Unconscious worker left hanging from a tree

A tree lopping company was convicted and fined $15,000 following an incident in which an employee was knocked unconscious and left hanging from a tree.

Injured worker jailed for fraud

An injured worker who fraudulently obtained $112,000 in benefits after falsely claiming to be wheelchair-bound and in need of 24-hour care has been jailed for 16 months.  (January 2013)

Supermarket Visit costs $5000

A magistrate fined a plumbing contractor after a WorkSafe inspector saw three men re-sheeting a roof of a Safeway store without fall protection and adequate safety measures to protect members of the public below.  (Jan 2013)

Workcover NSW fines go card operator over religious death.

The former owner of a New South Wales go-kart business has been ordered to pay $50,000 over an incident where a woman choked to death when her religious headscarf became tangled.

Company Charged over Gas Explosion

A Darwin business has been charged over a gas explosion that killed a 24-year-old Irish tradesman. Twenty-four year old Paddy Bird was killed instantly when his work van exploded in the driveway of his Parap home in December 2011.

Where, and when are you working?

The courts recently had to decide if an injury received to an employee was as a result of his employment and therefore covered by workers compensation insurance.  The employee, Mr John Kennerley (Mr K) was a long-haul flight attendant with Qantas.  The motor accident happened approximately 500m from his home, and Mr K was off duty at the time of the accident.

Man injured in freak crane accident

A MALE pedestrian is fighting for life after he was injured in a freak accident when part of a crane swung out from a passing truck and hit him in Kalgoorlie.  ( 22  Sep 2012)

NSW dock worker crushed to death

A 56-year-old man has been crushed to death in the Port of Newcastle, in New South Wales, after a massive load of aluminium shifted and fell as he loaded it onto a ship. (23 Sep 2012)

ASIO building loses another glass panel

WorkSafe ACT is investigating, after a glass panel fell from the new ASIO building alongside Parkes Way in Canberra's inner north.

My Therapist ...

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start.  So far today, I have finished two bags of chips and a chocolate cake.  I feel better already
 

Facebook Gets Employee Fired

A recent decision of the British Columbia Labour Relations Board ("BCLRB") upheld the terminations, for just cause, of two employees for their posting on Facebook of disrespectful, damaging and inappropriate comments about their co-workers and employer.

Man on Workers Comp Goes Bull Riding and Gets Fined.

TRACK work rider Mr. R. was on worker’s compensation after a fall from a race horse when he was caught riding bulls at rodeos, a Toowoomba court has heard.  Not only did he miss out on prize money after being bucked from the bull within seconds, but the ride ultimately cost Mr. R $10,000 in fines and repayments after he pleaded guilty before Toowoomba Industrial Magistrates Court to defrauding WorkCover Queensland.

Hmm ....

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Noise in The Workplace is more than just Noise

Not as wild a statement as many may assume at first glance. Most people associate noise with deafness alone. Unknown to men, women and children everywhere in the world, noise has other debilitating effects that can be life threatening.

Prosecuted for Reckless Endangerment

In April 2012, County Court, Judge Felicity Hampel handed down judgement in a prosecution by WorkSafe Victoria of Orbit Drilling and its Managing Director Martin Smith under section 32 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Vic) 2004 for recklessly endangering a person at work.

Five Misconceptions in Communication

People always listen to you when you are speaking to them ....

New report reveals: Reduction in compensated injury fatalities

04 October 2012: The Chair of Safe Work Australia Mr Tom Phillips AM today announced the release of the Fourteenth Edition of the Comparative Performance Monitoring (CPM) report on Australia’s work health and safety and workers’ compensation outcomes for 2010-11.

The report finds that since 2002 there has been a 28 percent improvement in the rate of serious injuries. However this is still below the target set in the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 of a 40 percent reduction in the rate of injuries by 2012.

 

Unlicensed asbestos removal lands man in jail

The director of a UK firm has given a suspended jail sentence after removing asbestos without a licence and deceiving the householders by providing a doctored air test saying the room was safe to re-enter.  (13 Sept 2012)

Man Falls out of tree

The Hobart City Council is investigating after a worker fell out of a tree outside Parliament House (12 Sept 2012)

Man dies after falling 4m

20 Sept 2012 - A NSW man died after falling four metres from a supermarket construction site in Sydney’s south.