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May 25, 2017
The State Government will toughen up workplace health and safety laws to strip QBCC licenses off workers if they’re found to be acting in an unsafe manner.
The new laws will enable Queensland’s building regulator to take action where there is a threat to the safety of workers on building sites.
Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni said the laws were in response to deaths on building work sites in recent years, including the recent deaths of two workers at Eagle Farm race course.
“Everyone should return home from work safely at the end of each day. Tragically this hasn’t been the experience for too many families,” Mr de Brenni said.
“The measures we are proposing are designed to prevent further tragedy.”
Mr de Brenni said the Coroner’s recommendations at an inquest into the death of a young labourer in Central Queensland in 2012 made it clear that there was a need for the building regulator, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) to be notified if there was a death or serious injury on a building site.
“Under proposed law changes, QBCC licensees will have a positive obligation to notify the QBCC about activity on site that could be a work health and safety issue,” he said.
“They will also be required to let the QBCC know if they think, for example, that a person is not complying with an electrical safety notice so that appropriate action can be taken.”
The powers of the QBCC will be strengthened so it can decide whether to suspend or cancel a QBCC licence if a licensee has caused death or grievous bodily harm to a person on a building site, or is causing risk to the health and safety of a person.
A licence can also be cancelled or suspended if the licensee has been convicted of an offence against plumbing, work health and safety laws and other relevant laws.
“A construction licence should indicate the highest standards of industry conduct. Holding a licence to be in charge of a building site is a privilege, not a right,” Mr de Brenni said.
“If you are in charge of a site, and the people who work there, you need to be professional and diligent.”
The new laws will also allow the QBCC to share information with other government regulators.
