12:06 pm, Thursday 9 May, 2013

Public sector workplace injuries are on the rise in Western Australia and according to UnionsWA the government needs to improve return to work planning for their employees.

A report release by the WA Auditor General revealed that over the last few years there has been a 3% rise in the incidence of injuries that caused lost time as well as diseases in Western Australia’s public sector along with a 24% increase in severe injuries.

It was also found in the report that four WA government agencies failed to create a return to work program for each employee that needed to have one.

Auditor General Colin Murphy said in the report that the absence of return to work programs meant that it was difficult to assess whether these agencies had planned for their workers return to work and if the medical assistance that was given suited the needs of the workers.

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02:45 pm, Tuesday 1 May, 2012

The family of a man killed at work says that court’s punishment on work safety breaches are too light after the victim’s former employer succeeded in halving its penalty.

According to a report from The West Australian, the crane company was initially fined $180,000 for breaching workplace safety laws. This included a $90,000 fine for the company and a $45,000 fine from each director. A Supreme Court appeal earlier this year resulted to a reduced fine of $90,000 – $70,000 for the company and $10,000 for the directors.

The victim’s parents believe that the penalties were too light.

“People think about the financial consequences of doing something wrong. If we don’t have proper penalties (for breaching the law), what kind of message does it send to employers.”

New statistics from UnionsWA revealed that a WA worker is injured at work every half an hour, or more than 30,000 a year. It also showed that a person is killed at work every 28 days.

WorkSafe is appealing against the court’s decision.

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