25 June 2003
The Victorian Trades Hall Council is demanding the immediate implementation of WorkSafe prevention of falls regulations following the deaths of three Melbourne workers in less than two weeks.
Two of the deaths occurred on non-unionised construction sites, with a 59-year-old man falling through the roof of a cool room on Saturday 14 June and a 20-year-old apprentice who fell three metres through the ceiling of a house on Wednesday 11 June. A third worker from the Maritime industry died in a fall from a container ship on Monday 23 June.
VTHC secretary Leigh Hubbard said all deaths from falls were preventable.
"Employers cannot plead ignorance on this matter. It is vital that risk assessment procedures be carried out on all work that is potentially dangerous in this area. Any employer who doesn't do this is simply putting workers lives at risk."
WorkSafe regulations are due to be released in August this year and implemented by February 2004, but the VTHC argues that the regulations should become operational immediately.
"These regulations have been under discussion since at least 1999 and the tragic loss of three lives in less than 2 weeks surely demands that they come into effect immediately," said Mr Hubbard.
"This is not rocket science - it simply requires some attention to the detail of safety when you send someone to work in a potentially very dangerous situation. "
Mr Hubbard said WorkSafe should implement the regulations immediately to force employers to improve their performance and prevent further loss of life.
"It is clear that employers are not taking this issue seriously. It is not enough to encourage them to listen to employees' concerns or to place the onus of safety back on to individual workers. Unfortunately, in many cases, employers need to be actively pursued on these issues before they take them seriously, and that usually requires a reminder that they are required by law to maintain a safe and healthy workplace."