For recent developments and trends in safety, click here and see our latest Safety snapshot. ... Read more

Certain employers operating in Korea are required to have a Labor Management Council (LMC). The purpose of the LMC is to promote harmonious relations between companies and their employees by providing a consultative body utilised by both employees and the… Read more

The Heavy Vehicle National Law and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 (the Bill) was introduced into Queensland Parliament yesterday to amend the Heavy Vehicle National Law Act 2012 (Qld) (the Act). A copy of the Bill can be found here.… Read more

Workplace health and safety laws can often be confusing and the consequences of a breach can be significant. This month our team looks at whether there are penalties and offences under workplace health and safety law which can be imposed… Read more

An independent review of mental health at work, commissioned by the Prime Minister, has been published. The Stevenson/Farmer review calls on employers to adopt six mental health core standards covering mental health at work plans, employee awareness and open communication,… Read more

In the Spanish case Ramos v Servicio Galego de Saude, the ECJ has ruled that it is insufficient for an employer to carry out only a general risk assessment where a breastfeeding worker's role poses a potential risk to the… Read more

With a heightened awareness of officers' WHS due diligence obligations, there is a risk the lines between governance at the board level and management at the executive level are blurred - which is potentially bad for safety. Steve Bell and… Read more

For recent developments and trends in safety, click here and see our latest quarterly Safety Snapshot. ... Read more

This briefing summarises the Macron reforms to consolidate works councils and other employee representative bodies, through the ordonnance on "the new organisation of social and economic dialogue and encouraging the exercise and importance of trade union responsibilities". ... Read more

On 5 June 2017, the committee deliberating on the proposal to cap overtime made a written submission to the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare proposing to cap overtime to 45 hours a month, with an annual cap of 360… Read more

Welcome to Health and Safety Frequency, where we touch on legal developments in Australian health and safety from the last three months and give you some more personal insights into what we and our clients are up to in the… Read more

HR practitioners will be aware that work rules are mandatory in certain jurisdictions in Asia once an employer reaches a specified number of employees. However, an often-overlooked area is whether employers must or should establish other types of employment-related policies… Read more

South Korea's new President Moon Jae-In has announced the Government's support for greater work-life balance for Korean employees, including proposals to curb Korea's notoriously long work days, broaden parental leave and ease the burden of childcare costs. Following President Moon… Read more

In Md Shohel Md Khobir Uddin v Chen Yongbiao and another [2017] SGHC 109, the Singapore High Court (SGHC) awarded an individual working illegally 80% of the damages claimed for personal injuries suffered as a result of an employers' negligence.… Read more

In an important Full Court appeal decision, Bromberg J’s decision in Director of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate v Powell [2016] FCA 1287 was overturned in the Federal Court last week. In the first instance decision, Bromberg J found that… Read more

A recent decision of the Victorian Supreme Court of Appeal has considered the ‘prohibition against discrimination’ offence provisions in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (OHSA). Judicial consideration of these provisions is rare. In the harmonised jurisdictions there… Read more

Currently, employers are in principle prohibited from causing employees to work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. Subject to a Labour Management Agreement being entered into with a union consisting of more than half the… Read more

Labour policy in Singapore has long been handled collaboratively by the Government, employee unions and employers in what is known as the tripartism movement. This movement has now been formalised through the setting up of a corporate body, Tripartite Alliance… Read more

Welcome to Herbert Smith Freehills Health and Safety Frequency for April 2017, where we touch on legal developments in Australian health and safety from the last three months and give you some more personal insights into what we and our… Read more

Last week, the Victorian Government announced its intention to make a series of changes to different aspects of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Laws in Victoria. The changes were not widely publicised in advance, but may have a noticeable impact on… Read more

The Ministry of Manpower requires employers, workplace occupiers, and doctors to report workplace incidents where an employee, a self-employed person, or a member of the public dies, is injured or contracts a disease in certain circumstances. Is your company compliant?… Read more

In response to a recent spate of incidents involving employers covering up industrial accidents, proposed amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Act) are currently being considered by the National Assembly. The proposed amendments will target anyone who engages… Read more

The Full Federal Court has handed down a decision on an employer’s right to direct attendance at a medical appointment, and whether an employer can validly dismiss an employee for failing to follow such a direction. The Full Court’s decision is… Read more

Employee carelessness is no defence to an employer's obligation to take all practicable steps to prevent against reasonably foreseeable risks in the workplace. ... Read more

The Singapore District Court recently heard a claim by a former employee seeking further compensation to that already provided by his employer following a workplace injury. While the claim was dismissed, the case is a timely reminder for employers of… Read more

The recent decision of the Court of Appeal (CoA), in the case of Lam Pak Keung v Ip Tsz Keung & Others (the Lam Pak Keung case) [CACV 151/2015] serves as a useful reminder that businesses cannot avoid liability for… Read more

In brief Many employers will, at some point, be faced with the difficult task of terminating the employment of an employee who has been absent from work for some time and is no longer able to perform their job due… Read more

A recent EAT ruling has highlighted that, in many cases, the prospects of striking out a whistleblowing claim at a preliminary hearing on the basis of lack of public interest will be minimal. In particular, where the claimant raises an… Read more

In response to the frequent and often disastrous work-related accidents (the devastating explosion in Tianjin Port is a recent example), the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been making efforts to enhance work safety. Following the enactment… Read more

On 1 January 2015 new amendments governing the liability of employers for breaches of Russian employment legislation entered into force. In particular, the general penalty for breach of employment legislation has been increased. Moreover, some new penalties have been introduced… Read more