Short news items about work health and safety developments, regulator updates and practical lessons for Australian businesses.
Rose & Co Services Pty Ltd has had its fine increased to $260,000 following an appeal over an aerosol can explosion that injured six workers in May 2023.
Fiorelli Packing Co 2 Pty Ltd has been sentenced after a worker became caught in a potato-cutting machine, leading to a below-knee amputation. The company pleaded guilty to failing to provide or maintain a safe system of work.
WorkSafe Victoria has warned employers to prepare for changes to work arrangements as severe to extreme heat and fire danger threaten worker safety. Temperatures in the low to mid-40s are forecast across much of the state until Friday.
WorkSafe Victoria has shortlisted 22 finalists from 95 nominations for its 36th annual WorkSafe Awards. Winners across seven categories will be announced on 26 February at the Plaza Ballroom.
Safe Work Australia’s 2025–26 Annual Report was tabled in Parliament on 12 October 2026.
Coldline Refrigeration Management Pty Ltd and its director, James Megalli, have been convicted and fined a combined $164,500 following a SafeWork NSW prosecution. The case concerned a ceiling collapse that left five workers seriously injured.
In week two of National Safe Work Month, Australian workplaces are urged to look beyond immediate injuries and focus on the long-term physical and psychological health outcomes that strong WHS management systems and safe work practices are designed to protect.
Safe Work Australia’s latest national statistics show 222 workers died from traumatic injuries at work in 2025, the highest annual total since 2012. The agency is calling for stronger prevention and more consistent use of effective controls to reduce work-related harm.
SafeWork NSW has begun its largest ever state-wide compliance campaign targeting psychosocial hazards, reinforcing the legal duty on businesses to actively manage psychological health and safety at work.
A New South Wales demolition recycling company has been fined $187,500 following a fatal mobile plant incident, underscoring the critical need for robust WHS management systems and safe work procedures when operating heavy machinery.
