Boost to Industrial Manslaughter Investigations in Victoria

The Victorian Government has announced plans to boost WorkSafe Victoria’s ability to investigate and prosecute industrial manslaughter offences, including a crackdown on employers that destroy or cover up evidence after a fatality.

The Andrews Labor Government’s $10 million package includes a specialist team to lead investigations and prosecutions of workplace manslaughter, which includes five new investigators and a comprehensive training program for first responder inspectors.

Speaking at the State Labor conference last week, Andrews said the sites of workplace fatalities would be treated as crime scenes to prevent evidence from being concealed or tampered with.

“There will be no more filling in trenches, there’ll be no more buying safety gear after the event. If someone dies at work, the site will be treated as it should be treated – it will be treated as a crime scene.”

The Victorian Government is also reviewing the adequacy of current compensation arrangements to ensure families impacted by fatalities and traumatic events at work receive appropriate financial support.

Additional commitments include:

• Clearer protocols in place between WorkSafe and Victoria Police that require families to be notified as soon as possible after a workplace death or a serious injury
• Two additional dedicated WorkSafe Family Liaison Officers to provide coordinated case management for families throughout the investigation and any legal processes following a workplace death
• Additional support including expanded grief counselling and a dedicated in-house family support service to be piloted at the Coroners Court for families affected by workplace deaths
• Including truck drivers killed on the road in the workplace death toll

Industrial manslaughter laws are currently before the Victorian Parliament, which would bring fines of up to $16.5 million and individual prison sentences of up to 20 years.

An education campaign to build public knowledge of the offence and support stakeholders to prepare for the commencement of the new laws is also being developed.

“Fundamentally, our reforms are about saving lives. But if someone does tragically die at work, we’ll make sure their family get the support they need,” said Andrews.