Hygiene and retail: Do I need to close the changing rooms?

As retail stores reopen, noticeable changes have taken place. To protect the health of workers and customers alike, many...

As retail stores reopen, noticeable changes have taken place. To protect the health of workers and customers alike, many stores have implemented measures to keep in line with social distancing and hygiene practices. This includes limiting the amount of customers in-store, temperature checks before entry, and closing the change...

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Jail sentence and record fine against reckless employer sets benchmark for WHS prosecutions

Written by Zoe Brodie and Lindsay Carroll. In the first charge of reckless conduct to be successfully tried under...

Written by Zoe Brodie and Lindsay Carroll. In the first charge of reckless conduct to be successfully tried under the harmonised work health and safety legislation, a director of a Queensland roofing company has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for his contribution to the fatality of a 62-year-old...

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State Parliament pushes for changes to WHS legislation

NRA Legal A new Bill introduced to Queensland State Parliament recently proposes some significant changes to Queensland’s Work Health and...

NRA Legal A new Bill introduced to Queensland State Parliament recently proposes some significant changes to Queensland’s Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (‘WHS Act)’, including a new, criminal offence for industrial manslaughter, carrying up to 20 years’ imprisonment for individuals and $12,615,000 for bodies corporate. The Bill adopts some of...

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Proposed Changes to VIC Workplace Health and Safety Laws

by Sid Sidhu and Troy Wild,  NRA Legal A new Bill, introduced to Victorian Parliament earlier this month, proposes to...

by Sid Sidhu and Troy Wild,  NRA Legal A new Bill, introduced to Victorian Parliament earlier this month, proposes to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (‘the Act’) as well as some other legislation, including the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 (Vic). If passed, the new changes may...

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Safety step costs Coles $1 million

by Angela Szczepanski and Troy Wild, NRA Legal The ACT Supreme Court has ordered Coles to pay a former staff...

by Angela Szczepanski and Troy Wild, NRA Legal The ACT Supreme Court has ordered Coles to pay a former staff member over $1 million after she fell from a safety step she says she wasn’t trained to use. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coles_Supermarkets Nicole Harris suffered injuries to her right hip,...

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HeadCoach tackles mental health in the workplace

The prevalence of depression and anxiety among Australians is high and often goes unrecognised, despite the substantial labour cost...

The prevalence of depression and anxiety among Australians is high and often goes unrecognised, despite the substantial labour cost of mental illness in Australia (estimated to be $49 billion). Supervisors hold a key leadership responsibility in managing and enhancing the welfare and mental health of their staff. Clear guidelines have...

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Workers suffer unexpected & severe chemical burns

SafeWork NSW has released a safety alert after workers suffered severe chemical burns to their feet whilst cleaning chemical...

SafeWork NSW has released a safety alert after workers suffered severe chemical burns to their feet whilst cleaning chemical spills in restaurant and hotel kitchens in two separate incidents. On both occasions the workers did not notice the caustic chemicals soaking into their footwear (casual soft soled shoes) and...

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Employer’s Options in Natural Disasters

The thoughts of the NRA team are with all those members affected by recent severe weather that has impacted...

The thoughts of the NRA team are with all those members affected by recent severe weather that has impacted South Australia and parts of Victoria this week, and has forced many shops to shut down temporarily. Unfortunately, this type of weather is not uncommon in Australia leading up to summer....

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Rewards for Excellence – 1 month left to nominate

It’s estimated that WHS incidents cost businesses around $31.4million in compensation payments each year in Queensland alone with an...

It’s estimated that WHS incidents cost businesses around $31.4million in compensation payments each year in Queensland alone with an average of 25 days off work. Creating a safe working environment is a responsibility of all businesses, however companies who go above and beyond empower their employees with a feeling...

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Health assessment appeal overruled

The recent case of Hail Creek Coal Pty Ltd v Haylett & Anor QCA 259 (4 December 2015)...

The recent case of Hail Creek Coal Pty Ltd v Haylett & Anor QCA 259 (4 December 2015) has provided guidance on the limitations of an employer seeking health information from an employee. The employee began as a Drill Rig Operator at the Hail Creek Mine and in 2010...

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Amendments to Work Health and Safety Act 2011 come into effect

As part of its commitment to improving safety for Queenslanders at work, the Palaszcuk Government has introduced a number...

As part of its commitment to improving safety for Queenslanders at work, the Palaszcuk Government has introduced a number of changes to the State’s work health and safety (WHS) laws. Legislation that was recently passed to restore elements of the original Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), which were...

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SafeWork NSW – New video safety alert

In the last five years SafeWork NSW has investigated 21 incidents involving workers being injured whilst unpacking shipping containers. Three...

In the last five years SafeWork NSW has investigated 21 incidents involving workers being injured whilst unpacking shipping containers. Three of these workers were killed. SafeWork NSW has just released a new video safety alert Unpacking shipping containers which is aimed at reducing serious injuries and fatalities in the workplace by...

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Get Healthy at Work

Get Healthy at Work is a free NSW Government service that aims to improve the health of working adults. ...

Get Healthy at Work is a free NSW Government service that aims to improve the health of working adults.  The service focuses on: healthy weight physical activity healthy eating active travel smoking harmful alcohol use Get healthy at work assists with creating healthier working environments by: addressing individual behavioural and...

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QLD Alert: Changes to Work Health Safety Laws

As a result of the Queensland Government’s “Improving Safety for Queenslanders at Work” Policy, Work Health and Safety laws...

As a result of the Queensland Government’s “Improving Safety for Queenslanders at Work” Policy, Work Health and Safety laws in Queensland have changed effective 22 October 2015. The amendments to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 are as follows: WHS entry permit holders allowed to enter a workplace immediately...

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October is Safe Work Month

As part of Safe Work Month, Safe Work Australia is hosting a series of free, interactive online seminars that...

As part of Safe Work Month, Safe Work Australia is hosting a series of free, interactive online seminars that showcase the latest thinking, innovation, research and developments in work health and safety. The seminars features business leaders, academics and work health and safety experts sharing ideas, experiences, skills and knowledge. Program...

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WHS Update September 2015

We welcome our members to the September edition of the WHS Update. With the busy period fast approaching, we would...

We welcome our members to the September edition of the WHS Update. With the busy period fast approaching, we would like to ask you to take a moment to reflect on whether you need to set some WH&S goals to get your staff safely through the busy period ahead. For those...

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