Safe Work Australia Chair Tom Phillips AM has announced the finalists for the 7th annual Safe Work Australia Awards and commended them on their efforts in reducing workplace death, injury and disease in Australia. [ + ]

Greg Tweedly, CEO, WorkSafe Victoria, has announced he will not seek a new three-year contract after nine years in the role. [ + ]

Sullair achieves LRQA accreditation for its safety and environmental management systems [ + ]

The upcoming Safety Automation Forum, part of the Rockwell Automation on the Move industry event, will showcase machine process and electrical safety techniques from leading industry safety experts. The two-day event will be held in Melbourne (6-7 March), Sydney (2-3 May), Brisbane (22-23 May) and Perth (6-7 June).

In the wake of a worker’s death at Kapunda, SafeWork SA is urging workers in farm-related industries to take extreme care around machinery and vehicles as activity continues during the current harvest and into next year’s grape vintage. [ + ]

Lobethal Abattoirs , an Adelaide Hills-based meat processor, has been convicted and fined over an incident in which a teenager was injured during holiday work. [ + ]

$550,000 worth of grants will be available to assist small businesses in understanding the new OHS laws. Applications for the grants close at 4.30 pm on Monday 30 January 2012. [ + ]

Sham contracting occurs when an employer attempts to disguise an employment relationship as an independent contracting relationship, to avoid obligatory rates of pay and other entitlements, and gain an unfair competitive advantage.

A recent survey has found that 87% of managers believe the harmonisation of WHS laws will benefit their organisation. When asked about the three most critical factors for driving a successful WHS program, 74% of respondents said that creating the right culture in the company was the most important factor while 52% indicated that having management support and participation was the second most important factor.

A confined spaces inspection robot eliminates risks for workers and reduces the costs associated with bridge maintenance.

Traditionally, safety training focuses on adhering to processes and procedures. But environmental services company Veolia has taken its safety training a step further.

Asbestos Awareness Week is a great opportunity for unions, workers, sufferers of asbestos-related disease, governments and others to focus attention on asbestos issues.

Colac-based AKD Softwoods, which has received more than 100 safety improvement notices over less than a decade, has been convicted and fined $70,000 for failing to comply with a safety improvement notice and having an unguarded machine which injured a worker.

A free WorkSafe workshop to help employers understand the benefits of an early and sustainable return to work for injured workers is being held next Tuesday at Dandenong.  

An ignition of gas and a subsequent fire in the longwall goaf of an underground coal mine resulted in the evacuation of the underground workforce. An investigation into the cause of the ignition and the emergency response is continuing.