/2010 MINE AIR POLLUTION BREACHES SAFETY LIMITS
Air pollution caused by the mines surrounding a Hunter Valley village sometimes exceeds safe guidelines, potentially causing health risks, an independent review commissioned by the NSW government has found. Read more. Source: Sydney Morning Herald
13/07/2010 VINNIES IN BULLYING UPROAR
The St Vincent de Paul Society, has suspended its entire NSW board following revelations of systemic bullying within the state branch. Read more. Source: The Australian
6/07/2010 WORK RESUMES AFTER MINE CRASH
Operations at a central Queensland mine have resumed after being shut down by the Mines Inspectorate last week due to safety concerns. Read more. Source: ABC
4/07/2010 GEN X WOMEN WORKFORCE DROP - OUTS: STUDY
Australia's Gen-X women didn't drop out of school easily, but many have dropped out of the workforce - and the lack of family-friendly workplace policies is being blamed. Read more. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
2/07/2010 MECHANIC SPRAYED WITH BRAKE CLEANER AND SET ALIGHT 'FOR A LAUGH' A Yarra Valley man was convicted today for setting an apprentice alight in a sickening workplace attack. Read more. Source: Herald Sun
30/06/2010 MORE THAN 1000 EMERGENCY SERVICE WORKERS CAUGHT SPEEDING
More than 1000 lead-foot emergency service workers have been caught speeding on non-urgent business. Read more. Source: The Daily Telegraph
29/06/2010 ASBESTOS "IN MILLIONS OF AUSTRALIAN HOMES"
A union leader said asbestos is still present in more than one-million homes, and many schools and workplaces, throughout Australia. Read more. Source: The Australian
25/06/2010 ID SCAN PLAN FOR TAXI SAFETY
Late-night taxi patrons would be forced show identification if the state government adopts recommendations from a taxi industry safety review. Read more. Source: Brisbane Times
23/06/2010 WORKERS SKIPPING LUNCH
Stressed workers missing out on having lunch say their boss hates it when they take a break. Read more.Source: The Mercury
In a legal first, a company director is being sued personally by two of the nation's biggest unions in an attempt to claim more than $2 million in entitlements owed to 57 workers. Read more. Source: The Australian
10/06/2010 CASE FOR BANNING INSECTICIDE "OVERWHELMING"
Australia's chemical regulator says its reviewing studies on the insecticide Endosulfan, which has now been banned in the United States because it poses an unacceptable risk to farm workers and wildlife. Read more. Source: ABC
8/06/2010 CONSTRUCTION WORKER DIES AFTER FALL
A construction worker has died a week after falling three metres from makeshift scaffolding at a house in Melbourne's north. Read more. Source: The Age
4/06/2010 RADIATION FOR BHP MINE WORKERS WORRIES GREENS
Greens MP Mark Parnell is worried workers at BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam mine in the outback are being exposed to dangerous radiation levels. Read more. Source: ABC
3/06/2010 NSW GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO SUPPORT DISABLED WORKERS
The work prospects of people with disabilities in NSW is expected to improve as state government agencies make greater use of companies hiring disabled workers. Read more. Source: the Daily Telegraph
2/06/2010 COMCARE APOLOGISES TO SHORT CHANGED WORKERS
The head of Comcare has apologised to two injured workers it underpaid for more than a decade. Read more. Source: ABC
31/05/2010 OUTRAGE AT $439 AN HOUR MEDICOS FROM INTERSTATE
Interstate medical experts are costing the financially troubled WorkCover Corporation thousands of dollars a day by travelling to SA to examine injured workers. Read more.
Source: The Advertiser
26/05/2010 MASSIVE SLAB CRASHES DOWN IN SYDNEY CBD
Police say it's remarkable no one was killed when a massive concrete slab collapsed at a demolition site in the Sydney CBD yesterday evening. Read more Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
25/05/2010 GOVERNMENT IN DECLINE ON HAPPINESS INDEX
People have turned away from the Rudd government at an extraordinary rate since September last year, a national survey of the nation's wellbeing reveals. Read more.
Source: The Australian
The NSW government is being accused of a cover-up after refusing to release test results it admitted showed ''health effects'' from unflued gas heaters on children in public schools. Read more. Source: SMH
19/05/2010 PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY NOVARTIS SHOULD PAY $331M FOR SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION
A lawyer for past and current female employees of pharmaceutical company Novartis urged a jury overnight to award up to $US285 million ($331 million) in punitive damages a day after the same jury concluded that the company discriminated against its female work force. Read more. Source: the Daily Telegraph
18/05/2010 CENTRAL COAST LEAGUES CLUB SUED FOR $1 MILLION OVER LADDER FALL
Sound expert David Mackie is suing his local leagues club - only he can't remember why. The sound technician has gone to court after a fall in a work accident caused him to suffer amnesia. Read more. Source: The Daily Telegraph
12/05/2010 OVERTIME RISK HEART DEADLINE:STUDY
People who work overtime have a 60 per cent higher risk of heart-related problems than those who work a regular day, a study has found. Read more. Source: ABC
11/05/2010 WORKERS DENY BEING COACHED AHEAD OF INQUEST
Two employees of a company involved in a fatal workplace accident in Adelaide have denied being coached before giving evidence at an inquest. Read more. Source: ABC
10/05/2010 SHIPPER FIGHTS $100k PENALTY
A shipping company is fighting a ruling that it pay $100,000 for the loss of a worker's arm. Read more. Source: The Mercury
4/05/2010 STRESS RIFE AMONG WAR VETERANS
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are creating a new generation of service men and women suffering the same mental problems that plagued Vietnam veterans, psychologists and veterans' advocates have warned. Read more. Source: The West Australian
2/05/2010 COMPANY FINED $130k OVER WORKPLACE DEATH
A Melbourne heavy haulage company has been fined $130,000 over the death of one of its truck drivers. Read more. Source: SMH
28/04/2010 WORKCOVER PREMIUMS TO RISE
WorkCover premiums in Queensland will rise from July 1 to ensure the stability of the troubled workplace injury compensation scheme. Read more. Source: Courier Mail
27/04/2010 INSULATION JOBS 'MORE IMPORTANT' THAN SAFETY
Government officials were told safety was less important than job creation in rolling out the federal government's insulation scheme, it has been claimed. Read more. Source: The Australian.
19/04/2010 LEPROSY CASE HAS UNION WORRIED
A suspected case of leprosy in a merchant seaman has Australia's maritime union worried for the health and safety of waterfront workers. Read more. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
15/04/2010 WORKER HOSPITALISED AFTER FACTORY CHEMICAL LEAK
Emergency crews say a factory worker was lucky to be rescued after being overcome by toxic chemicals in Melbourne's west. Read more. Source: ABC
14/04/2010 RAILCORP UNDER WORKER SAFETY FIRE AS CLEANER KILLED BY TRAIN
A contract cleaner working on railway tracks while trains were still running was hit and killed early yesterday - sparking a number of investigations and raising questions about RailCorp worker safety. Read more. Source: the Daily Telegraph
9/04/2010 MEATWORKER'S CAREER SLAUGHTERED
A meatworker whose career as a slaughterman was ended after a trip-and-fall injury on the kill floor is suing his employer for $160,000 in damages. Read more. Source: Brisbane Times
6/04/2010 LITERACY A PROBLEM FACING MILLIONS OF WORKERS
An astonishing four million adults in the workforce have poor language, literacy and numeracy skills and cannot understand the meaning of some everyday words. Read more.
Source: The Advertiser
29/03/2010 WHARF WORKER KILLED WHILE UNLOADING SHIPPING CONTAINERS
A wharf worker has been crushed to death while unloading shipping containers at Sydney's Port Botany, authorities say. Read more. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
25/03/2010 COPS INVESTIGATED OVER RACIST EMAIL
Up to 100 Victoria Police officers are being investigated and could face the sack for sending a racist email at work. Read more. Source: ABC
24/03/2010 TRUCKIES WIN LUNCH BREAK BATTLE
A national freight company that denied two truck drivers and a forklift operator their lunch breaks underpaid them a combined $33,750 a Perth magistrate has found. Read more.
Source: WA Today
18/3/2010 $1M PAYOUT FOR WORKPLACE BACK INJURY
A 31-year-old Keysborough man has been awarded more than $1 million after he sustained a lower-back injury at work that will result in him never working again. Read more. Source: the Age
10/3/2010 HEALING FOR WORKPLACE - DEATH FAMILIES
The families of people who have died as a result of bullying or an accident at work could meet the employers or offenders to help the healing process in a program that could soon be on trial in Victoria. Read more. Source: the Age
8/3/2010 TRUCK SAFETY BLITZ ALARMS SA AUTHORITIES
One in three trucks stopped during a statewide crackdown on heavy vehicles was taken off the road because of safety breaches in a result that has startled transport authorities. Read more. Source: Adelaide Now
5/3/2010 BRISBANE BUSES FLOUT TRAFFIC RULES
Brisbane's bus drivers are regularly flouting the road rules, racking up more than 100 speeding and red light offences last financial year. Read more. Source: Courier Mail
3/3/2010 LAWYER SAYS FIRM'S HARASSMENT MADE HER ILL
A former lawyer at Freehills is alleging the high-profile firm discriminated against her due to her age in the latest case to highlight claims of poor working conditions at law firms. Read more. Source: the Age
24/2/2010 BRICK COMPANY FINED OVER WORKER'S INJURY
Worksafe has welcomed a $70,000 fine handed to Midland Brick after an incident in which an employee lost his right arm in 2006. Read more. Source: ABC
23/2/2010 BUILDING COMPANY CONVICTED, FINED
A building company responsible for an incident at a Bruce construction site in which a parked car was crushed by a 15-tonne chunk of concrete was fined $10,000 and had a criminal conviction recorded in the ACT Magistrates Court yesterday. Read more. Source: Canberra Times
21/2/2010 QUEENSLAND BUILDER DIES OF MELANOMA
A landmark six figure payout has been given to a widow after her husband died at 43 from skin cancer. Read more. Source: Adelaide Now
19/2/2010 NO COMPO FOR CHIMPANZEE STRESS
A policeman who shot and killed a 91-kilogram chimpanzee last year after it mauled a woman has been denied an insurance claim for post-traumatic stress disorder because state law applies only to police shootings of people. Read more. Source: the Age
18/2/2010 GARBAGE MAN SUES AFTER SWALLOWING MEDICAL WASTE
A garbage collector is suing for unspecified damages after he swallowed medical waste while lifting an unsecured bin. Read more. Source: Brisbane Times.
16/2/2010 COMPANUES ADD PRESSURE TO HOLD MINISTERS LIABLE
Business groups have urged the federal government to hold ministers liable for workplace deaths, arguing they should bear the same responsibility as company executives. Read more. Source: SMH
15/2/2010 INSULATION BOSSES MAY BE CHARGED
Three Queensland insulation companies whose staff were electrocuted while carrying out work under the federal government's environmental rebate scheme may face workplace charges. Read more. Source: Brisbane Times
11/2/2010 WOMEN STRUGGLING TO RETURN TO WORK
The National Women's Alliance is calling on the federal and state governments to remove the barriers for women wanting to return to work after caring for children or others. Read more. Source: ABC
5/2/2010 POLICE PAYING FOR OFFICER LAP BAND SURGERY
West Australian police officers are being subsidised for having gastric-banding stomach surgery. Read more. Source: ABC
5/2/2010 MAN KILLED WHILE INSTALLING INSULATION IN CEILING
A 25-Year-old man died while installing insulation in a ceiling at a house in north Queensland yesterday morning. Read more. Source: Courier Mail
4/2/2010 ASBESTOS FUND FEARS STOP CSR SPLIT
The Federal Court has blocked plans by CSR to split its sugar business because of the potential impact on asbestos disease sufferers. Read more. Source: ABC
3/2/2010 WORKSAFE TO INVESTIGATE DEATH OF MAN IN ASCOT
WorkSafe is investigating the death of a man at a swimming pool company in Ascot yesterday afternoon.
Read more. Source: WA Today
29/1/2010 WORKERS CRUSHED BY SEA CONTAINERS AT CHRISTMAS ISLAND WHARF
A Christmas Isalnd stevedoring worker has been crushed to death during the unloading of a cargo shop at the island's wharf. Read more. Source: WA Today
22/1/2010 GORGAN WORKERS EXPOSED TO ASBESTOS
Tests have confirmed that asbestos was present at the Gorgon project on Barrow Island, according to WorkSafe. Read more. Source: the West Australian
21/1/2010 CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS CALL FOR REVIEW INTO MISSING GUN
Correctional officers are calling for a review of security at a north Queensland prison after a semi-automatic pistol went missing for four days. Read more. Source: Brisbane Times
19/1/2010 ASBESTOS REMOVALIST UNDER STRICT CONDITIONS
An asbestos removal company involved in an exposure incident at a Canberra auction house last year is again operating under strict conditions. Read more. Source: ABC
19/1/2010 MURRUMBATEMAN'S STATE OF THE ART PROTECTION
The Murrumbateman Rural Fire Brigade will be better prepared to protect its citizens thanks to a state-of-the-art vehicle equipped with improved fire-fighting gear. Read more. Source: Yass Tribune
13/1/2010 MAN IMPALED IN HORROR TRUCK ROLLOVER
A 58-year-old truck driver was impaled by a metal pole after rolling his fully-laden B-double truck west of Brisbane yesterday. Read more. Source: Brisbane Times
12/1/2010 LUCKY NOBODY KILLED IN SANTIC TUNA FACTORY BLAST
An Ammonia explosion at a Port Lincoln tuna factory run by Makybe Diva owner Tony Santic has evacuated businesses within in a three-kilometre radius. Read more. Source: Adelaide Now
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