In September 2021, new laws passed the Victorian parliament to ensure that labour-hire workers have the same rights and safety protections as other workers.
The Occupational Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2021 (the Act) amends the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act), Dangerous Goods Act 1985 (DG Act), Workplace Injury Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2013 (WIRC Act) and the Equipment (Public Safety) Act 1994 (EPS Act).
This legislation will make important improvements to our existing OHS laws – closing gaps that were being exploited by unscrupulous employers and imposing fines for those who continue to do the wrong thing, said Minister for Workplace Safety, Ingrid Stitt.
So what do the new laws mean for employers in Victoria?
For employers, the new laws close the gap between their workers and labour-hire workers by:
- Extending the definition of employer and employee. Labour-hire workers are now considered employees of the host under the Act;
- Requiring labour-hire providers and host employers to consult and cooperate on their shared responsibility to ensure the safety of labour-hire workers. Any breach of this duty is punishable by fines of up to $32,713 for individuals and $163,566 for businesses;
- Prohibiting contracts that insure or indemnify a person against paying monetary penalties under workplace safety laws. Offering to enter, or holding such a contract will attract penalties of up to $54,522 for individuals and $272,610 for businesses. Individuals and businesses will have a year to unwind from existing contracts;
- Protecting labour-hire workers from a host employer discriminating against them for raising health and safety concerns; and
- Enabling inspectors to issue entry reports to a person electronically (i.e. via email), without first obtaining their consent and similarly the Act also makes amendments to enable inspectors to issue infringement notices electronically to a person without first obtaining their consent.
When do the amendments take effect?
All amendments came into effect on Wednesday 22 September 2021, except for the labour-hire provisions and new offences relating to the prohibition on certain insurance and indemnities.
The latter will commence on Tuesday 22 March, 2022 to give businesses six months to adapt to the new laws and give WorkSafe time to amend its processes and develop guidance.
Need more information on the changes?
You can find information from Worksafe information about the changes here:
https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/
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The BSB41419 Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety is a nationally accredited program that will teach you how to identify hazards in the workplace, assist with responding to incidents, assess and control risk and consult on work health and safety issues. This program is most suited to those in a Safety Officer or Health and Safety Representatives role, or those currently in leadership roles wishing to shift their career into Health and Safety.
Risk Assessment & Hazard Identification
This program helps you identify and describe the difference between a hazard and a risk, and introduces a way of thinking about hazard identification and risk management as an everyday activity.
It will also enhance the skills and capabilities of leaders in the areas of hazard identification, risk analysis and identification and how to implement appropriate risk controls.
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Learn to effectively manage WHS site risks and performance by learning how to effectively select, manage and monitor the complex and difficult world of subcontractors. It also covers the WHS obligations regarding subcontractors, stepping through the various stages of effective subcontractor management, including assessing, evaluating safety history, attitude and managing expectations of performance and reporting.
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