ARTICLE · 17 AUGUST 2015

Industrial manslaughter back on the agenda

Sparke Helmore Lawyers

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It appears that our current laws do provide ample opportunity to prosecute 'rogue employers' for industrial manslaughter.

AustraliaEmployment and HR

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Are our current laws enough to rein in 'rogue employers' or do we need a change?

The Greens industrial relations spokesperson Tammy Franks MLC has introduced a bill into the South Australian(SA) Parliament seeking to create an offence of 'industrial manslaughter' in SA. The bill would be an amendment to the Work Health and Safety Act 2012, the SA version of the harmonised work health and safety (WHS) legislation.

Franks made the announcement on World Day for Safety and Health at Work, stating that the "bill seeks to capture a very small minority of employers who cruelly put their workers through unnecessary risk and would only apply in the event that an employee tragically dies and circumstances warrant this remedy".

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