The recommendations of an independent review of the ACT’s work safety procedures have won in-principle support from the Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety.
The recommendations include a restructure of WorkSafe ACT to ensure its independence.
The Minister, Rachel Stephen-Smith, said the Government was committed to ensuring all ACT workers returned home from work safely at the end of every day and every shift.
“While improvements in recent years have delivered a 20 per cent reduction in lost-time injuries since 2010-11, we know that best practice in work health and safety is constantly evolving,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.
“That’s why we commissioned a comprehensive review of the compliance and enforcement framework in May — the first since the ACT adopted national model work health and safety laws in 2011.”
She said the review’s final report made 27 recommendations aimed at strengthening the framework for enforcing work health and safety laws in the ACT.
She said that included in the recommendations were a change to the organisational structure of of WorkSafe ACT to support the independence of the regulator; greater clarity about the roles of the regulator and Work Safety Commissioner, and more clarity and consistency in the work health and safety compliance framework and supporting documents
Also recommended was a more strategic use of data to inform the activities of the regulator and an increase in capability, collaboration and engagement within the regulator.
Ms Stephen-Smith said any change to the structure of WorkSafe ACT resulting from the review would require consultation with WorkSafe staff, unions and other key stakeholders.
“Over the coming months the Government will work to ensure that the changes made will support the safety of workers now and into the future,” she said.
