Government prosecutions

Labour hire firm prosecuted

CHANDLER Macleod Group Limited, operating as Ready Workforce, has become the first labour hire agency prosecuted under Western Australia’s occupational safety and health laws.

The Northbridge-based labour hire agency was fined $2,500 in the Perth Court of Petty Sessions after pleading guilty to failing to report an injury.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires that WorkSafe be notified of certain types of injuries including:

A fracture of the spine, skull or pelvis;

A fracture of any bone in the arm, other than the wrist or hand or in the leg, other than a bone in the ankle or foot;

An amputation of an arm, hand, finger, finger joint, leg, foot, toe or toe joint;

The loss of sight in an eye; and

Any other injury which, in the opinion of a medical practitioner, is likely to prevent the employee from being able to work within 10 days of the day on which the injury occurred.

Further information and a Safety Bulletin on duty of care for the labour hire industry are available by visiting www.safetyline.wa.gov.au or by phoning WorkSafe on 9327 8777.