SafeWork SA investigators beset by poor training — ICAC inquiry told
SAFEWORK SA investigators are not being taught appropriate evidence collection and note taking despite a damning 2017 report by the Director of Public Prosecutions which criticised the training standards of the safety watch dog.
SAFEWORK SA investigators are not being taught how to gather evidence, examine potential crime scenes or take notes after their training was slashed from a year to five weeks, a submission to the anti-corruption watchdog reveals.
The second submission by the Public Service Association to the independent Commissioner Against Corruption inquiry into Safework SA reports training for work safety investigators five years ago took 12 months.
As part of the training, prospective inspectors were required to “shadow” senior staff for three months as well as completing “attributes folders” which showed evidence of competency.
Since then, as the embattled organisation grapples with budget cuts and scandals, training has dropped to five weeks.
The second submission, which came at the request of Commissioner Bruce Lander QC, notes significant policy “inconsistencies” and inadequate tools as causes for concern.
“Members report this training does not cover expectations in relation to investigations such as note-taking, photographing and videoing, scene examination, obtaining documents, the taking of measurements and other forensic evidence, gathering admissible evidence, use of powers and notice-writing,” the report states.
“All of these are fundamentals to conducting thorough and seamless WHS investigations.”
The report also reveals that WHS inspectors in rural areas are required to conduct investigations without adequate training because of the reluctance of Safework to send more experienced investigators from Adelaide.
A heavily redacted example of training issues also showed a “risk to (the) chain of evidence” because of a lack of an appropriate evidence room in Berri.
A report commissioned by Safework SA and conducted by the Crown Solicitor’s Office in June 2017 recommended a wide-scale training overhaul for investigators.
The review criticised the standard of legal briefs sent to the Crown, labelling work, health and safety prosecutions among “the most complex” legal actions that can be initiated.
Bathurst-based Charles Sturt University was recruited to co-ordinate the new training regimen, however The Advertiser understands their training methods required two investigators to attend call-outs together.
As revealed in July, a “rotating door” of jobs at an executive level has drained the pool of experience Safework investigators, leaving many of their most experienced operatives bogged down in administrative work. This has left investigators spending a lot of their time working solo, especially in rural areas.