Employer Charged with Multiple Breaches after Ignoring Notices

25 August 2017

After pleading guilty to breaching Section 26 of the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act (“Duties of persons who manage or control workplaces”) and ignoring numerous WorkSafe Victoria improvement notices, Leeming Furniture Pty Ltd have been convicted and fined $22,500 and more than $4,000 in costs.

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How to Avoid Legal Risks in Drug and Alcohol Testing

23 August 2017

Australia has some of the highest rates of illicit substance use in the world, and with some recent evidence showing that workers who misuse drugs or alcohol are at a higher risk of workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities, this is quickly becoming an issue employers simply cannot ignore.

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New Record Set for South Australian Asbestos Claim

16 August 2017

In a recent decision of the District Court of South Australia, a South Australian record of $1,062,000 in damages have been awarded to seventy year-old Anthony Latz, who was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 2016. Anthony Latz was exposed to asbestos fibres while building a fence using James Hardie asbestos sheeting in his Adelaide residence in 1976.

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Fair Work Commission clarifies dismissal standards for labour hire companies

14 July 2017

The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission has recently decided the case of Tasmanian Ports Corporation Pty Ltd t/a Tasports v Gee [2017] FWCFB 1714, having dismissed the appeal based on the principles established in Pettifer v MODEC Management Services Pty Ltd [2016] FWCFB 5243 and Kool v Adecco Industrial Pty Ltd t/a Adecco [2016] FWC 925.

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Record fine for NSW organisation

12 July 2017

An organisation in New South Wales has recently been convicted and fined a record $1 million for offences under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) after its Director intentionally let a subcontractor work near live high-voltage powerlines to avoid delaying a construction project.

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