Touch new Industrial Manslaughter laws send strong message on importance of worker safety in NSW
After 20 years of campaigning by families, friends, and unions whose members have been killed at work, the Industrial Manslaughter Bill was passed in NSW Parliament on the 20th of June.
Since 2019 more than 300 workers (of which includes farm workers) have been killed in NSW. The new Industrial Manslaughter law will give prosecutors the ability to hold a business or individual responsible for the death of a person due to gross negligence in the workplace.
The maximum penalty will be 25 years jail for an individual, which is consistent with the existing maximum penalty for manslaughter in the NSW Crimes Act. There will be a maximum penalty of $20 million in fines for a body corporate, the highest in Australia.
According to Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis ‘this is an historic moment for worker safety in New South Wales. These are not laws we ever want to use. We want them to act as a deterrent and a reminder that this government takes worker safety seriously.’
Media release by Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Work Health and Safety