2017-03-06
The Greens would seek to amend the Criminal Code potentially making employers culpable for the death of their workers if they knowingly failed to make their workplace safe.
The amendment would introduce the crime of industrial manslaughter to recognise the seriousness of companies who wilfully failed to ensure their workplaces were safe.
Greens industrial relations spokesperson Alison Xamon said families of loved ones who died on a worksite, were left to deal with the tragedy that too often failed to recognize the seriousness of their death.
“On average, one person dies at a workplace every 19 days in Western Australia,” she said.
“If an employer has been found culpable in that death because they failed to make the workplace safe, they could be found guilty of industrial manslaughter under the Greens plan.
“Under existing laws when an employer is responsible, the penalties are woefully inadequate, even when an employer has knowingly created a situation whereby they knew there was a possibility that workers could die. We will seek to fix this and provide some semblance of justice for the families.”