A new workplace health and safety awareness campaign targeting employers who risk workers’ lives is warning they face tough penalties if they do the wrong thing.
Victorian Minister for Workplace Safety Jill Hennessy joined Worksafe inspectors to launch the new ‘More Inspectors. More Inspections.’ campaign which highlights the consequences for employers who fail to protect the health and safety of their workers.
It is viewed through the eyes of employers who experience the immediate trauma and aftermath when workers are killed or seriously injured while doing their job.
There have been 15 workplace deaths in 2019, leaving grieving families and friends behind.
The Victorian Government has already announced that WorkSafe will employ up to 40 new inspectors over the next four years to focus on health and safety in the construction industry.
WorkSafe completed 48,652 health and safety visits last financial year, issuing 14,550 health and safety compliance notices. A total of 151 prosecutions for breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 were completed with court fines of more than $6.8 million imposed.
The Victorian Government announced a Workplace Manslaughter Implementation Taskforce earlier in 2019 as the first step in developing new legislation to make workplace manslaughter a criminal offence.
Under the proposed new laws, employers will face fines of almost $16 million and individuals responsible for negligently causing death will be held to account and will face up to 20 years in jail.
The campaign begins on August 25 2019 and will include advertisements across TV, radio, print, billboards and social media.
Source: Vic Government