NRA Legal A new Bill introduced to Queensland State Parliament recently proposes some significant changes to Queensland’s Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (‘WHS Act)’, including a new, criminal offence for industrial manslaughter, carrying up to 20 years’ imprisonment for individuals and $12,615,000 for bodies corporate. The Bill adopts some of the 58 recommendations made […]
by Sid Sidhu and Troy Wild, NRA Legal A new Bill, introduced to Victorian Parliament earlier this month, proposes to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (‘the Act’) as well as some other legislation, including the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 (Vic). If passed, the new changes may take effect as soon as […]
by Angela Szczepanski and Troy Wild, NRA Legal The ACT Supreme Court has ordered Coles to pay a former staff member over $1 million after she fell from a safety step she says she wasn’t trained to use. Nicole Harris suffered injuries to her right hip, right ankle, right knee and right shoulder when she […]
The prevalence of depression and anxiety among Australians is high and often goes unrecognised, despite the substantial labour cost of mental illness in Australia (estimated to be $49 billion). Supervisors hold a key leadership responsibility in managing and enhancing the welfare and mental health of their staff. Clear guidelines have been made available outlining the […]
SafeWork NSW has released a safety alert after workers suffered severe chemical burns to their feet whilst cleaning chemical spills in restaurant and hotel kitchens in two separate incidents. On both occasions the workers did not notice the caustic chemicals soaking into their footwear (casual soft soled shoes) and socks and it was not until […]
The thoughts of the NRA team are with all those members affected by recent severe weather that has impacted South Australia and parts of Victoria this week, and has forced many shops to shut down temporarily. Unfortunately, this type of weather is not uncommon in Australia leading up to summer. As such it is important […]
It’s estimated that WHS incidents cost businesses around $31.4million in compensation payments each year in Queensland alone with an average of 25 days off work. Creating a safe working environment is a responsibility of all businesses, however companies who go above and beyond empower their employees with a feeling of security, helping to retain staff […]
The recent case of Hail Creek Coal Pty Ltd v Haylett & Anor [2015] QCA 259 (4 December 2015) has provided guidance on the limitations of an employer seeking health information from an employee. The employee began as a Drill Rig Operator at the Hail Creek Mine and in 2010 was left unfit for work […]
As part of its commitment to improving safety for Queenslanders at work, the Palaszcuk Government has introduced a number of changes to the State’s work health and safety (WHS) laws. Legislation that was recently passed to restore elements of the original Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), which were altered following a review of […]
In the last five years SafeWork NSW has investigated 21 incidents involving workers being injured whilst unpacking shipping containers. Three of these workers were killed. SafeWork NSW has just released a new video safety alert Unpacking shipping containers which is aimed at reducing serious injuries and fatalities in the workplace by demonstrating basic controls that […]
Get Healthy at Work is a free NSW Government service that aims to improve the health of working adults. The service focuses on: healthy weight physical activity healthy eating active travel smoking harmful alcohol use Get healthy at work assists with creating healthier working environments by: addressing individual behavioural and workplace factors contributing to poor […]
As a result of the Queensland Government’s “Improving Safety for Queenslanders at Work” Policy, Work Health and Safety laws in Queensland have changed effective 22 October 2015. The amendments to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 are as follows: WHS entry permit holders allowed to enter a workplace immediately if they suspect a contravention […]
As part of Safe Work Month, Safe Work Australia is hosting a series of free, interactive online seminars that showcase the latest thinking, innovation, research and developments in work health and safety. The seminars features business leaders, academics and work health and safety experts sharing ideas, experiences, skills and knowledge. Program items include live broadcasts,online […]
We welcome our members to the September edition of the WHS Update. With the busy period fast approaching, we would like to ask you to take a moment to reflect on whether you need to set some WH&S goals to get your staff safely through the busy period ahead. For those who need a little […]
Happy new financial year to all of our members and welcome to the July WHS update. In this month’s update we look at the safety initiatives of one of Australia’s largest employers, Kmart, and the work they are doing in the WHS space. We also urge all of our members to please take part in […]
Welcome to the second WH&S update for 2015 and thank you to those who have taken the time to provide us with feedback on the monthly publication. We would like to take this opportunity to update you on the work of the WH&S Committee which has, since its commencement early this year, established a number […]
Welcome to the first edition of the National Retail Association Workplace Health and Safety Update for 2015. We hope that you have all had an opportunity to recharge your batteries over the Christmas period and enjoyed celebrating the New Year. Given the success and positive feedback received for the monthly WH&S update in 2014, our […]
This month’s edition of the National Retail Association WH&S Update is our last for 2014. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our members for their feedback on the monthly publication and for your contribution in making the publication interesting, relevant and informative. We are pleased to be able to provide our members […]
It comes as no shock that Christmas is only 48 days away. As the retail industry prepares for one of its busiest trading periods, we ask employers to turn to their minds to their health and safety obligations over the silly season, particularly staff Christmas parties. We would advise all employers to, if you haven’t […]
This month’s edition of the NRA WH&S member update is all about tapping into the volume of resources available for businesses, keeping up-to-date with case law and most importantly taking preventative steps in managing your health and safety obligations in your workplace. Friday 10 October 2014 marked World Mental Health Day. If you haven’t already, […]