❓ Hon. Kate Doust questions the Minister for Commerce about workplace fatalities and measures to prevent future occurrences. The Minister outlines investigation and remedial actions, highlighting a reduction in workplace injuries and fatalities over time.
AnsweredQoN 62Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WORKPLACE
FATALITIES
62. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
Yesterday, the
minister advised the house that in this financial year to date there have been
15 fatalities in Western Australian workplaces. That is a sad figure. There are
15 dead workers and 15 devastated families. What measures will the minister
responsible for WorkSafe put in place to ensure that we do see a repeat of that
statistic in the next 12 months?
FATALITIES
62. Hon KATE DOUST to the
Minister for Commerce:
Yesterday, the
minister advised the house that in this financial year to date there have been
15 fatalities in Western Australian workplaces. That is a sad figure. There are
15 dead workers and 15 devastated families. What measures will the minister
responsible for WorkSafe put in place to ensure that we do see a repeat of that
statistic in the next 12 months?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
the question.
It is a broad question to ask what I am going to do about
something over which I have not direct control.
Hon Kate Doust : You do; you can look at how employers
manage health and safety in their workplaces and apply duty of care principles.
The PRESIDENT : Order! We do not allow members to answer
their own question.
Hon Kate Doust : I am just trying to help the minister
because he does not know what he is doing.
The PRESIDENT : We need to actually listen to the minister
provide the answer.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : If the honourable member, instead of being
so eager to score cheap points actually listened to the rest of the answer —
Hon Kate Doust : I am not. I take this issue seriously.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN :
Plainly, the member does not. What is being done is what is done with respect
to every workplace injury, not just those that happen to be fatalities.
WorkSafe investigates the case and determines whether there has been a breach
of the duties of care imposed on employers and those in control of workplaces
and on the part of fellow workers in order to determine whether a prosecution
ought to take place or the cause of the incident in order that remedial action can
be taken into the future. That will be done for each and every one of those 15 fatalities,
not to mention all the other injuries that occur that are not fatal. In many of
these cases, the issue is failure on the part of the person concerned to look
out for their own safety. I will give some examples: a self-employed person who
in their own workplace decides not to properly support a vehicle under which
they are working; or someone who sets a fire in a field and happens to be
caught by the flames—farmers and alike. There are many cases in which
no amount of supervision can overcome the difficulty. In many cases, however,
it is revealed that there has been a failure in the systems put in place or the
instruction, and remedial action is taken. Prosecution action is undertaken in
some cases. If necessary, guidelines and instructions are issued in order to
prevent those things from happening again if at all possible.
The record of
workplace injuries in Western Australia is significantly good. Since the introduction
of occupational safety and health legislation in 1985 —
Hon Kate Doust : It
was 1984.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN :
It came into operation in 1985, but, in any event, over the intervening years,
despite the state's population coming close to doubling, there has been
a 41 per cent reduction in the number of workplace injuries in this state from
something like 31 500 injuries back then to just over 18 000 injuries. So far
as deaths are concerned, it might interest the member to know that in each of
the financial years from 2003–04 until 2013–14, the number of
fatalities has been 20; 22; 12; 25; 27 in 2007–08, which is before we
came into government; 21 in the following year; nine in 2009–10; 21 in
2010–11; 17; 19; and 17. The numbers are gradually decreasing and we
have the second-best occupational health and safety record in Australia next to
Victoria.
the question.
It is a broad question to ask what I am going to do about
something over which I have not direct control.
Hon Kate Doust : You do; you can look at how employers
manage health and safety in their workplaces and apply duty of care principles.
The PRESIDENT : Order! We do not allow members to answer
their own question.
Hon Kate Doust : I am just trying to help the minister
because he does not know what he is doing.
The PRESIDENT : We need to actually listen to the minister
provide the answer.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN : If the honourable member, instead of being
so eager to score cheap points actually listened to the rest of the answer —
Hon Kate Doust : I am not. I take this issue seriously.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN :
Plainly, the member does not. What is being done is what is done with respect
to every workplace injury, not just those that happen to be fatalities.
WorkSafe investigates the case and determines whether there has been a breach
of the duties of care imposed on employers and those in control of workplaces
and on the part of fellow workers in order to determine whether a prosecution
ought to take place or the cause of the incident in order that remedial action can
be taken into the future. That will be done for each and every one of those 15 fatalities,
not to mention all the other injuries that occur that are not fatal. In many of
these cases, the issue is failure on the part of the person concerned to look
out for their own safety. I will give some examples: a self-employed person who
in their own workplace decides not to properly support a vehicle under which
they are working; or someone who sets a fire in a field and happens to be
caught by the flames—farmers and alike. There are many cases in which
no amount of supervision can overcome the difficulty. In many cases, however,
it is revealed that there has been a failure in the systems put in place or the
instruction, and remedial action is taken. Prosecution action is undertaken in
some cases. If necessary, guidelines and instructions are issued in order to
prevent those things from happening again if at all possible.
The record of
workplace injuries in Western Australia is significantly good. Since the introduction
of occupational safety and health legislation in 1985 —
Hon Kate Doust : It
was 1984.
Hon MICHAEL MISCHIN :
It came into operation in 1985, but, in any event, over the intervening years,
despite the state's population coming close to doubling, there has been
a 41 per cent reduction in the number of workplace injuries in this state from
something like 31 500 injuries back then to just over 18 000 injuries. So far
as deaths are concerned, it might interest the member to know that in each of
the financial years from 2003–04 until 2013–14, the number of
fatalities has been 20; 22; 12; 25; 27 in 2007–08, which is before we
came into government; 21 in the following year; nine in 2009–10; 21 in
2010–11; 17; 19; and 17. The numbers are gradually decreasing and we
have the second-best occupational health and safety record in Australia next to
Victoria.
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