Wednesday, 15 September 2021

 Ms STITT (Western Metropolitan—Minister for Workplace Safety, Minister for Early Childhood) (11:22): I rise to update the house on the importance of keeping our workplaces safe during the global pandemic. We know that the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary public health restrictions have significantly impacted our day-to-day life, including the way that we work. We know that Victorian businesses are undertaking a mountain of work to keep their staff safe from COVID-19, implementing strict protocols and measures to respond to this deadly global pandemic. But the response to the pandemic must occur in parallel with ensuring OH&S compliance for other safety concerns, be that on construction sites, on farms or in factories.

I want to urge businesses to take the risks of falls from heights in particular seriously on construction sites, in manufacturing and on our farms as harvesting ramps up. Every fall from a height is preventable, but falls remain one of the largest causes of death and serious injury in Victorian workplaces. WorkSafe has guidance available, and we are urging Victorian workplaces to carefully review it and make any necessary changes to their practices, because WorkSafe will take action against employers who are not taking these risks seriously and are putting workers’ lives at risk. Victorian workplaces are often dynamic, but one thing must remain constant: our collective vigilance to make the safety of workers a top priority in every Victorian workplace.