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Safe Work Australia has released four new reports, one of which shows WHS regulators are increasingly turning to infringement notices to tackle health and safety violations, and another that shows workers’ compensation claims and rates are continuing to fall. The Comparative Performance Monitoring report analyses trends in WHS and workers’ compensation scheme performance across AustraliaRead more

There will likely be an increase in the application of the reasonable administrative action (RAA) exclusion to psychological injuries in the future, according to an expert in workers’ compensation law. This is because employers need to find greater efficiencies to achieve savings to their operating costs, and this inexorably leads to an increased focus onRead more

The emergence of the gig economy and the changing nature of work may be the catalyst for Australia expanding access to workers’ compensation, and harmonising workers’ compensation systems nationally, according to a new report. Last week, the NSW and Victorian Governments launched the McKell Institute report, which estimates that one million Australians are employed asRead more

A major workers’ compensation Bill in Queensland means psychologically injured workers will now only need to prove their workplace was a “significant” contributing factor in their injury, rather than a “major” cause. Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019, which passed Queensland Parliament earlier this week, amends the definition of a psychologicalRead more

Psychological conditions were the third most prevalent factor in preventing people from returning to work following a workers’ compensation claim, according to recent research from workplace health and safety consultancy Konekt. The company analysed a sample of more than 18,000 workers’ compensation claims in the 2018 financial year and found that a significant portion ofRead more

Safe Work Australia has released the third and final part of its comparative performance report, in which it found the disputation rate in Australia has fallen 19 percent since 2012-13 The report analyses trends in work health and safety and workers’ compensation scheme performance across Australia and New Zealand for the five years prior to 2017.Read more

Safe Work Australia has released its annual report detailing the differences between compensation arrangements for Australian and New Zealand workers. The report provides information on the operation of workers’ compensation schemes in each of the jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand. In particular, the 26th edition of the report compares key features such as: coverageRead more

A McDonald’s worker who broke her leg during a pre-shift smoke break has won her appeal in a Queensland court and will receive worker’s compensation. The case is expected to have far reaching consequences for employers who ask their staff to arrive for work before their official clock-in time. Mandep Sarkaria was smoking on theRead more

Safe Work Australia has released the latest data relating to work-related fatalities, workers’ compensation claims, and comparative jurisdictional performance. The reports now available are: Comparative Performance Monitoring report 20th edition Part 1 – Work Health and Safety Performance provides jurisdictional comparisons of workers’ compensation claims and fatalities data, including breakdowns by claim duration, mechanism of incident,Read more

The improper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is costing UK businesses almost £80 billion a year, according to new research. The Cortexica report involved surveying 100 board-level and C-suite professionals within industries such as construction, engineering, manufacturing and biomedical. It found that in the last year of business: 84 percent of businesses lost money fromRead more