Mandating COVID-19 vaccination: when is it lawful and reasonable?
08 March, 2021 by Patrick Walsh, Director, DW Fox Tucker LawyersWe can now prevent people from developing COVID-19, but when is it lawful and reasonable for employers to direct employees to undergo vaccination against COVID-19?
Contractor charged over fatal brick wall collapse
19 February, 2021A contractor has been charged with breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act, after a worker was crushed beneath a brick wall at a construction site.
Vic company fined for dangerous demolition, asbestos removal
22 December, 2020A demolition company has been fined $20,000 for demolishing a building containing asbestos without the proper controls in place.
Springvale Coal to spend $540,000 on enforceable undertaking
16 December, 2020The NSW Resources Regulator has accepted a $540,000 enforceable undertaking for Springvale Colliery, after a 2019 incident in which a worker's leg was fractured.
Vic Govt provides extension for cladding cost claims
11 September, 2020The Victorian Government has introduced a suite of cladding-related reforms, providing more time for home owners to pursue legal action for cladding claims.
WorkSafe WA lays charges over plumber death
08 September, 2020Two companies are facing charges and over $4 million in fines, following the death of a plumber at a Perth construction site.
$800K enforceable undertaking for Maules Creek Coal Mine
19 August, 2020A truck collision at Maules Creek Coal Mine will cost Maules Creek Coal $800,000 after the NSW Resources Regulator approved an enforceable undertaking.
Qld WHS Prosecutor to handle serious RHS prosecutions
08 July, 2020Following recent legislative amendments, serious Resources Safety and Health prosecutions in Queensland will be referred to the independent WHS Prosecutor.
Victorian workplace manslaughter laws now in effect
02 July, 2020Negligent Victorian employers now face fines of up to $16 million if they fail to ensure that employees are protected from incidents that result in death.
Company convicted, fined $3m for industrial manslaughter
25 June, 2020Queensland's first sentence for industrial manslaughter has been handed down, with an auto wrecking yard fined $3 million following the death of a worker.
Inquiry reveals design issues with unstable Paradise Dam
02 June, 2020An independent inquiry has found a range of structural and design issues with Paradise Dam in Bundaberg, detailed in a 563-page Commission report.
Business fined after fatal wall collapse
02 June, 2020A building company and its subcontractors have been fined a total of $620,000 after one worker was killed and another injured at a construction site in Sydney.
Mine safety inquiry to investigate over 40 mine incidents
01 June, 2020A retired judge and an expert in coalmine safety will lead an inquiry into over 40 gas incidents in Queensland's underground coalmines since mid-2019.
If a vaccine is created for SARS-CoV-2: WHS responsibilities
28 May, 2020 by Patrick Walsh*A SARS-CoV-2 vaccine would necessitate a reconsideration of WHS policies, such as whether employees should undergo vaccination before returning to the workplace.
ABCC files suit against CFMEU workers for improper conduct
18 May, 2020The ABCC has filed Federal Circuit Court proceedings against two CFMEU officials for acting in an improper manner and ignoring safety requests.
