Articles

A security firm engaged as part of the hotel quarantine program was prequalified by CM3, an extensive and complex online contractor prequalification program which requests extensive evidence of safety management, usually through supply of documentation in an attempt to confirm on the ground safety management. The quarantine outbreak calls into question the benefit of putting

Following my post about a possible incorrect conviction under s 23 of the OHS Act I have been referred to Muscat v Magistrates Court VSC 2018 and a decision by the Victorian Supreme Court that s 23 does in fact apply to contractors. However on reading that case, which turns on complex interpretation of the

Recently it was reported that a Principal Contractor, Seascape Constructions, was convicted and fine $850K for 1 – failing to ensure the safety of persons other than it’s employee’s from risks arising from its undertaking when a contractor fell from a second floor and was killed and 2 – failing to issue SWMS to contractors

In amongst the calls for rolling of heads and that Dan should have been standing at doors himself, it is critical to understand, at law, what Dan’s responsibilities really were. The case law is clear a Principal Contractor (aka Dan) is entitled to rely upon the expertise of contractors it engages to undertake specialist work.

To clarify the manager at Connect Logistics who has been charged with manslaughter has been charged under the Crimes Act by the Police. The charges are not in relation industrial manslaughter, which was not in place at the time of the incident and which are not retrospective. In addition any charges of industrial manslaughter must

It was meant to be a watershed moment in the regulation of safety in the transport industry. It was meant to result in all users of heavy vehicles having a good hard look at themselves. It was meant to ensure drivers did not carry the brunt of the majority of enforcement activity. It was meant

Mary the maintenance manager from Our Lady of Perpetual Anxiety grapples with monitoring Peter the Perfect Plumbers safety. View Here

So do we think there are grounds for WorkSafe Victoria to prosecute the security guard who while employed as a security guard, and owing duties under the OHS Act engaged in sexual intercourse with persons in quarantine, who are assumed to have civod until the expiry of quarantine or testing proves otherwise, recklessly exposing themselves

I am just preparing some content for a client presentation and rereading the above case and it is just fantastic. I really encourage anyone who wants to understand the law as it applies to Principal Contractors and their independent contractors in respect of safety to read it. It is quite long but well written and

There seems to be some confusion that the principal of imputation of conduct will extend the reach of the Industrial Manslaughter legislation to employees and others e.g. those with management and control of a workplace (supervisors) This is incorrect. Imputing the conduct of a worker to a company means that the company is held to

A recent decision by the Victorian Supreme Court refusing leave to appeal by a quarry (KMQ) against a conviction for a contractors death does not undermine the 2012 Baiada v The Queen High Court decision or extend liability for management of risks arising from a contractors work to Principal Contractors. It actually baffles my as

In this episode Mary the Maintenance Manager and Peter the Perfect Plumber grapple with contractor induction without much success….. Enjoy! View Here  

For the First webinar of the Four Pillars of Contractor Safety Management Series – Contractor Prequalification I made a little video. …. Enjoy ! Don’t forget you can still enrol for the workshops here or AIHS.org.au View Here

A linkedin connection recently sent me a link to a webinar they attended conducted by a very large online OHS software company in conjunction with a very large OHS consulting firm. The content was based on 4 elements of contractor management …. mmm eerily familiar. Sadly that’s where the similarity ended as the content was

The CFMMEU has launched legal action in the Federal Court alleging that the failure to provide a copy of a documented worksite safety management plan amounted to obstructing or hindering an Authorised Representative of a Registered Employee Organisation (ARREO). Now ,on entry an ARREO has the power to inspect plant, substance or any other thing

While listening to ABC 774 today I heard a discussion of the horrific accident involving a heavy vehicle which resulted in the tragic deaths of four police officers. During the discussion a caller commented that there needs to be a way to prevent heavy vehicle drivers from being pressured into taking drugs to stay awake.

I presented a webinar yesterday in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Health and Safety setting out the simplest and most effective formula for managing contractor safety. It improves safety, massively reduces administration and correctly reflects how the law is applied to the contractor/ PC relationship. The framework uses 4 pillars to 1 – Prequalify

In NSW a contractor was fined $450K following the death of a sub contractor who fell when laying suspended form work and was impaled on protruding bars. Whilst I have no difficulty with the site PC being held responsible for managing work at heights at the site. I am concerned that the Contractor was held

Whenever I post about contractor safety management someone inevitably pipes in that all WHS duties are non-delegable and therefore a Principal Contractor is liable for their contractors safety management. This is a myth (for a couple of reasons) and misunderstands the WHS Construction regulations in every jurisdiction. Under ALL WHS regulation the owner of a

WOSH Duty – identify operations that expose workers to Covid .e.g health care and implement reasonably practicable controls. 1 – eliminate exposure e.g. don’t take passengers in cab of tow truck/ work from home 2- isolate e.g. install physical barriers in a taxi 3 – substitute e.g. online/ telephone vs face to face 4 –