Following findings in the Coronial inquest arising from the
Dreamworld tragedy that have criticised the operating company's
safety systems and standards, the operating company has been
referred to prosecuting authorities. However, the question remains,
are Queensland's Work Health and Safety (WHS)
laws capable of seeing officers of a large entity actually found
liable and subject to imprisonment?
Background
The Queensland Coroners Court has this week published its
findings into the death of four members of the public at Dreamworld
in October 2016. The coronial findings are scathing, with
Dreamworld's approach to safety being described as
'immature' and 'frighteningly
unsophisticated'. On this basis, Coroner McDougall
reasonably suspected it may have committed an offence under
workplace laws and referred the matter to the Office of Industrial
Relations. A mechanical engineer was also referred to the Board of
Professional Engineers of Queensland.
