Industrial manslaughter laws pass in Victoria with employers facing 20 years in jail for workplace deaths
Negligent employers who are accountable for a death in the workplace will now face jail times and massive fines under new workplace manslaughter laws in Victoria.
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New laws that will put negligent employers behind bars for up to 20 years for a death in the workplace have passed the Victorian parliament.
Under the changes employers who cause a workplace death will face fines of up to $16.5 million and individuals will face up to 20 years in jail.
The legislation covers a range of workplace issues from diseases to mental health matters including suicide and will also be applied to farmers.
The passing of the laws is unprecedented in Victoria and has been welcomed by the Minister for Workplace Safety Jill Hennessy.
“We promised we’d make workplace manslaughter a criminal offence and that’s exactly what we’ve done – because there is nothing more important than every worker coming home safe every day,” Ms Hennessy said.
“I can’t begin to imagine the pain felt by the families who have lost a loved one at work. I don’t want any families to suffer that type of trauma.”
“We’re standing up for working people – and better protecting those touched by tragedy – because workers deserve a safe environment when they go to work each and every day.”
Up to 30 Victorians die on worksites in Victoria every year.
WorkSafe Victoria will be given added powers to investigate the new offence and will be funded under a $10 million package.
The change is heavily supported by unions but employers have previously been critical of the laws.
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The Civil Contractors Federation (CCF) Victoria warned the laws would not make workplaces safer.
CEO John Kilgour has previously rallied against the legislation.
“What the current legislation does is ignore the role of the individual in a workplace accident and predominantly sheets the blame home to businesses,” Mr Kilgour said.