Workplace regulator not up to scratch, new report shows

THE office charged with improving the health and safety of Tasmanian workplaces is grossly understaffed and underfunded, a report shows.

Community and Public Sector Union Secretary Tom Lynch has welcomed the review into Tasmania’s work, health and safety regulator, WorkSafe. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

THE office charged with improving the health and safety of Tasmanian workplaces is grossly understaffed and underfunded, a report shows.

An independent review into Tasmania’s work, health and safety regulator, WorkSafe, identifies a number of shortfalls and opportunities for improvement in the organisation such as with compliance and enforcement.

The review recommends the State Government fund more workplace inspectors, more administrative staff, a training officer, a change manager and subject experts.

It also recommends action be taken to fill about 20 vacant positions and begin planning for a wave of retirements expected over the next few years.

Investment in skills development is also recommended in the review conducted by the WorkCover Board.

Community and Public Sector Union Secretary Tom Lynch welcomed the report but said he and other union members were frustrated it took an external review to identify “obvious problems”.

“When almost 25 per cent of all positions in Worksafe Tasmania are vacant and the few inspectors available are forced to spend a majority of their time on basic administrative functions instead of working with employers to make our workplaces safer, then the issues should have been clear”, he said.

“In 2014 we told the Hodgman government WorkSafe was already under resourced and could not keep Tasmanian workers safe if further cuts were made. The government ignored this and cut deeply.”

Mr Lynch said the State Government’s response to the review raised questions about its commitment to having an effective work, health and safety regulator.

“There are only 20 staff statewide who are active field-based inspectors and little has been done to improve access to training, technical knowledge or to build the skills of staff,” he said.

Mr Lynch said the State Government’s $600,000 provided to WorkSafe in this year’s budget was a fraction of what was needed to fully implement the review’s recommendations.

When asked if employee lives were at risk under a regulator identified as understaffed and underfunded, Liberal Minister Michael Ferguson said “the Government would never allow that to happen”.

He said the State Government would consider the review’s recommendations.

“We always look to budget submissions to ensure we are providing for the needs of our bureaucracy,” he said.