Safe Work Australia has released harmonisation guides on the interpretation and application of the terms PCBU and "reasonably practicable", and on the duties of officers. It has also found that nearly one in three employees in high-risk industries "get so involved" in their work they forget about safety.
OHS duties should be included in the job descriptions of all company executives before harmonised work health and safety laws take effect, according to employment lawyer Ben Urry.
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.
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.
Workplace germ control urged as flu cases spiral; Unwary employers at risk of breastfeeding discrimination; and WorkCover NSW releases "officer" fact sheet, appoints new workers' comp bosses.
NSW employers will have an absolute obligation to consult with all duty holders on OHS issues months ahead of schedule, if the State Government's "fast track" harmonisation Bill passes through Parliament, lawyers say.
A new decision from the NSW Industrial Court should ring alarm bells for directors of all companies, regardless of how remote they are from day-to-day work practices. The Court, in finding that the CEO of a large multi-national company was guilty of an OHS offence, also criticised the common reliance by directors on "alternative" defences to their charges.
