Simon Corbell has announced that the death toll in Canberra’s construction industry has reached the point where he needs an inquiry running to get him past the election:
Attorney General, Simon Corbell, has today announced that Ms Lynelle Briggs has been appointed to Chair a major inquiry into ACT health and safety laws in the local construction industry.
The inquiry will be supported by the ACT Work Safety Commissioner, Mark McCabe, and will have powers under the Work Health and Safety Act to take submissions, call for papers and question witnesses.
“Since December last year there have been four workplace deaths, three of which have been on construction sites, and this is, put simply, four too many,” Mr Corbell said.
“This inquiry is specifically designed to look at issues of health and safety closely as well as where there can be tighter regulation to better protect workers who work in this high risk industry.
“The inquiry will consider issues such as compliance with current laws and regulatory regimes, on-site behavioural or cultural issues; training requirements or participation rates and powers available to WorkSafe ACT and other regulatory bodies.”
One does have to wonder if the standards are this bad on an OH&S level what are they like for the ongoing integrity of the buildings?