Receiving poor legal advice on a safety regulator's powers to request information does not constitute a "reasonable excuse" for defying such a request, a superior court has found in upholding nearly $70,000 in penalties imposed on two companies.
A 30-page Bill quadrupling maximum fines for failing to report safety incidents or preserve incident sites to more than $190,000 passed Victorian Parliament last night, despite the State Opposition arguing that there is no basis for the dramatic increases.
An employer that failed to ensure employees wore hi-vis gear near forklifts in dark conditions has been fined $1.13 million, after a worker was killed.
An employer and its director have been fined a total of $880,000, after their departure from acceptable safety standards for handling heavy materials and construction led to the death of an apprentice.
An employer's OHS fine has been increased from $40,000 to $175,000, after a judge found it left workers "to their own devices" when transporting heavy machinery, which represented a "very significant" departure from its duties to those workers.
An employer that claimed it discharged its OHS duties, by ensuring the manufacturer of two of its machines was properly certified, has been ordered to pay nearly $200,000 in fines and costs, after a worker's hand was amputated in one of the machines.
