October is National Safe Work Month.  There have been new regulatory changes in New South Wales, and significant enforcement actions across the whole of Australia to be aware of. Key Highlights National Safe Work Month Begins.  October marks National Safe Work Month, led by Safe Work Australia (SWA). This year’s theme emphasizes proactive hazard identification and risk management. Organizations are encouraged to host toolbox talks or “SafeTea” sessions using SWA’s resources t

Two recent bullying cases addressed by the Fair Work Commission highlight a need to understand the difference between bullying and “reasonable management actions.” In these two cases the FWC had to determine whether the actions alleged to be bullying actually amounted to bullying or were appropriate reasonable management actions. What is “bullying”? “Bullying” is when a person or group of people repeatedly behave unreasonably towards another worker or group of workers, and t

For some time now, there has been a steady stream of news reports where food delivery riders in our major cities have been involved in accidents with buses, trams, cars, and pedestrians. It is common for foreign students to do this kind of work while they study in Australia. During February 2021, SafeWork NSW undertook field inspections and compliance assurance activities of food delivery riders. There were 287 inspections. The inspections revealed that the riders were pred

In many small businesses, directors are not only decision-makers but are also directly involved in day-to-day activities. This hands-on...

2025 so far has seen the courts in New South Wales handing down eight major convictions  involving forklift-related incidents. These...

Trigger warning : This article talks about workplace sexual harassment and bullying. If this topic is distressing, feel free to skip the...

It is important that warehouses have correct control measures to mitigate risks from hazards that exist in the workplace. A common hazard...

With over 1.2 million Australians now prescribed medicinal cannabis, the workplace drug and alcohol landscape has shifted, and many...

The following is from our associates at Kingston Reid Lawyers in Sydney. This article is written by Special Counsel Kate Curtain who is...

It comes up from time to time, the question of what WHS training can or should be done by a Registered Training Provider (RTO), or by...

An emergency evacuation plan is a set of procedures developed by a PCBU (business, company, or organisation) to help facilitate safe evacuations in case of workplace emergencies. Under Clause 43 of the New South Wales WHS Regulations 2017, employers must provide an effective response in an emergency and must also provide information, training and instruction to all workers in responding to an emergency.

Courtenell put considerable effort into expanding its scope of WHS services in 2023. Being one of the oldest training providers in New...

The Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council  is an independent statutory body established in 2004 under amendments to the  Sentencing Act...

17 April, 2025. 5 minute read A company (that shall remain unnamed) recently advocated for including menopausal staff on their workplace...