Short news items about work health and safety developments, regulator updates and practical lessons for Australian businesses.
AAA Trailers Pty Ltd has been convicted and fined $225,000 in the Industrial Court of NSW following a SafeWork NSW prosecution over a worker’s serious injuries.
The NSW Government has postponed the new workplace exposure limit for phosphine by 18 months, to 1 July 2028. It will also introduce diesel particulate matter limits in stages, following consultation with industry.
WHS ministers have agreed to lower the workplace exposure limit for benzene from 1 June 2027. The new limit will be 0.2 ppm (0.7 mg/m³), measured as an 8-hour time-weighted average.
Toll Transport Pty Ltd has been convicted and fined $807,500 after a worker suffered serious injuries while trying to free a pallet stuck on a conveyor machine.
Andrew John Bucknell has been convicted and fined $157,500 in the Industrial Court of NSW following a SafeWork NSW prosecution over a fatal incident involving an olive harvesting machine.
Safe Work Australia is encouraging workplaces to turn discussions from National Safe Work Month 2026 into practical improvements that continue beyond October.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is not proposing changes to phosphine product labels following a joint assessment with Safe Work Australia of the transition to a lower workplace exposure limit.
Lawson Grains Pty Ltd has been convicted and fined a total of $210,000 in the Industrial Court of NSW following a SafeWork NSW prosecution over a workplace fire that injured a worker.
Shoring Co Pty Ltd has been convicted and fined a total of $170,000 in the Industrial Court of NSW following a SafeWork NSW prosecution over an incident in which a traffic controller fell into an excavation pit.
Week three of National Safe Work Month focuses on the lasting effects of work-related harm, support for recovery and return to work, and risks emerging as work changes.
