A primary producer has been killed in a workplace accident in Putururu, New Zealand, south-west of Rotorua, on Sunday. Emergency services attended the scene just before 5pm yesterday after reports
Qantas to be investigated over COVID-19 exposure in SA
The Transport Workers’ Union has raised concerns over the safety standards within Qantas amid the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming that Qantas has allowed the virus to spread throughout the Adelaide airport
Two critical incidents on QLD worksites in as many hours
Queensland has recorded two critical workplace injuries in one day. The first incident occurred in Brisbane around 4pm when a worker fell more than four metres, suffering serious head injuries.
Trade and construction licence fees waived
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that up to 200,000 license holders for the trades and construction industries will not be required to pay licence fees worth up $50 million.
“Smacks of an attempt to blame someone else;” $450K fine handed down over workplace death
Sapform Pty Ltd, a Sydney building company, has appeared in court this week to answer charges, after the 2016 workplace death of Iremar DaSilva. The incident occurred at a worksite
Triple threat: NSW residents exposed to three different air quality risk factors
Residents in the NSW Upper Hunter region are some of the worst-hit when it comes to Australia’s air quality. Despite reports that global emissions are reducing and air pollution levels
$375,000 fine over 2017 concrete accident that killed worker
The NSW District Court has fined a Sydney concreting company $375,000 over a workplace incident in 2017, during which a worker was fatally struck by an unsecured concrete pump hose.
New charges over illegal waste stockpile
WorkSafe Victoria has charged Bradbury Industrial Services Pty Ltd with 35 new charges over a massive chemical fire and explosion at a Campbellfield warehouse in April of 2019. The charges
Faulty N95 masks hamper healthcare efforts as supply chains dwindle, prices soar
With mounting pressure on hospitals and healthcare systems worldwide, many have revealed that alongside the increasing pressure to provide high-quality PPE, there are rising rates of defective or substandard protective
Second fatality in three weeks in NT
A 60-year-old man has died after a workplace accident in Bayview, a suburb of Darwin yesterday. It is believed the worker fell from the roof of a worksite building. Emergency
$110,000 fine on appeal after resident struck by front-end loader at local tip
The City of Armadale Council has had a fine increased by $80,000 after WorkSafe appealed the original fine, which related to a 2014 incident in which a member of the
SafeWork Australia: 7 steps for responding to symptoms of COVID-19
SafeWork Australia has released the following guidelines to inform PCBUs in the event that a contractor or employee is suspected of having COVID-19. Isolate: Remove the person from others. SafeWork
$300,000 fine over explosion that permanently disabled worker
A Victorian engineering company has appeared in the Melbourne County Court over a workplace accident that permanently disabled a worker. The incident occurred at the company’s Bayswater site when gas
Fines and conviction over 2016 workplace fatality
Richard Simmons, co-owner of RW & LM Simmons transport company, appeared in the NSW District Court this week in relation to the death of a worker at a mine site
SA contractor stripped of asbestos removal license
A South Australian licensed asbestos removalist and demolition contractor has had his (Class B) asbestos removal license suspended immediately after a joint investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency and SafeWork
Workplace safety risks during COVID-19
One factor about the global pandemic crisis remains consistent across all areas of society: confusion. There is a mass of mixed messaging with health authorities calling on the public to
Queensland business director fined $42K over ‘serious risk of injury or death’
A Queensland concreting business and its director have been fined $42,500 in the Toowoomba Magistrates Court after unsafe electrical practises exposed people to the risk of serious injury or death.
Factory worker injured at McCain Foods Ballarat plant
A worker at Ballarat’s McCain Foods factory has been transported to hospital after a workplace incident. Emergency services including police, firefighters and ambulance workers were called to the site around
Construction sites, unions and building authority: in a “hell of a position”
Construction companies, workers, unions, building regulators and workplace health and safety authorities are continuing to wade through the new government restrictions on gathering limitations and there seems to be no
Primary producer killed by livestock
A 78-year-old man has become Victoria’s latest workplace fatality after he was crushed by two cattle at a Carrajung property in the state’s Gippsland region on Tuesday. Emergency services attended
Qantas investigated by safety regulator
WorkSafe NSW has revealed it is investigating Qantas after it suspended an employee who voiced concerns over the possible exposure to COVID-19 when disinfecting a plane that had returned from
Regulatory approach to NSW work health and safety legislation – COVID-19
The below statement outlines the enforcement approach that SafeWork NSW will take to ensure compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 in
Worker killed using circular saw, safety alert issued
A worker has died recently after a workplace accident in Victoria involving a circular saw, prompting the safety regulator to issue a safety alert. The worker was installing fence posts
Worker crushed by hydraulic stairs
A Western Australian worker has been left in a critical condition in hospital after a workplace incident which crushed his leg. The incident occurred after a pre-work inspection of the
$15,000 fine over wiring that left live electricity in home
A Western Australian electrician has received a $15,000 fine in the Joondalup Magistrates Court over breaches of WA’s electricity licensing regulations. Rex Hickman did not appear in court to answer
SafeWork NSW issues safety alert after arc welding electric shock
WorkSafe New South Wales has issued a safety alert after a worker was recently injured while conducting arc welding work. The worker was changing a welding rod as part of
$160,000 for hazardous material release
Hardman Chemicals Pty Ltd has appeared in the Land and Environment Court after an incident at its Seven Hills facility in Western Sydney saw a large amount of poisonous and
Fine for unauthorised use of EPA logo by asbestos company
Asbestos Australia Pty Ltd, an asbestos removal company, has been convicted and fined in the Dandenong Magistrate’s court for misusing the EPA Victoria logo on its website and marketing collateral.
Partial collapse at Canberra construction site
A worksite in Canberra has been shut down by the safety regulator after a section of the project collapsed in on itself during a concrete pour. A section of scaffolding
Fact Sheet: Regulatory approach to NSW WHS legislation – COVID-19
The below is an update from SafeWork NSW to ensure compliance with WHS legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are links for further information at the bottom of
Safety alert issued after rise in workplace injuries for truckies
Several separate incidents across Queensland have been reported over the last two months, prompting the WHS regulator to issue an alert. The incidents included an accident where a truck driver
Industrial illness sufferers at risk of COVID-19
The United States Occupational Health and Safety Organisation have advised that workers with a history of industrial respiratory illness, such as silicosis or lung cancer are some of the at-risk
Worker killed in crush accident at recycling facility
A worker has been killed after being crushed under a boiler at a scrap metal facility in Christchurch. Emergency services were called to Resource Recycling Technologies on Monday just after
New study links coal mines and poor air quality in townships
The health effects of coal mining on residents in nearby towns have been examined in new research, linking the increase in coal dust in line with production, and the increase
Worker killed in silo collapse
A worker has died at a dairy farm in Mooroopna, two hours north of Melbourne. The worker was understood to be the son of the operators of the dairy farm
Full toll of Sydney’s smoky summer revealed
The Medical Journal of Australia has released a preliminary assessment of the health impacts of the lengthy exposure to hazardous air quality that impacted Sydney and other areas of the eastern seaboard
Penrith manufacturer fined $90,000 over WHS accident
A Penrith metal tubing manufacturer has faced court over an accident in which a worker was seriously injured loading steel coils into machinery. Trans Vent Spiral Tubing was charged with
$55,000 over failure to follow SWMS on edge protection
An edge protection company in Queensland has been fined $50,000 for failing to comply with its primary safety duty under WHS legislation. The business installs and provisions edge protection so
Further PFAS contamination continues to hamper West Gate Tunnel Project
Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel project continues to face scrutiny after thousands of tonnes of PFAS-contaminated soil has been uncovered at a construction site for the project in West Melbourne. The
Site manager receives suspended sentence after inspection reveals no WHS training
A construction site in London has been the focus of a Health and Safety Executive investigation after it was revealed the site’s manager and company director operated the site with
Quad bike manufacturers pull out of Australia ahead of change to safety legislation
New safety legislation set to come into effect this year is likely to see quad bike manufacturers exit the Australian market. The new laws mean that all quad bikes must
Two workplace fatalities in Victoria in 12 hours
WorkSafe Victoria has confirmed it is investigating two separate workplace fatalities from Monday the 16th of March. In Cobblebank, west of Melbourne, a man in his fifties died after the
Working from home: WHS requirements
As many employers seek to minimise risk and allow more employees to work from home, or making plans to allow them to work from home, questions have been asked about
Most Australian businesses not meeting basic WHS requirements
New research released this week indicates that many Australian businesses aren’t meeting WHS responsibilities. A survey, conducted by WHS audit and training organisation SAI Global, showed that 52% of employers
New Zealand’s WHS fatality numbers climbing
Reporters have called the workplace fatality rates in New Zealand a “horror start”, with ten deaths so far this year, including seven in January. Farming and agriculture are traditionally high-risk
Changes to WHS model for asbestos
The national model Work Health and Safety Bill and model Code of practice regarding the management and control of asbestos in the workplace have been changed. The changes mean that
Fine after worker crushed by six-tonne truck
A young New Zealand worker had only been on the job for two days when he was crushed by a six-tonne truck at a mechanics workshop in Cambridge. The operator
Factory fire in Western Sydney spreads black smoke across suburbs
A factory in Fairfield, Western Sydney, has been engulfed in flames and two adjacent buildings have been damaged. Emergency services workers were called to the factory just before 4pm on
SWMS deviations could cost QLD company $4.5 million
Nexus Infrastructure, and two subsidiary infrastructure companies, Acciona and Ferrovial Agroman, are due to face Toowoomba Magistrates Court next week on six workplace safety charges. The charges relate to a
More charges over illegal chemical storage linked to 2019 Campbellfield blaze
Bradbury Industrial Services, the company of former truck driver Graham White, which was responsible for such a significant amount of illegal dumping that it distorted the national toxic waste disposal