Published: 30 Jan 2018
The Maritime Union of Australia has welcomed news that Worksafe NT has laid charges against Darwin shipping company Barge Express over the death of deckhand Daniel Bradshaw in January last year.
However, MUA NT Branch Secretary Thomas Mayor said more needs to be done to improve safety at work and called for industrial manslaughter laws to be introduced in the Northern Territory.
“The safety of workers must be the most important priority for employers and they need to know there are serious consequences for them if they don’t provide a safe workplace,” Mayor said.
“The NT is in a minority of state and territory jurisdictions that does not have industrial manslaughter legislation.
“Queensland recently passed industrial manslaughter laws and the new rules carry jail terms as potential penalties for employers who fail to provide safe workplaces.
“The MUA remains very concerned that WorkSafe NT is not taking strong enough action to investigate safety issues on worksites.
“We believe WorkSafe NT needs to be a lot more aggressive in ensuring that safety is the top priority for employers.
“More must be done to prevent needless injuries and deaths in workplaces in the Territory which have tragic consequences for workers and their families.”
Media Contact: Thomas Mayor 0437 650 221
