by ABILITY GROUP | Sep 21, 2026 | Injured Worker, Injury Management, Work Health & Safety, Workplace safety
A recent prosecution by SafeWork NSW highlights the significant consequences businesses can face when working-at-heights risks are not adequately managed. A building renovator has been convicted and fined $90,000 after two workers were injured when a garage roof collapsed during demolition works.
While the financial penalty is substantial, the case serves as an important reminder that workplace health and safety obligations extend far beyond compliance. Employers must proactively identify hazards, implement appropriate controls, and ensure workers are protected from foreseeable risks.
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by ABILITY GROUP | Sep 14, 2026 | Work Health & Safety, Workplace safety
Many Australian employers focus on managing visible workplace hazards. Yet, airborne contaminants remain among the most significant and often overlooked risks across industries, including construction, manufacturing, transport, healthcare, laboratories, mining, and warehousing.
To strengthen workplace health protections, Safe Work Australia is replacing the current Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) framework with a new Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) framework for airborne contaminants.
While businesses must continue complying with existing WES requirements until 1 December 2026, organisations should start preparing now. This transition presents an important opportunity to review workplace health risks, strengthen control measures, and ensure compliance well before the new limits take effect.
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by ABILITY GROUP | Sep 1, 2026 | Claims, Reforms, Return To Work, Workers Compensation
The NSW Government has launched the first comprehensive review of the state's workers' compensation premium model in more than a decade. For the approximately 340,000 employers covered by the NSW Nominal Insurer Scheme, the review presents a rare and important opportunity to reshape how workers' compensation premiums are calculated from 2028 onwards.
The review seeks to improve premium transparency, affordability, predictability, return to work outcomes, and incentives for injury prevention. These are welcome objectives. However, many employers continue to question whether the current system fairly reflects workplace safety performance, effective injury management, and the factors businesses can realistically control.
At ABILITY GROUP, we are actively advocating on behalf of NSW employers to ensure that business concerns and real-world experiences are considered in this critical reform process.
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by ABILITY GROUP | Aug 17, 2026 | Health & Wellbeing, Injury Prevention, Work Health & Safety, Workplace safety
Agriculture remains one of Australia’s most hazardous industries, and the latest farm safety data released by WFI Insurance highlights lessons that extend far beyond farming into every workplace. For business owners and leaders, understanding the causes of workplace incidents is critical, not only to prevent injuries but also to reduce workers' compensation costs and create safer, more productive environments.
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by ABILITY GROUP | Aug 10, 2026 | Claims, Return To Work, Workers Compensation
For the first time in nearly 15 years, South Australia’s workers' compensation system is undergoing a major review of its workers' compensation claims management providers. Return To Work SA has announced a procurement process that will reshape how claims are handled from July 2027, marking a significant shift for employers, injured workers, and the broader compensation landscape.
This development is more than just an administrative update, it signals a renewed focus on performance, recovery outcomes, and scheme sustainability. Employers across South Australia, and indeed the nation, should pay close attention to what this change means for injury management, workplace disruption, and the future of workers' compensation.
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