Savas Avan, who mailed asbestos-filled packages to embassies and consulates in January of this year has been marked for release from prison. The Court of Appeal in Victoria deemed that
Sydney air quality worse than Beijing
As fires continue to burn across NSW, the air quality of Sydney yesterday registered 224 micrograms of particulates per cubic metre and as high as 340 in the Lower Hunter.
Worker killed at WA mine site
A FIFO worker at a mine site in Western Australia’s North has been charged over the death of a colleague. Emergency services were called yesterday morning to the Pilgangoora lithium
Brisbane homebuilder fined $77K over consistent workplace breaches
A Brisbane homebuilder has faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court over seven breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, from 2017. The Office of the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor
Worker critically injured on Melbourne worksite
A construction worker has been seriously injured after falling approximately two metres from a crane on a construction site in Melbourne. The accident occurred just before 7am at a worksite
Pool hinge gaskets: SafeWork Safety Alert
SafeWork NSW has released information regarding the hinge gaskets used to secure glass pool fencing, advising that those installed before 2004 may contain asbestos. While the gaskets do not pose
Charges laid over 2017 death of worker in LPG tank
Two construction companies have been charged over the death of 56-year-old worker Carl Delaney in the Northern Territory, from 2017. Mr Delaney was employed by subcontracting group Whittens Group at
Asbestos left in Sydney park for 5 months
A popular park in Sydney’s south-west has been found to be the site of illegally dumped asbestos, which has remained at the site for more than five months. Wilson Park
$75,000 fine over workplace trench accident
A cropping operation out of Darling Downs, Queensland, has received a $75,000 fine over a trench collapse in 2017 which severely injured a worker. Culverthorpe Pty Ltd appeared in the
Queensland company charged after worker severely injured by furnace
A Queensland company has admitted to an offence over an accident at their Ipswich factory which left an electrician with severe head injuries. Under the Work Health and Safety Act,
Property developer killed at Sydney construction site
NSW Police have launched a large scale manhunt after a tradesman allegedly attacked a property developer and his son at a 90-unit construction site in St Peters in Sydney. The
Relationship between occupational noise-induced hearing loss and blood pressure
A new study conducted worldwide has shown that more than 600 million people are employed in jobs that expose them to noise levels above safety recommendations, making noise exposure one
Worker fatally crushed at Ingleburn
A man has died after a crush workplace accident in Sydney’s southwest overnight. Emergency services were called to the Ingleburn worksite just 7:30 pm after reports a 57-year-old worker had
Asbestos waste levies reduced across NSW
In a bid to discourage illegal dumping of asbestos-containing materials, the NSW Government has announced that it will remove the levy on asbestos waste, providing it is less than a
Asbestos-spiked beer linked to rising throat cancer across the UK
The use of asbestos-containing materials in the 1970s in breweries may be responsible for an increase in oesophageal cancers. The materials were used to filter out microscopic particles that affected
Worker killed by vehicles at Port Botany
Just before 10am on Saturday, emergency services were called to a business in Botany after reports a worker had been injured. Initial investigations have suggested that the man was working
Worker killed under vehicle in Darwin
The NT Worksafe regulatory reform director Chris Wicks has confirmed the workplace death of a mechanic under a hoist at a site in Winnellie on Friday. “A mechanic was working
Warning issued for working in extreme heat this summer
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued their long-range summer forecast, with expectations that summer temperatures are set to be above average for much of Australia. WorkSafe has issued a warning
Johnson & Johnson denies recalled products contained asbestos
Embattled company Johnson & Johnson are standing by their earlier statements, emphatically denying that any of their baby powder contained traces of asbestos, despite the Food and Drug Administration saying
CFMEU leaders to face court over unlawfully delaying QLD construction project
Michael Ravbar, the Queensland CFMEU’s state secretary is in hot water again after being named in legal action over unlawfully delaying a construction project last year on the state’s Sunshine
Scissor hoist safety in focus after $215,000 fine
A Queensland building material manufacturer has been fined $215,000 over the 2017 death of a worker who was crushed to death in a scissor hoist. Under QLD’s WHS Laws, the
Victoria’s industrial manslaughter laws come into effect
18 months ago two men were fatally injured after a trench they were working in collapsed at a worksite in Delacombe, near Ballarat in Victoria. Yesterday, the Victorian Government announced
Worker killed by machinery at Delacombe
Emergency services have confirmed that a 50-year-old man was killed in an industrial accident in Delacombe, near Ballarat in Victoria last week. Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Argall spoke to the
Calls for US asbestos ban as death toll nears 40,000 per year
According to an article published in the New York Times, asbestos is now responsible for the deaths of 40,000 annually, while thousands more are critically unwell with asbestos-related diseases like
Australia’s largest class-action suit over PFAS
40,000 people who live and work on land contaminated by PFAS chemicals have launched legal action against the Australian Government over their falling property values. The legal team leading the
Scaffolding blitz targets Illawarra sites
SafeWork NSW has continued its commitment to safety across the state’s construction sites with a fresh safety blitz across the Illawarra region. It follows a crackdown in recent months by
QLD’s industrial manslaughter laws in focus as first PCBU charged
The Queensland Prosecutor for Work Health and Safety has commenced proceedings against Brisbane Auto Recycling Pty Ltd, with allegations it had committed industrial manslaughter under the state’s Work Health and
PFAS contamination in QLD in the spotlight
In her visit to Australia this week, American activist Erin Brockovich has called on the government to act to prevent the spread of PFAS chemical contamination. ABC News reported that
CFMEU officials now need permits to enter QLD worksites
The Australian Federal Court has closed a loophole that allowed CFMEU officials to enter building worksites, despite the Palaszczuk government supporting the union’s right to do so. On Wednesday this
Worker trapped 8km underground at Lithgow
A mine worker at the Clarence Colliery near Lithgow has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after being trapped eight kilometres underground on Tuesday night. Working underground at
Dangerous levels of lead in Sydney homes
Households across Sydney’s inner west and CBD have been discovered to contain potentially dangerous levels of lead, according to new research by Macquarie University. Students at the university analysed the
Safety alert – use of near-infrared? handheld analysers for the identification of asbestos-containing materials
The Queensland Government has provided information about the use of near-infrared (NIR) handheld analysers for the identification of asbestos-containing materials (ACM). See photos 1,2 and 3. Product description NIR is
Former hairdresser’s mesothelioma linked to salon dryers
A former UK hairdresser has been diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos-containing materials in hairdryers over a career that spanned several decades. Calogero La Bella, 80, was diagnosed
Spotlight on NZ benchtop industry after Australian industry action
New Zealand’s stone benchtop industry is in focus as authorities respond to the rising levels of lung disease among workers exposed to silica dust. The NZ safety authority has issued
Recall of Johnson & Johnson baby powder after asbestos traces found
Johnson & Johnson’s US share price has taken a dive after the company announced a voluntary recall of its baby powder, following the discovery that some of the product bottles
Workers injured by cement pump on Melbourne worksite
Four workers have been injured on a construction site in Southbank, Melbourne after a cement pump exploded. Around 1pm on Saturday afternoon, emergency services were called to the site, where
Asbestos clean up next to Melbourne childcare? centre
Two weeks after we first reported on the matter, workers in protective clothing are continuing to remove asbestos-containing material at a site in Melbourne’s Altona North, which is adjacent to
Geelong company fined $120K over unsafe worksite
SafeWork month’s focus on scaffolding safety and falls from heights has again been at the forefront, as a Geelong company was $120,000 for exposing workers to the risk of serious
Perth construction company fined $47K for third breach over WHS training
Hanssen Construction Pty Ltd has been found guilty of failing to ensure direct supervision for work on a site where tilt-up work was being completed, and subsequently fined in the
Safety warning from Cancer Council over silicosis rates
New figures released by the Cancer Council as part of its National Safe Work Month safety campaign around crystalline silica exposure have revealed that more than half a million Australians
Calls for ban on engineered stone products
Silicosis is being described as the next “public health crisis” and many workers in the engineered stone cutting business are calling for a ban on the silica-containing product to prevent
No industrial manslaughter for NSW, rejected as ‘little more than a catchy title’
Industrial manslaughter laws will not be introduced in NSW by the Berejiklian Government, with Minister for Better Regulation, Kevin Anderson marking them as “little more than a catchy title”. Earlier
New tech approach seeks to better prevent workplace accidents
The NSW Government is set to announce a new approach to preventing workplace accidents and improve safety across job sites. A new phone app called Speak Up, Save Lives will
X-ray testing “failing to reliably detect” silicosis
The Royal Australian College of Radiologists made a statement last week outlining the ways that traditional chest X-rays are “failing to reliably detect” serious lung disease. As we have reported
Wins for workplace victims could be under threat with new bill
The Morrison Government has announced it’s proposed Ensuring Integrity Bill, which is aimed at improving workplace-union relationships, following several months of mixed publicity between Government and Union Officials. Public safety
Former detention centre worker diagnosed with mesothelioma
A former employee of the Quamby youth detention centre in Canberra has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, raising concerns for her fellow colleagues and those detained at the same time. Three
Suspected asbestos-containing material found unsecured near childcare centre
Worksafe Victoria is investigating the presence of unsecured material that was suspected of containing asbestos near a childcare centre at Altona recently. The material was noticed by a CFMEU member
Worker killed underneath truck
WorkSafe is investigating an incident in Victoria’s Gippsland region after a truck driver was killed when his vehicle rolled on top of him as he checked underneath it. The incident
$200K in WHS improvements after vehicle-related death
A car dealership in the Riverina has been ordered to spend $200,000 improving its WHS culture, following the death of a man in 2015. Local man, David Jenkins, was crushed
£1m fine over Scottish workplace death
A United Kingdom company, Cemex Operations Limited, has been fined £1m over the death of a worker at a Scotland operation in May of 2017. James Brownlie was carrying out
