In a recent Hong Kong District Court decision Chow Kai Yan v Kingsway Cars T Service Ltd [2022] HKDC 165, the Court confirmed that an employee who suffered a stroke at work had not sustained an “injury by accident” which would entitle him to statutory compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance (Cap.282) (ECO). This case … Read more

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has taken his first step to limit the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) by stripping its powers “to the bare legal minimum” and introducing an interim building code. Read more

This week, the Victorian Government released its response to the recommendations of the Ministerial Taskforce on Workplace Sexual Harassment. In its response, the Victorian Government has acknowledged that work-related gendered violence and workplace sexual harassment are OHS issues, and accepted 21 of the Taskforce’s 26 recommendations (either entirely, or in part or in principle). Read more

A recent tribunal ruling serves as a reminder that employers dealing with an employee off sick with ‘long Covid’ should carefully consider whether the individual could be disabled within the statutory definition, bearing in mind evidence that it is common for symptoms to fluctuate and that some individuals do continue to suffer for 12 months. … Read more

Last month, SafeWork Australia revealed a suite of significant changes to the Model Work Health and Safety Act, Regulations and Codes of Practice (Model Law). The changes follow a number of recommendations that arose from Marie Boland’s independent review of the content and operation of the Model Law (Boland Review) in 2018.  In May 2021, … Read more

On 15 June 2022, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2022 (Bill), which has been introduced by the Hong Kong Government in February 2022 – during the outbreak of the fifth wave of Covid-19 in the city. The Bill will come into force on a date to be gazetted and will … Read more

Although there is no express duty on employers to provide facilities for breastfeeding or expressing milk at work, the provision of a private clean environment and fridge for storage is recommended by HSE and Acas guidance.  A recent tribunal hearing illustrates how a failure to do so could also be unlawful harassment related to sex. … Read more

On 1 April 2022 the UK Health Security Agency published new guidance for employers in England, replacing the previous “Working safely” guidance notes (no longer available).  As set out in the Government’s Living with Covid plan (see our blog post here), Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace sets out how … Read more