Greg Smith, has provided his expert perspective to ABC News on the impact of the new workplace health and safety laws on liability for volunteer firefighter deaths.
Following the tragic death of a volunteer firefighter in Western Australia, local governments have expressed concern about ongoing liability and how that impacts volunteers and officers when responding to a fire. The workplace health and safety laws were updated in 2020 to include the crime of industrial manslaughter, and there are wide-held concerns about how this new law impacts volunteer firefighter brigades.
As Greg clarified, it is unlikely that the tougher penalties will alter the way people operate, however there is an increased “appetite among regulators to try to lift that level of accountability higher up into larger organisations… it is a matter of time before we start to see executive officers, well removed frontline work, being potentially or certainly investigated, and potentially prosecuted."
The full article can be read here.
For advice on the recent changes to workplace health and safety laws and how they impact your obligations and liabilities as an employer, please contact Greg Smith.