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WORKER SAFETY MUST BE THE PRIORITY 1 September 2006 SA Unions says it would have preferred to see bigger penalties imposed against companies responsible for the deaths and injuries of workers. Castalloy, an Adelaide car parts maker with a bad track record of worker injury was fined less than $160,000 for injuries to the hands and fingers of 3 young workers in 2004. And multinational mining company BHP Billiton was fined a mere $153,000 for last year's death of Karl Eibl in an explosion at its Olympic Dam mine. The Industrial Relations Court has ordered BHP to pay the Eibl family $20,000 compensation. SA Unions Secretary, Janet Giles says the penalties are insignificant to big firms. "Such meager fines are not an effective deterrent against future safety breaches", Ms Giles says. She says companies need to get the message that worker safety must be their priority. "Employers have an obligation to keep their workers safe. This should be more important to them than anything else. Without a good workforce, a company can't make profits. They need to protect their most important asset - their employees." "In June, the state government announced it intends to triple the fines for safety breaches by corporations. We look forward to the passage of this through state parliament so that corporations are more effectively deterred from cutting corners in regard to safety". "This is especially more important in the case of young workers. They are generally less experienced and have less idea about safety standards and their work rights. This makes them more vulnerable to exploitation and injury. A serious injury early in a young worker's career can affect their entire future." "SA Unions supports bigger penalties for safety breaches to compel companies to treat workers' safety seriously", Ms Giles says.
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