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Workplace Health and Safety (LAWS70053)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5Online
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable (login required)(opens in new window)
Contact information
September
Lecturer
Catherine Dunlop (Coordinator)
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: 13 MELB (13 6352), International: +(61 3) 9035 5511
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | September - Online |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
Work Health and Safety Law has grown in scope over the past decade, particularly since 2010 when most Australian governments implemented nationally-uniform laws about work health and safety. Victoria has, however, continued, with a similar but different model, and has a particularly active regulator.
This subject examines in detail the content of Victorian law, as well as the national laws, considering the operation of work health and safety law in its historical and industrial setting, as well as the likely practical operation of the regulatory regimes. The subject examines the application of safety laws to both physical risks and psychosocial risks, such as bullying and sexual harassment.
The lecturer is a practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in work health and safety, and guest lecturers from employee representative bodies and safety regulators will also present.
Principal topics include:
- The problem of work-related injury and disease
- The history of the legal regulation of health and safety at work
- The duties owed by employers and other parties under Victorian and nationally-uniform workplace health and safety laws
- Standard-setting under the Australian work health and safety statutes
- Worker representation and participation under the Australian work health and safety legislation
- State enforcement of the work health and safety legislation
- The application of work health and safety legislation to psychological health, bullying and sexual harassment
- How health and safety law has adapted to new ways of working and new challenges, such as remote and hybrid work, and COVID-19
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the legal principles of Australian work health and safety law within the context of work, including recent developments in this field of law and practice
- Be able to examine critically, analyse, interpret and assess the effectiveness of these legal rules
- Be an engaged participant in debate regarding emerging and contemporary issues in the field, such as in civil behaviour, duties to the public and contractor management
- Have a sophisticated appreciation of the factors and processes driving reform
- Have an advanced understanding of situations in which issues of health and safety may arise in work relationships and management practices
- Have a understanding of work health and safety legal regimes in an international context
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate critical and creative ideas relating to work health and safety laws and to critically evaluate existing legal theories, principles and concepts with creativity and autonomy
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to examine independently, research and analyse existing and emerging legal issues relating to work health and safety
- Have the communication skills to articulate clearly and convey complex information regarding work health and safety to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Be able demonstrate autonomy, expert judgment and responsibility as a practitioner and learner in the field of work health and safety law
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Corequisites
Non-allowed subjects
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Option 1: Take-home examination
| 1 - 4 November 2024 | 100% |
Option 2: Research paper on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
| 27 November 2024 | 100% |
Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance is required. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Additional details
Note: Students must choose assessment from the options listed above. If an option contains parts, all parts must be completed if that option is chosen.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- September - Online
Principal coordinator Catherine Dunlop Mode of delivery Online Contact hours Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 14 August 2024 Pre teaching requirements Please refer to the Reading Guide on the LMS subject page for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 11 September 2024 to 17 September 2024 Last self-enrol date 19 August 2024 Census date 12 September 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 18 October 2024 Assessment period ends 27 November 2024 September contact information
Lecturer
Catherine Dunlop (Coordinator)
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: 13 MELB (13 6352), International: +(61 3) 9035 5511
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students.
Enrolment is on a 'first in' basis. Waitlists are maintained for subjects that are fully subscribed.
Students should note priority of waitlisted places in subjects will be given as follows:
- To currently enrolled Graduate Diploma and Masters students with a satisfactory record in their degree
- To other students enrolling on a single subject basis, eg Community Access Program (CAP) students, cross-institutional study and cross-faculty study.
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters website for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist materials will be made available via the LMS in the pre-teaching period.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If required, please contact law-masters@unimelb.edu.au for subject coordinator approval.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 31 January 2024