The Communications Workers Union has called on the government to put a stop to sham contracting to facilitate the rollout of the NBN, claiming it has led to safety issues. [ + ]

ABB Australia has launched its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan to advance opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. [ + ]

The US Green Building Council has announced it will offer free LEED certification to the first green building projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia has launched a competition to encourage electrical safety in response to a spate of severe electrical safety incidents in NSW. [ + ]

The federal government has announced that its proposed National Asbestos Exposure Register will include: personal details of the notifier; details of the suspected asbestos exposure, including date, location and description; witness details; and details of diagnoses of asbestos-related disease/s. [ + ]

Pacnet has completed the expansion of its Sydney data centre, with the second phase of the expansion delivering 1295 square metres of gross tier III data centre space, and adding an additional 350 racks and 3 mW of total power to the facility. [ + ]

Green Star-rated buildings emit around a third of the greenhouse gas emissions and use a third of the electricity when compared with the average Australian building, a new report finds. [ + ]

Royal Philips has been recognised for four of its products at the 2013 Australian International Design Awards, presented by Good Design Australia. [ + ]

UK engineers have developed a multicore clamp sensor that can measure current flowing in any accessible mains cable, giving a more detailed picture of electricity usage in the home. [ + ]

Following recent instances of potential asbestos exposure to contractors, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten, has directed the Office of Asbestos Safety to coordinate a national response and work with Telstra and its contractors on a best practice approach to asbestos safety. [ + ]

BSI, the world’s first National Standards Body, has acquired NCSI from the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia. NCSI’s business will be combined with BSI to form BSI incorporating NCSI. [ + ]

A $4 million grant under the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) has been awarded to Swinburne and CSIRO for taking the NanoPlas technology and thermal management technology from the laboratory to a small-scale pilot project. [ + ]

Nearly 100,000 construction labour jobs will be up for grabs in Australia’s mining, energy and infrastructure projects in 2013, according to a new labour market index launched by the Australian Mines and Metals Association. [ + ]

CSIRO today announced a $13 million research collaboration with four leading Australian universities to develop the nation’s capacity to plan and design the most efficient, low-emission electricity grid for Australia. [ + ]

Allied Telesis has appointed Shayne Taylor as Country Manager for Allied Telesis Australia. Based in Sydney, Taylor will be responsible for growing the company’s sales presence and managing existing business and channel partners. [ + ]