New Infringeable Offences Subject to On-the-spot Fines
The Northern Territory has added an additional twenty-one new infringeable offences to their work health and safety laws, subject to on-the-spot fines.
The majority of fines will cost an individual $720, and cost a corporate body $3,600. The new infringement offences are in effect as of today (29/7/2020).
Fines are issued by WorkSafe inspectors to businesses and workers found breaking the law. This is usually in the case of a breach which warrants a penalty, but is not serious enough to prosecute directly through courts.
The new infringeable offences include:
- Failing to inform NT WorkSafe of a notifiable incident
- Carrying out work without the proper authorization
- Failing to manage the risk of a fall
- Failing to prepare a SWMS for any proposed high risk construction work
- Failing to keep a copy of a SWMS for inspection
- Allowing a worker who has not completed general construction induction training to carry out construction work
- And more
Bill Esteves, NT’s Work Health and Safety Regulator has noted that:
“On the spot fines sit within a broad range of regulatory tools available to the Regulator which include, advice and guidance, improvement or prohibition notices, injunctions, enforceable undertakings and prosecutions, all aimed at ensuring workplace parties meet their obligations”
“Certain types of offences need to be discouraged, and on the spot fines are a mechanism for sending a clear and timely message that there are consequences.”
For a list of the new Infringeable offences, check out NT WorkSafe’s website.
