Employers have been told to map out and prevent access to workplace water hazards, after a local council was successfully prosecuted over the drowning death of a child. Another employer has been penalised for failing to respond to a near miss by ensuring workers wore personal protective equipment.
In a WHS case involving the deaths of two teenage students from overseas, a court has imposed a penalty much higher than that recommended by the prosecution, stressing that unlike workers, children are particularly vulnerable to business-related hazards because they haven't been trained to recognise or mitigate risks.
A Melbourne business and its directors have been fined, and a worker compensated, after the worker claimed he was subjected "to unreasonable health and safety risks because of his race" and unfairly sacked.
Labour providers cannot rely on other companies to ensure the health and safety of their workers, a judge has stressed in fining a PCBU over two incidents (including a fatality) that occurred just weeks apart.
An Australian Border Force worker's bid for compensation for depression and anxiety has been rejected, with a tribunal highlighting the traumatic circumstances of her personal life. It also found her inexperience impaired her ability to accept reasonable supervision.