Company directors know only too well the reach of OHS legislation and the potential personal impact where there is a breach by way of injury or a single death where there is a failure to provide a safe workplace or for others to be impacted by that workplace.

The new Victorian industrial manslaughter laws which came into effect from 1 July 2020 provide for significant jail terms (up to 20 years) and personal fines (of up to $1.65 million) where an officer whose act or omissions were negligent or resulted in the death of a worker or member of the public.  (See HERE).

Government ministers and public servants were not excluded from the legislation’s reach and with the number of deaths and the spread of COVID 19 linked to the hotel quarantine failures in Victoria having the potential to be investigated as an OHS breach, watch this space.  It will be interesting if the outcome is one rule for corporations and another for our government institutions.

For further background (see HERE).

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