NSW cracks down on unsafe working environments
Aside from the paycheck of course, the other thing that all employers are obligated to give their employees is a safe place to work. When people show up to their jobs each day, their environment should be comfortable and their managers should do what they can to protect them from unexpected injury or death.
This is especially the case in New South Wales, where the government cracks down hard on employers who don’t protect their people. A cursory glance at the latest news headlines can easily confirm this. In NSW, a healthy work environment is an absolute must – if your employer ever fails you in this regard, the law will be on your side.
Arborist fined heavily for employee injury
When employers don’t give their employees a safe place to work, there are sure to be consequences. For example, according to SafetyCulture, an arborist was fined $80,000 after a worker suffered serious and permanent injuries while removing a dead tree.
The worker in question was attached to the tree with a climbing belt when the entire tree fell. He suffered a major brain injury, and after an investigation from SafeWork NSW, it was found that the incident was foreseeable and the company didn’t do enough to prevent it. This fine sent a clear message that unsafe working conditions would not be tolerated.
SafeWork NSW has far-reaching authority
Companies can get in trouble for safety issues in a lot of different scenarios – not just when someone gets hurt. The office has the authority to penalise employers in a variety of ways, including improvement notices, prohibition notices and penalty notices.
An improvement notice refers to an outstanding safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately by improving the workplace. In a more serious situation, SafeWork NSW can also prohibit a certain work function or penalise an infraction on the spot, even if no injuries have yet happened. In short, the government is getting proactive about preventing safety issues before they happen.
What compensation are you entitled to?
If and when anything goes wrong in the workplace, the employees on the front lines are likely to be affected. If you’ve ever suffered adversity because of a work safety issue, you might be entitled to compensation.
Whether it’s lost wages, hefty medical expenses or any other financial damages you’ve suffered, you deserve to have a lawyer who will fight for you.
Workers compensation lawyers Sydney
At Marshall & Gibson Compensation Lawyers Sydney we specialise in workers compensation claims resulting from workplace accidents.
We have a proven track record having won over 99% of our work accident injury cases. We’re so confident in our legal expertise with workers compensation claims that with our “No Win-No Fee” basis, you only pay if we win your claim for you.
Call us today on 1800 675 417 or send us an email for your free, no obligation case evaluation by one of our expert compensation lawyers.