Welcome to Norton Rose Fulbright’s podcast hub for health and safety law in Australia

Our Health and Safety Insights podcast series shares expert commentary and insights on the latest issues concerning work health and safety law in an easy to access, time friendly format.

The series features interviews with industry experts, analysis of key issues, and stories from our clients and other stakeholders.

We welcome your involvement and feedback, and aim for the hub to be a positive and meaningful forum. Please contact our team below if you would like to participate or contribute an idea.

“Just tuned into Norton Rose Fulbright’s industrial manslaughter podcast. Very engaging and insightful listen. Would encourage everyone to subscribe to avoid missing out on future topics.”

Samantha Johnson, Executive General Manager HSEQ, McConnell Dowell.

Latest episode

Principal contractor role in a JV or alliance

Podcast: Katherine Morris, Melissa Carnell

We explore the role of principal contractors when operating in a joint venture or alliance contract delivery model. These are both common models for the delivery of major construction projects in Australia. 

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Episodes

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Ep 19: Principal contractor role in a JV or alliance

We explore the role of principal contractors when operating in a joint venture or alliance contract delivery model. These are both common models for the delivery of major construction projects in Australia.

Construction workers

Ep 18: Western Australia's WHS Act and Regulations: what are the key practical issues?

We summarise the major new concepts under the new WHS Act that Western Australian businesses should be aware of and also take a look at some notable differences between the WHS Act as implemented in WA versus the model legislation.

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Ep 17: WHS Consultation

Katherine Morris and Nicki Milionis discuss the principles arising from the Fair Work Commission decision concerning the introduction of a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for entry into the Mt Arthur Coal mine work site.

Proposed Victorian Psychosocial Hazards Regulations

Ep 16: Proposed Victorian Psychosocial Hazards Regulations

Our first podcast in the 2022 WHS podcasts series deals with a topic that is becoming increasingly important in the WHS sphere: the management of psychosocial hazards.

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Ep 15: Prohibition of insurance and indemnities for WHS offences

An emerging change which is causing concern for companies and company officers is the recent prohibition of insurance and indemnities for penalties imposed in relation to WHS offences in some jurisdictions in Australia.

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Ep 14: Working in the ‘vaccinated economy’

As COVID-19 outbreaks continue to occur, and vaccination rates increase, there is a need for all organisations to consider vaccination and testing as part of the COVID-19 risk mitigation measures to be implemented, and to consider the potential consequences of implementing these measures.

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Ep 13: Workplace sexual harassment : Corporate culture and reputational damage

We consider the financial and ethical cost of failure to implement a robust risk management framework to protect against workplace sexual harassment.

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Ep 12: Workplace sexual harassment: A work health and safety risk

Organisations have a duty to manage risks to psychological health and wellbeing. We discuss how organisations could satisfy this duty through the application of a risk management framework addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.

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Ep 11: Workplace sexual harassment: Time to disrupt the system?

We consider how the traditional approach to the mitigation and management of workplace sexual harassment, relationships and gender inequality needs to be disrupted.

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Ep 10: Health and Safety Insights: The year ahead

In 2021, while the outlook for Australia is positive, businesses are having to adapt to the changes, and different opportunities, arising from the rapid adoption of flexible work practices and culture.

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Ep 1-3 Toolbox Talks: Construction & Safety Insights

A mini podcast series with expert commentary on the latest issues concerning the construction industry, from projects and contractors grappling with COVID-19, to principal contractor liability expansions and how to best deal with WHS issues within contracts.

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Ep 9: Managing family and domestic violence in the workplace

July 2020: Peta Willoughby and Amy Leonard discuss the steps that employers can take to manage the risk of family and domestic violence, both in the context of the traditional workplace and working from home arrangements.

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Ep 8: Returning to work

June 2020: Managing the potential risks to workers’ psychological health arising from returning to the workplace and planning how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace in accordance with applicable health and safety laws.

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Ep 7: Managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace

May 2020: The importance of implementing a psychosocial risk management framework to reduce or eliminate the risk in line with health and safety legislation.

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Ep 6: Dreamworld Coronial Inquest

May 2020: Nicki Milionis and Tanya Puri discuss the safety findings from the Dreamworld Coronial Inquest.

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Ep 5: Mental Health and Wellbeing

April 2020: Katherine Morris is joined by Jane Gardner from Lendlease to discuss the importance of managing mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

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Ep 4: Bullying prosecution: Is a workplace policy enough?

March 2020: Special Counsel Peta Willoughby reviews SafeWork SA's successful prosecution in a case involving the bullying of a construction apprentice.

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Ep 3: Safety culture: A discussion with Tim Fleming

February 2020: Tim Fleming joins Katherine Morris to discuss the importance of embedding a culture of safety in large organisations.

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Ep 2: Work health and safety law: 2019 year in review

January 2020: Katherine Morris is joined by senior associate Melissa Carnell to discuss key developments from 2019.

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Ep 1: Industrial manslaughter: The growing risk of custodial sentences

January 2020: Katherine Morris speaks to eminent criminal defence barrister Tony Glynn QC.

Related content

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Increased regulation and a potential ban on engineered stone

In recent years, Australia has seen a significant increase in the number of cases of silicosis and other crystalline silica (silica) related diseases in the workplace.

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Managing the risks of concussions in contact sports

In recent years, evidence of the link between concussions and repeated head trauma sustained in contact sports, and the short and long-term impacts of such injuries on an individual’s health, has gained increasing awareness and concern, both in Australia and internationally.

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WHS Law Briefing August 2023

This briefing identifies key issues and emerging trends in WHS law, and details the significant legislative and case law developments to date in August 2023.

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New WHS legal duties to manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace

Legal obligations requiring persons conducting a business or undertaking to manage psychosocial hazards in accordance with work health and safety laws are continuing to come into effect across the country.

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WHS Law Briefing November 2022

This briefing identifies key issues and emerging trends in WHS law, and details the significant legislative and case law developments to date in November 2022.

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Four safety traps for principal contractors with joint ventures and alliance projects

There are a range of safety challenges that can arise for principal contractors working in a joint venture and alliance context.

US OSHA promotes training grants for safer workplaces

Prohibition of insurance and indemnities for WHS penalties

In recent years, compliance with WHS laws has been an area of increasing criminalisation and focus by parliaments, regulators and Courts.

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WHS Law Briefing 2022

Our national WHS team discuss the key issues and emerging trends in WHS law and unpack the significant decisions and legislative changes of 2022.

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Australian WHS Ministers respond to recommendations arising from the Boland independent review

Global Workplace Insider Blog | Australian WHS Ministers recently met to discuss the response to the 34 recommendations contained in the Marie Boland independent review of the model WHS Laws.

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West Australian Director becomes first person jailed in WA for WHS breaches

Global Workplace Insider Blog | For the first time since the WA Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 came into effect, a West Australian Director has become the first person jailed in WA for WHS breaches.

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Western Australia set for WHS reform

The Work Health and Safety Bill 2019 (WA) received assent on November 10, 2020, introducing the offence of industrial manslaughter and harmonising WA’s WHS laws with most other Australian states and territories.

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Record fine imposed on Ardent Leisure Limited over Dreamworld fatalities

Global Workplace Insider Blog | Nicki Milionis and Allana Smith consider the recent sentence and conviction imposed on Ardent Leisure for the Dreamworld fatalities resulting from the Thunder River Rapids ride malfunction in 2016.

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Can injuries sustained working from home, including death, be considered to have occurred in the course of employment?

Global Workplace Insider Blog | The Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales considered this issue in Workers Compensation Nominal Insurer v Hill [2020] NSWCA 54.

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Queensland's first industrial manslaughter sentence

Queensland’s first industrial manslaughter sentence was handed down on 11 June 2020 by the Brisbane District Court for the death of a worker at an auto recycling yard in 2019.

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Industrial manslaughter offence introduced for resources sector

Laws introducing the offence of industrial manslaughter in the resources sector were passed by Queensland Parliament on 20 May 2020.

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Related Resources: Managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace

Related resources and links for Episode 7: Managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace.

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New safety regulator for Qld Resources Industry given green light

The Resources Safety and Health Act 2020 (Qld) sees the introduction of a new independent regulatory authority focused on the safety and health of resources workers in Queensland.

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COVID-19 Information for workplaces | SafeWork Australia

Information on COVID-19 and work health and safety from Safe Work Australia.

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Work health and safety class action risk for directors: An emerging space

In the WHS context, the potential expansion of class actions can be viewed through thematic, case theory and structural comparative analytical lenses.

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WHS Oversight - is your board on the governance ball

Katherine Morris speaks to OHS Professional Magazine about what leaders can do to help drive positive health and safety outcomes from the very top of the organisation.

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Industrial manslaughter: do you have a culture of compliance?

Changes in the nature of the legal risk and satisfaction of legal duties arising from fatal workplace incidents.

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WHS Law Briefing 2021

Our national WHS team discuss the key issues and emerging trends in WHS law and unpack the significant decisions and legislative changes of 2021.

Additional resources

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Global interactive guide on returning to the workplace

An interactive global checklist on the recent development of strategies, tools and frameworks designed to assist returning employees to the workplace.

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Rethinking workplace risk

Mitigating heightened risks relating to governance, accountability, culture, reputation and safety in the modern workplace.

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Construction Law Insights

An essential global knowledge resource for the construction sector.

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Compliance Manager

Learn how NRF Compliance Manager can assist your organisation to be WHS and COVID-19 compliant through the delivery of interactive online training.

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Contacts

Katherine Morris
Katherine Morris
Partner
Email
katherine.morris@nortonrosefulbright.com
T: +61 2 9330 8170
Nicki Milionis
Nicki Milionis
Partner
Email
nicki.milionis@nortonrosefulbright.com
T: +61 3 8686 6120
Martin Osborne
Martin Osborne
Head of Brisbane; Partner
Email
martin.osborne@nortonrosefulbright.com
T: +61 7 3414 2230
Melissa Carnell
Melissa Carnell
Special Counsel
Email
melissa.carnell@nortonrosefulbright.com
T: +61 2 9330 8186
Annika Martz
Annika Martz
Special Counsel
Email
annika.martz@nortonrosefulbright.com
T: +61 2 9330 8134