General News
5 February, 2024
Worksafe puts employers on notice
Victorian employers were fined more than $16 million last year, following 153 health and safety prosecutions by the courts and WorkSafe Victoria. It sees a more than $10 million increase compared to 2022, with three penalties surpassing seven...
Victorian employers were fined more than $16 million last year, following 153 health and safety prosecutions by the courts and WorkSafe Victoria.
It sees a more than $10 million increase compared to 2022, with three penalties surpassing seven figures.
The largest fine in 2023 was given to Bradbury Industrial Services, who were convicted and fined $2.9 million in relation to an explosion and fire at a Campbellfield warehouse in 2019 and chemical stockpiles at other sites across Melbourne’s north.
The fine is nearly five times bigger then the 2022 record holder given to Marshall Lethlean Industries after a young apprentice died from asphyxiation while working inside a tanker at a Cranbourne West factory in 2018.
More than half of the offences last year were committed in the construction and manufacturing industry, with the leading causes of offences coming from falls from heights, unsafe machinery and risks of being crushed by or in between objects.
2023 saw eight convictions in the Loddon Mallee region totalling $193,000, including a $65,000 penalty to Polymaster after a worker's thumb was amputated in an incident at its Swan Hill factory, and a $63,000 penalty to Eureka Chip Company after a worker's hand was entangled in an unguarded corn grinder.
WorkSafe executive director health and safety Narelle Beer said inspectors and investigators will continue to ensure the safety of all workers.
“The safest places to work are those where employers accept that injuries and fatalities are preventable and priority is placed on doing what they can to protect their people,” she said.
“Employers must have systems and processes in place to identify, assess and respond to hazards and associated risks to both the physical and mental health of their workers.
“This includes ensuring there is adequate training and supervision and that workers are encouraged to speak up or ask questions when they have concerns for their safety.
“WorkSafe will use every enforcement tool at its disposal to hold to account employers who put the health and safety of their workers or others at risk.”