Mirror WHS Acts take effect in South Australia and Tasmania in less than two weeks. In this article, OHS Alert points SA and Tas readers to the resources they need to prepare for the new laws, and looks at the ongoing transitional arrangements in other jurisdictions.
Many PCBUs and workers mistakenly believe that supervisors are "officers" - and that home-based work is too risky - under harmonised WHS laws, according to WorkSafe ACT director Mark McCabe. Also in this article, South Australia has released the final draft of its mirror WHS Regulations.
Workplaces in the five OHS jurisdictions where harmonised safety laws have taken effect are now safer and more productive, according to Federal Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten. But stakeholders continue to squabble over the draft model Codes of Practice.
The ACT will retain its "strong" regulations on hazardous chemicals and asbestos, and could become the first jurisdiction to establish a specialised inspectorate to deal with workplace bullying, when the harmonised safety regime takes effect.
ACT unions will lose the right to prosecute employers for OHS breaches, after the Territory yesterday became Australia's third jurisdiction to pass a Work Health and Safety Bill.
WorkCover NSW funds harmonisation awareness; WorkSafe Victoria announces fatality probe and new campaigns; WorkSafe ACT announces falling premiums, releases harmonisation guides; and Essential OHS news from around Australia.