Workplace Health and Safety

Our Workplace Relations and Safety team provides advice on workplace health and safety obligations. We defend employers in workplace health and safety prosecutions and related litigation. Our team can assist you to understand your workplace health and safety obligations, introduce policies and procedures to reduce risk and improve compliance. If an incident occurs, our team can assist with the notification and investigation processes and assist employers dealing with the regulator.

We have assisted our clients in the following ways:

  • Providing advice to the board of a major health industry employer on the duties of officers in relation to work health and safety issues and the exercise of due diligence obtaining information about workplace health and safety matters.
  • Defending an employer and senior executives on a claim of workplace bullying.
  • Providing advice to a large manufacturing employer in establishing and claiming legal privilege over documents created in a workplace health and safety investigation.
  • Defending an employer on a prosecution for failing to provide a safe workplace resulting in a serious injury.
  • Advising and representing an employer in the livestock sector in relation to a fatality.
  • Defending an employer in a breach of contract claim for an alleged failure to provide a safe place of work.
  • Advising a veterinary employer regarding an employee contracting Hendra virus and responding to the regulator.
  • Reviewing and amending the Employee Handbook and zero tolerance policy for a heavy industry employer.
  • Providing advice to an employer on drug and alcohol testing.
  • Providing advice to an employer on the return to work of an injured employee.
  • Defending an employer’s right to dismiss an employee for serious misconduct where the conduct was a safety breach.