The Industrial Relations Minister Michael Wright wants South Australian organisations and individuals who practice exemplary workplace safety to be in the spotlight for this year’s Safe Work Awards.

New laws came into effect on 1 July 2007 in NSW, governing asbestos removal to improve safety in homes and workplaces.

According to the Alcohol and Other Drugs Council of Australia (ADCA), 3 million working days a year are lost through alcohol and drugs, at a cost of over $500 million to Australian businesses each year.

The ‘Notified Fatalities Collection’, initiated by the federal government’s Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC), obtains records of Australian work-related fatalities for both employees and self-employed workers.

A 35-year-old window cleaner has died in hospital after falling about 12 metres from an office building.

Seven workers suffered chemical burns and about 160 workers were evacuated following a chemical spill at a Melbourne factory on Wednesday 20 June 2007.

A recruitment drive for new WorkCover inspectors has been announced by NSW Minister for Industrial Relations, John Della Bosca.

A Tintinara farmer was fined $22,000 plus costs last week for a lack of safety procedures with explosives on his farm, which led to an employee losing his hand two years ago.

A recycling business in Kewdale, WA, has recently been fined $25,000 for failing to provide a safe workplace, after a man injured his arm in an unguarded machine.

The recent deaths of two men in Victorian workplaces have led to an appeal by WorkSafe for industries to review workplace safety.

The natural disaster declaration for the Hunter region and Central Coast has resulted in the cancellation of the E-Safe 2007 event, which was to be held in Parramatta this Wednesday and Thursday, 13-14 June.

Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) has condemned government inaction as the reason for the tragic level crossing collision near Kerang earlier this week.

WorkCover NSW chief executive officer, Jon Blackwell has highlighted forklift truck safety as a major OHS issue and is encouraging forklift users to attend a free safety seminar on the subject.

SafeWork SA has expressed its frustration and disappointment at the work practices of a developer who was fined after a worker was injured in an incident which saw a 12-year-old driving a forklift.

ACT WorkCover is seeking nominations for its 17th annual Occupational Health and Safety Awards, to celebrate industry advances and achievements in workplace health and safety in the ACT.