Workers unsafe

By Lia Bichel
SIX businesses have been shut down, in the wake of fears they were risking staff and customers’ lives.
The Cranbourne businesses were closed after WorkSafe inspectors believed there was an immediate risk to staff safety.
Worksafe said the number of penalties during the four-day campaign was one of the highest ever recorded.
A hairdressing salon was one of the six businesses given a prohibition notice where unsafe electrical equipment put workers at risk of electric shock.
Workers at other sites were at risk of falling six metres from roofs or falling into an excavation. Staff at an automotive repairer were at risk of breathing dangerous chemicals.
Worksafe spokesman Michael Birt said many businesses seemed to be sacrificing workplace safety in an effort to maximise business profits.
“During these difficult financial times, we are starting to see more evidence of people just wanting to get their stock out the door,” he said.
“We need people to stop taking shortcuts and to start thinking about what they are doing. We don’t need any more people getting hurt.”
During the campaign, which ran from 20 to 24 April, inspectors visited 147 Cranbourne workplaces. Seventy-one of them were given improvement notices which ordered specific problems to be fixed, 21 safety issues were fixed on the spot, and 34 businesses were found to have breached the Accident Compensation Act.
“That goes to show that we don’t just go to factories and building sites.
“We also go to smaller businesses or businesses that haven’t been visited in the past,” Mr Birt said.
So far this year, there have been 11 workplace deaths, up from eight deaths the previous year, Mr Birt said.
Workplace inspectors will return soon to ensure notices are complied with.
If businesses fail to comply, Mr Birt said they could be prosecuted, with fines starting from $47,000.