With Safe Work Australia Month nearly upon us, employers and workers across Australia are being encouraged to download a free 2014 Safety Month app, released by Safe Work Australia (SWA). [ + ]

ABB plans to shift its 'centre of gravity' towards higher growth segments while enhancing competitiveness and lowering risk, particularly in its Power Systems division. [ + ]

The National Road Safety Partnerhip Program (NRSPP) has recently been awarded a grant for the development of a national road safety-related benchmarking project. The proposed benchmarking tool is to provide a user-friendly online benchmarking resource which will provide organisations with an online analysis and summary of fleet performance, road safety cultural maturity and trends over time which can be utilised directly for corporate reporting.

New South Wales’ best electrical and communications contractors were awarded at the annual excellence awards hosted by the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA). [ + ]

The federal government has launched a new Australian Apprenticeship Support Network in a bid to cut red tape and lift apprenticeship completion rates, which currently stand at around 50%. [ + ]

The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is once again hosting an international conference on Occupational Safety in Transport on the Gold Coast. [ + ]

Chain of responsibility (CoR) legislation has extended liability for road transport breaches beyond the drivers, but the role and responsibilities of everyone up and down the chain may not be clear. To alleviate confusion, the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) is presenting a webinar titled 'Chain of Responsibility - what, how and when?'. [ + ]

Bryan Douglas, the CEO of Lighting Council Australia, has been appointed Secretary General of the Global Lighting Association. [ + ]

John O'Brien, GHD's strategic energy advisor, has been appointed to the PowerQ Electricity Expert Panel in Queensland.  [ + ]

Absenteeism in the workplace is inevitable. According to the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), it costs Australian business in excess of $24 billion per year. Worse yet from a financial perspective is 'presenteeism', which the group identifies as productivity losses arising from workers attending work when unwell. [ + ]

Glen Morris, founder of SolarQuip, will be running a four-day accreditation course in partnership with Skillbuild Training at CERES community environment park, Melbourne, from 15-18 September. [ + ]

The Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) has launched new procurement guidelines for the construction and building sector. [ + ]

Royal Philips has appointed Kevin Barrow as both Country Manager for Philips Australia and New Zealand, and General Manager for Philips Healthcare for Australia and New Zealand. [ + ]

ABB has commissioned the HVDC converter stations to the Rio Madeira HVDC link in Brazil and delivered the project to Abengoa. [ + ]

If you're a small to medium-sized enterprise, you'll know that managing cashflow is probably one of the more demanding aspects of your day-to-day operations. Outstanding debtors are a major contributor to cashflow woes and reeling them in can be both frustrating and time-consuming. [ + ]