Harmonisation "delay" could catch out Vic and WA suppliers

Employers in Victoria, Western Australia and any other jurisdiction that delays the implementation of harmonised OHS laws could still be obliged to comply with elements of the new legislation from January 2012, an OHS lawyer has warned.

Graham Dent, principal of Dent Consulting & Legal, said the recent prosecution of the manufacturer of the Malu Sara - the Department of Immigration boat that sank in the Torres Strait in 2005, claiming five lives - showed that businesses that contracted with or supplied goods or services to the Commonwealth could be subjected to the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act in less than five weeks' time.

OHS penalty increase sends warning to "defiant" directors

A safety fine handed to a NSW company director, who demonstrated a "conscious refusal" to comply with OHS laws, has been increased by nearly $10,000.

A NSW IRC full bench rejected the director's claim that his financial circumstances were "dire" and his ability to pay the fine was "limited", finding the "primary consideration" in the matter was the objective seriousness of his offences.

Seven ways to ensure contractors comply with safety rules

Contract workers are often inexperienced and more susceptible to injury than full-time employees, WorkSafe WA's Jane Ardern has warned, in outlining seven ways to ensure contractors comply with safety rules.

Ardern, the regulator's education and information services manager, told the recent WorkSafe Forum in Perth that contractors new to sites were likely to be unfamiliar with their hazards and safety procedures.

WorkSafe doubles prosecution rate, outlines targeted industries

WorkSafe Victoria has warned that it has doubled its prosecution rate in recent months, and is urging employers to "find and fix" workplace hazards before inspectors discover them.

WorkSafe health and safety director Ian Forsyth said the regulator initiated 24 prosecutions in September.

"There are nearly 100 cases now before the courts ranging from non-compliance with safety improvement notices to major incidents where members of the public as well as workers have been put at risk [or killed]," he said.