29 March 2023, - a Museum’s Work Health, Safety and Risk Manager was sentenced in the Brisbane Magistrates Court for breaching section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (‘the Act’), having failed to comply with her primary health and safety duty pursuant to section 28(b) of the Act. According to the Prosecution Summary - the WHSR Manager despite engaging in communications with the Inspector concerning Q-Fever failed to finalise a risk assessment, thus no controls were implemented. https://tinyurl.com/Q-Fever
This EU makes for an interesting read. While all organisations should have robust OHS Management systems, this EU will leave most WHS professional asking more questions that it answers in respect of the source of the Q fever, whether the laboratories conformed with AS/NZS2982 Laboratory Design and Construction and whether the work practices in the laboratory conformed to AS/NZS 2243 Safety in Laboratories. Being classified as a BSL/PC - 2 does not necessarily mean that it was compliant with the relevant standards. According to the report the lab was constructed to meet a whole host of Australian Standards, but there is no mention whether the Consultant who reviewed the facility actually considered the two critical laboratory safety standards. #Labsafety #laboratories #WHS #OHS #OHSMS #standards