The NSW Labor government has announced the launch of a dedicated unit for the prosecution of industrial manslaughter.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is to receive $6.9 million over four years to 2028-29 for the new unit.
Individuals and related bodies corporate are to be included in cases for consideration.
One worker’s death a week in NSW, says AG
The government’s announcement on Tuesday said the industrial manslaughter unit would be supported by a senior solicitor, two other solicitors and a witness assistance officer.
‘NSW now has the strongest industrial manslaughter laws in the country,’ the joint media release from Minister for Work Health and Safety Sophie Cotsis and Attorney General Michael Daley read.
The Attorney General was quoted saying one person died a week at work on average in NSW.
Penalties of up to 25 years’ jail for an individual and fines of up to $20 million for a business would apply under laws brought in last year allowing for the possibility of their responsibility for the death of a person due to gross negligence in the workplace.
Previously, the maximum penalty for the highest form of offence under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 was ten years imprisonment for an individual or a $11.1 million penalty for a body corporate, the government said.
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