Workplace Safety Breaches
Sep 8, 2021
Introducing Infringement Notices for Workplace Safety Breaches
As part of a 2018 Victorian Government election commitment, WorkSafe is introducing infringement notice fines for a range of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) offences.
Background
From 31 July 2021, WorkSafe inspectors can issue infringement notices with penalties of up to 10 penalty units or $1817.40 attached.
Infringement notices can be issued for offences including:
- a person undertaking work without a required license, registration, qualification, experience or supervision
- the use of equipment or substances that are not licensed or registered as required
- failing to meet various duties relating to the removal and storage of asbestos
- failure to keep various required records.
The infringement notice scheme will strengthen our compliance and enforcement capability, acting as an additional deterrent for safety breaches to help keep Victorian workplaces safe.
The obligations of employers and other duty holders under OHS laws remain as is. Employers still have a duty to provide and maintain a working environment that’s safe and without risks to health so far as is reasonably practicable.
We’ll continue to provide guidance and information, issue improvement and prohibition notices, and prosecute safety breaches.
Fines will vary depending on the nature of the offence and range from 0.5 penalty units to 10 penalty units ($1817.40) for a corporation and up to two penalty units ($363.48) for an individual.
More information will be available shortly and in the meantime questions can be directed to the WorkSafe Advisory Service between 8:30am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday on 1800 136 089.
