WorkSafe Victoria uncovers high number of workplace breaches

Small businesses in Bairnsdale, Victoria, have received the highest number of improvement notices in a regional area as part of a WorkSafe campaign cracking down on workplace health and safety breaches. WorkSafe inspectors visited 98 Bairnsdale workplaces between 16-20 May and issued 264 improvement notices as part of the ‘Safe Towns’ campaign.

“The businesses were given notice that we were coming, so it’s surprising we had to issue such a high number of improvement notices,” said Ross Pilkington, WorkSafe’s Manufacturing Logistics and Agriculture Director. Inspectors will return in a few weeks to check compliance with the notices issued and carry out more inspections.

“Most of the 1000 injuries reported to WorkSafe from businesses based in the East Gippsland Shire over the past five years could have been prevented,” said Pilkington. The improvement notices issued were for a number of matters including testing and tagging of electrical equipment, forklift/pedestrian traffic management, maintenance of first aid kits, machine guarding, incomplete or unsafe scaffolding.