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  HSEQ-ONE

  Australia's number one group in health, safety, environmental and quality recruitment.

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  Occupational Risk Solutions Pty Ltd

  Ensure compliance and improve business safety, health and performance.

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  WorkSafe WA

  WorkSafe is the Western Australian Government agency responsible for the administration of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 and is a sponsor and ‘Partner in Safety’ with the Safety Institute of Australia in Western Australia

Update to this site

25/11/2008 | This site is being updated and should be active again before Christmas. Membership info is now available at http://www.sia.org.au/membership

FATIGUE ROADBLOCK

25/11/2008 | A WorkSafe roadblock exercise at Carrabin near Merredin this month has revealed an improvement in compliance, but continuing concerns with rest breaks for commercial vehicle drivers.

Human error and the workplace - Australia Talks, ABC Radio National

25/11/2008 | The following program was recorded by the ABC during the Safety Show Conference 2008 (NSW) and will go to air on December 22nd.

European Safety Certification Standard Launched

02/10/2008 | The European Network of Safety and Health Professional Organisations (ENSHPO) announced Tuesday the launch of its new voluntary European certification standard EurOSHM (European Occupational Safety and Health Manager)

Safety Institute of Australia Inc (SIA) - CEO Organisational Update July 08

08/08/2008 | Dear SIA Members,

Safety At Work Blog

08/08/2008 | Beaconsfield Coronial Inquest Walkout

Workplace Fatality Count 2008

04/07/2008 | Australian and New Zealand Fatality Count for 2008

VIOSH Australia Celebrating 30 Years

01/07/2008 | A conference celebrating 30 years of OHS education at the University of Ballarat

Safety at Work Blog

01/07/2008 | Workplace Safety is a way of life.

National Harmonisation of OHS Laws Underway

25/06/2008 | A National Review into Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) laws was announced by the Honourable Julia Gillard MP, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, on 4 April 2008.

Amendments to the Dangerous Goods Legislation in Western Australia

25/06/2008 | The latest raft of changes to the Dangerous Goods Safety Act 2004 (WA) (Act) came into force on 1 March 2008.

Worker death at remote community results in $26,000 fine

24/06/2008 | An Aboriginal corporation has been fined $26,000 after the death of a worker in a mechanical workshop at a remote Aboriginal community.

Code of Practice on Safe Design Launched

18/06/2008 | A new code of practice on the safe design of buildings and other structures – the first of its kind in Australia – was launched at Subiaco Arts Centre today.

Forklift Fatality

30/04/2008 | Attached is a media release on a work-related death at Kwinana this morning.

NOPSA Newsletter

30/04/2008 | NOPSA is pleased to distribute the April CEO’s Newsletter, in PDF format.

Fatality Report - Dozer Belly Pan

18/04/2008 | 47-year old mechanic/contractor with 21 years of experience was fatally injured while attempting to remove a front guard assembly (belly pan) from a bulldozer.

Fatality Report - Dump Truck Overtraveling

18/04/2008 | a 29-year old truck driver with three years experience was fatally injured while attempting to dump spoil.

This review was foreshadowed prior to the 2007 Federal election when the Rudd Labor Government proposed a number of changes to the nature of OHS regulation as part of their industrial relations reform package.

The foundation of the Labor Government's proposed workplace health and safety policy is ‘co-operative federalism and harmonisation' with Julia Gillard MP noting that "the issues of coverage, safety and jurisdiction can only be addressed if the root causes of the problems can be finally resolved through a concerted Federal-State/Territory approach to implementing uniformity - through co-operative harmonisation."

As part of its review into OHS laws the Labor Government has committed to work co-operatively with State and Territory governments to harmonise OHS legislation within five years. The rationale of harmonisation is to cut red tape, boost business efficiency and provide greater certainty and protections for all employers.

At a meeting of the Workplace Relations Ministers' Council held in February 2008, all States and Territories agreed to work together with the Commonwealth government to achieve harmonisation.

At this stage, it is envisaged that harmonisation will be best created through the development and implementation of model national OHS legislation consisting of a model principal OHS Act, model OHS

regulations and model codes of practice that can be adopted in each jurisdiction.

In order to effect the implementation of such model legislation, the Federal government has appointed a three-person advisory panel to conduct a national work safety review of the current OHS legislation across all jurisdictions. The panel will consult with a broad range of stakeholders and make recommendations to the Workplace Relations Ministers' Council on the optimal structure and content of a model OHS Act to apply nationally.

The Panel has released an Issues Paper with the aim of stimulating discussion and encouraging public submissions to the Panel.

• The Issues Paper canvasses 152 questions and involves reviewing the following: Duties of care (including the scope and limits of duties, concepts such as risk management and 'reasonably practicable');
• The nature and structure of offences (including defences);
• Scope and coverage of the legislation (including definitions);
• Consultation arrangements (including roles and functions);
• Enforcement and compliance (including the roles and powers of OHS inspectors, and the application of tools of enforcement such as improvement and prohibition notices);
• Prosecutions (including whether liability should be criminal or civil, available defences, and sentencing options including industrial manslaughter/workplace death provisions);
• Permits and licensing arrangements for high risk work and plant and substances;
• The role of Regulators in enforcement and providing education, advice and assistance to duty holders;
• The application of Codes of Practice; and
• Notification requirements.

The Review is an excellent opportunity for industry to provide the benefit of its experience with OHS legislation and to make recommendations as a result of that experience. Aims of the Review including providing duty holders with more certainty in relation to their regulatory obligations and to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of regulation in the OHS context. The Panel requires the benefit of industry's practical experience in order to achieve its goals of consistent, best practice, relevant, effective and achievable regulation for OHS throughout Australia.

The closing date for written submissions is Friday 11 July 2008.

The panel's final report is to be submitted by the end of January 2009.

For more information please contact:

Brisbane Martin Osborne martin.osborne@deacons.com.au +61 7 3309 0230

Sydney Michael Tooma michael.tooma@deacons.com.au +61 2 9330 8108

Sydney Jason Noakes jason.noakes@deacons.com.au +61 2 9330 8021

Melbourne Mike Hammond michael.hammond@deacons.com.au

+61 3 8686 6293

Perth Maria Saraceni maria.saraceni@deacons.com.au +61 8 9426 3259