Govt crackdown on worksite safety - ABC Online

Updated February 26, 2013 08:55:32

The ACT Government has agreed to all of the recommendations from a damning report into Canberra's construction industry.

An inquiry was set up in September last year in the wake of four workplace deaths in the ACT over a 12 month period.

When the report was released in November, it found the ACT has a distressing safety record with the serious injury rate 31 per cent higher than the national average.

Now Workplace Safety Minister Simon Corbell has accepted all of the report's 28 recommendations.

Mr Corbell says there have been too many deaths and too many injuries across the capital.

"The only responsible course of action is to respond comprehensively," he said.

The recommendations include introducing on-the-spot fines and naming and shaming dodgy builders.

The Government will also appoint an Industrial Magistrate, fund 12 additional workplace inspectors and introduce a new user-pays arrangement for workers compensation.

Mr Corbell says unions and employers also need to address systemic problems.

"My message to the industry is very clear - this is no time for backsliding, this is no time for avoiding the hard issues that arise as a result of too many deaths and injuries in workplaces across Canberra," he said.

Topics: states-and-territories, workplace, canberra-2600, act

First posted February 26, 2013 08:53:53