The construction industry is renowned for its focus on safety compliance, a critical aspect to ensure the wellbeing of workers, prevent incidents, and meet regulatory requirements. However, for smaller contractors in allied trades, such as painters, plumbers, tilers, electricians, carpenters, concreters, roofers, and bricklayers, this demand for compliance can become an overwhelming burden. Larger constructors frequently require these trades to maintain the same level of documentation and safety compliance as bigger companies, even when their resources and teams are much smaller. The result is often excessive bureaucracy, draining time and energy from small businesses and impacting their operational performance.

Innovative and forward-thinking, the engagement of labour hire workers in various industries offers a flexible solution to meet fluctuating demand. However, this practice comes with a unique set of Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations that can be intricate to navigate. Both the business hosting the workers (Host PCBU) and the labour hire agency (Labour Hire PCBU) bear crucial responsibilities in ensuring a safe work environment. This comprehensive guide aims to shed light on these obligations and provide managers with the necessary insights to ensure compliance and safeguard the welfare of workers.

Last month was National Safe Work Month, encouraging Australian organisations to think of ways to make their workplaces safer and healthier.

Naturally, your attention will turn to the wellbeing of your employees. But what about consultants and contractors?

Despite the prohibition imposed by employers, workers continue to wear safety stickers on their work day in their aim to further encourage and promote safety in the workplace. The current safety promotion campaign is the result of the tragic death of three miners in Queensland within the year and after standards for safety across the industry has once again dwindled.

A commercial bakery that has been accused for failing to implement work safety guidelines when a customer was hit by a prime mover while he was trying to pick up stale bread is among the many companies and businesses in ACT’s newly specialised industrial court.