The Guardian 17 May, 2006
Killer bosses swoop
A wave of industrial carnage is sweeping South Australia in the wake of Kevin Andrews efforts to strip safety training from workplace agreements. Hundreds of angry South Aussie workers have demanded action after a blast at a South Australian munitions factory killed three and seriously injured two others.
The blast at the Gladstone munitions factory rocked nearby farmhouses, levelled the brick factory and scattered debris across an area the size of a football field.
In one month six South Australian workers have lost their lives, another three have been seriously injured — two with burns and shrapnel wounds, and another is a paraplegic.
"At this rate we’re losing more than one life a week while others may never work again due to their terrible injuries", says SA Unions Secretary Janet Giles. "This has to stop."
Hundreds attended a rally in Adelaide last week, calling on the State Government to strengthen Occupational Health and Safety laws to protect workers.
"The federal industrial laws have made it harder to maintain safe work standards", said Giles. "Workers are reluctant to stand up for safety because they can be sacked.
"Because the federal laws don’t promote safety — in fact they specifically prevent employers being liable for industrial manslaughter — it means there’s a greater responsibility on the state government to act."
South Australian workers have called on the state government to:
Significantly increased penalties for negligent employers
More action by workplace inspectors
Permission for union officials to enter workplaces for health and safety issues
Protection from victimisation, and increased training for health and safety officers
Guaranteed protection for workers who refuse to do unsafe work
Faster and more thorough investigations of incidents
TV workplace safety reality
Meanwhile in New Zealand a new reality television series gives viewers the chance to experience the work that goes on behind the scenes of workplace accidents and investigations.
Special investigators follow workplace health and safety inspectors for the Department of Labour, Civil Aviation Authority and Maritime New Zealand going about their daily business, and showcases the variety of hazards people can encounter in the workplace.