Victorian employers are reminded they face serious legal consequences if they put workers at risk after WorkSafe completed 153 successful health and safety court prosecutions last year.
The prosecutions saw more than $16 million in fines imposed by the courts in 2023 for breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Dangerous Goods Act.
The total of $16,182,957 in fines included three separate seven-figure penalties and a further 25 prosecutions attracting fines of at least $100,000.
Shepparton Magistrates’ Court saw nine employers from Shepparton, Mooroopna North, Tatura and Woods Point near Mansfield successfully prosecuted.
Fines for seven local employers ranged between $2000 and $50,000.
Another received a good behaviour undertaking but has to pay $10,000 to the court fund, while another was put on a 12-month good behaviour undertaking after a non-compliance notice.
Throughout Victoria, offences involving the risk of a fall from height, which is among the leading causes of workplace fatalities in Victoria, continued to be a key compliance priority and were the subject of 39 prosecutions and fines of almost $2 million.
Of these, three prosecutions were in Shepparton — with two for the same incident.
There were 25 prosecutions throughout the state for unsafe machinery, including inadequate guarding — including two in Greater Shepparton and one in Woods Point.
Fifteen prosecutions related to the risk of being crushed by or between objects, including one in Shepparton, while 13 involved powered mobile plants such as forklifts, including one in Shepparton.
More than half of WorkSafe’s health and safety prosecutions last year statewide were against employers in the construction (52) and manufacturing (38) industries, followed by transport, postal and warehousing (11) and wholesale trade (10).
WorkSafe health and safety executive director Narelle Beer said inspectors and investigators would continue to target workplaces where harm was most likely to occur.
“The safest places to work are those where employers accept that injuries and fatalities are preventable and priority is placed on doing what they can to protect their people,” Dr Beer said.
“WorkSafe will use every enforcement tool at its disposal to hold to account employers who put the health and safety of their workers or others at risk.”
Tragically, 17 of WorkSafe’s successful prosecutions and $6.3 million in fines imposed by the courts last year related to a workplace fatality.
Dr Beer said employers must have systems and processes in place to identify, assess and respond to hazards and associated risks to their workers’ physical and mental health.
“This includes ensuring there is adequate training and supervision and that workers are encouraged to speak up or ask questions when they have concerns for their safety,” she said.