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Don't risk 2nd rate safety

The Workplace Relations Ministerial Council (representing state and territory governments) agreed to adopt the new model national law for Workplace Health and Safety on December 12, 2009.

The governments now have until end December 2011 to change state and territory OHS laws to match the national model law, which becomes effective on January 1, 2012.

In the meantime, Safe Work Australia is continuing to draft new model OHS regulations and codes of practice.  

The governments will have to ‘harmonise’ these as well and workers stand to lose standards in many states. 

In a high risk industry like construction, these codes and regulations are the nuts and bolts that union organisers and OHS representatives use to make builders work safely.

The October CFMEU Construction and General Conference and National Executive Committee passed resolutions committing all divisions of the union to an industrial campaign to convince the governments to take our views on OHS laws seriously.

Mining keeps specific OHS laws

The coal mining industry is covered by specific mines legislation that gives legal rights to union OHS inspectors to stop work in unsafe conditions.  

CFMEU Mining & Energy members did not want to lose those hard fought for rights.  Meetings were held at all coal mines and members resolved to stop digging coal if they lost their safety laws because of National Harmonisation.  

The CFMEU Mining Division met with Deputy PM Julia Gillard and has received a commitment the industry will be exempt from the National Model Laws and their industry specific law will continue.

Action 2010

CFMEU Construction & General will be co-ordinating a national industrial campaign targeting federal and state funded construction projects in 2010 to ensure there is no reduction in legislative health and safety protections affecting construction workers.

 The CFMEU will join with like-minded unions to make this an effective national campaign.

The CFMEU continues to put the case for:

  • Workers’ absolute right to consultation on OHS.
  • An unqualified obligation on employers and site head contractors to provide a safe and healthy workplace; they must prove they did not break the law.
  • Worker elected OHS reps. with highest standards of rights and powers.
  • Unrestricted right of entry for unions over OHS issues.
  • Powers for workers and unions to take court actions over OHS breaches.
  • Penalties for breaches to include jail sentences.

 

Watch this space for more details of the campaign in coming months.

 

More information about the national OHS law, flyers, poster: ACTU website

 

Facts

  • Every 2-3 minutes someone in Australia is injured seriously enough to lodge a workers compensation claim.
  • There are almost 690,000 work-related incidents - including diseases, injuries and fatalities - each year. In 2007-08, there were 150 notified work-related fatalities. In construction alone, there were 41 fatalities, according to CFMEU figures. Official figures underestimate the true scale of the problem.
  • The Australian Safety and Compensation Council stated in its March 2009 report that: "Studies estimate that as many as 7000 fatalities may occur each year as a result of work-related disease." This is four times the annual national road toll.
  • The total economic cost of work-related injuries and illnesses for the 2005-06 financial year was $57.6 billion which was 5.9% of GDP.
  • Construction is one of Australia's top three most dangerous injuries.
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Tell our governments Don’t risk 2nd rate safety