Only one jurisdiction - South Australia - is on track to reach the target set by the 2002-2012 National OHS Strategy for reducing workplace injury rates, according to Safe Work Australia's latest comparative report.
In a panel discussion at the Comcare conference in Melbourne, the OHS director general of the Department of Defence has outlined steps the employer is taking to prepare for harmonised safety laws.
Injured workers who have a return-to-work plan with staged goals developed for them - and are given help to follow it - are significantly more likely to return to and stay in their jobs, a new report has found.
A transport regulator chief has called for employers to provide safer environments, saying safety management systems are often ignored, and heavy vehicles are over-represented in rail-related accidents causing death.
Australia's OHS regulators will from January focus on "encouraging and assisting compliance" with the Work Health and Safety Act in the event of an alleged breach, and will be more likely to investigate employers that have been issued improvement notices in the past, according to the National Compliance and Enforcement Policy.
The NSW Government will tackle increasing mesothelioma rates by tasking WorkCover, and a co-ordinated group of State authorities, with managing the risks posed by asbestos in the workplace and the broader environment.
WorkCover NSW has since July 2008 issued nearly 400 improvement notices relating to first aid, suggesting employers should ensure their emergency-response procedures and facilities are in order.
The NSW Mine Safety Advisory Council has developed a host of guides that will help managers and workers identify and manage hazards such as dust, noise and fatigue, and develop "non-technical skills" - such as situation awareness - that are key to reducing incidents.
