Australia is currently seeing a big shift in work health and safety policies with the introduction of the industrial manslaughter legislation, the Work Health and Safety Bill.
The Western Australian Government has passed the industrial manslaughter bill through the lower house with the likelihood of it becoming law later this year. The introduction of the new legislation into WA will see several changes in workplace safety, regarding industrial manslaughter, as well as, workplace health and wellbeing – both physical and psychological health.
The proposed legislation includes two offences of industrial manslaughter – Crime and Single Offence. A crime offence occurs when a health and safety employee engages in negligent conduct that causes a death in the workplace. The penalties include a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, and a AU$5 to $10 million fine. A simple offence occurs when an employee fails to comply with a health and safety procedure causing a workplace death. The penalties include a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, and a AU$2.5 to $5 million fine.