Articles

Western Australian District Court Judge Troy Sweeney has confirmed the importance of clearly delineating the work of contractors and coordination of that work by a Principal Contractor and confirms that a Principal Contractor is not responsible for directing the methods of work of those contractors. The case is very very long but very very good

To all my facilities management colleagues I am presenting at the FM Association Conference. Hope to see you there. Click here for more information Sue

In a recent case, two employers, a Principal Contractor and a Contractor, were fined after a worker was killed when operating a pile driver. Why was the Principal Contractor prosecuted and fined I ask? As usual, the Principal Contractor got themselves involved in the work methods of the contractor When pile driving the contractor’s worker

I was helping a client out today explaining the health directives requiring covid 19 vaccinations to attend work and thought I would share it. To confirm no State in Australia has legislated to mandate covid 19 vaccinations (or in fact any vaccination) i.e. if you are working from home and have no contact with others

Spots to attend a webinar held by LinkSafe online contractor management system featuring moi.. “sold” out in 30 minutes. We are organising some more, so stay tuned…

“The contention that a Principal Contractor is responsible for the methods of work employed by an independent contractor, including their management of safety in respect of that work is one of the greatest health and safety myths of all time. Sue Bottrell Lawyer/ Chartered OHS Professional

I was recently asked to comment on the proposed regulation of the management of psychological harm in HROnline. See the article below. Enjoy! Worker’s comp claim could open the floodgates for remote staff to claim psychological injury – HRM online

Please see my comments regarding the tragedy that is MT Sheds, following the sentencing of the owner and Director yesterday. Employer receives jail time for workplace death – HRM online

In sentencing a company that caused the death of a worker when a precast panel fell on him, the Judge was particularly scathing of the failure of the Principal Contractor to prepare and implement an adequate SWMS. The Judge observed that “A safe work method statement had been compiled, but it was not taken to

In a fantastic workshop yesterday in Melbourne, there was a great discussion about contractor safety at hazardous worksites. In line with case law, Principal Contractors at hazardous work sites are entitled to rely upon contractors to manage risks arising from their work, BUT must take greater care to confirm that contractors are aware of site

Now that we are all in agreement that contractors are responsible for managing their own safety, and Principle Contractors are not responsible for directing and supervising contractors work, and in fact doing so may increase the liability of a PC in the event of an incident, I am being asked: “If I see a contractor

o many times we see “safety” activity done in the name of maintaining accreditation to a safety management system. The “System” is the end not the tool anymore. Clients tell me “but we need to do it for our auditor”. The tail wagging the dog I think. Ask yourself how much of your “system” ends

I am very very very concerned at the false advertising of events being held by so called safety and risk management specialists. I recently looked at a session being held by an online safety management company. The speaker is a “risk management specialist”. When I looked at his qualifications and experience, his entire career was

I am just preparing a workshop looking at the preparation of Safe Work Method Statements and have come across a template from SafeWork NSW and it is very nice. It directs the focus to high risk construction work, identifying the risks arising from the HRCW, and succinctly recording what you intend to do about it.

Uber has announced changes to its contract with Food Delivery Riders (FDR), to ensure that FDR’s are clearly independent contractors, and responsible for managing their own health and safety. While we might be concerned at exploitation of FDR’s (yes we have all seen them puffing away in the pouring rain), the law supports Uber’s position.

At the end of a complex year take sometime. we are fortunate to have full professional lives with many challenges which is why we love it but stop, simplify and breathe. I plan to rock on my cabin verandah with my dog and not think about contractors for at least an hour.. See you in

NSW District Court Judge Russell has held that 1 – a Principal Contractor does not owe an obligation to direct a contractor in how it is to undertake its work, where it does not have the requisite skills or knowledge but 2 – it does have such a duty where it has knowledge of the

The Model CoP states that a Principal Contractor must “monitor” a contractors SWMS. When considered in the context of the legal position adopted over the last 100 years by the High Court and all Australian superior Courts it cannot mean that a PC is responsible for monitoring implementation or compliance of contractors with their own

A Judge has confirmed that a Principle Contractor has obligations to manage the risk of falls from heights when a formworker fell 6 metres from a second floor, due to a void in scaffolding. The Judge observed that it is often the case that a sub-contractor is found to be more culpable than a principal

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