Date: Thu, 7 May 2009 06:43:19 -0400
Reply-To: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: Re: CalOSHA & UCLA

From: Paul Dover 
Date: May 6, 2009 11:34:32 PM EDT (CA)
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] CalOSHA & UCLA

Dear all,

I suppose I am a little stunned with this as in Victoria, Australia we  

had instigated in 2005 the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.

A link with an overview can be found here:

http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/resources/file/ebd0d6435e87d5c/over
view_ohs_worksafe.pdf

And for those of you with a legal bent the whole Act can be found here:

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ohasa2004273/

In a nutshell, what scares the bejesus out of employers, is the extent  

of fines:
The maximum penalty for a breach of general duties will be increased  
to $920,250 for corporations and $184,050 for individuals.
With the added note that INDIVIDUALS are responsible too. Even to the  

extent that someone who flaunts safety procedures (e.g. the painter  
who fell off a roof as he was not wearing a harness, even though it  
was provided and company policy) can be individually prosecuted. In  
that particular case, as well as getting a broken hip, he was fined  
$10,000! In the UCLA incident the lab head would be looking at a hefty  

personal fine, also the possibility of jail time.

As for the Foster=92s incident, here is the link to that:


http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe/SiteTools/News/Fos
ters+gets+record+fine+for+fatal+safety+breaches

Stay safe everyone!

Cheers, Paul

____________________________________________

Paul Dover
Resources Manager
Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Action
Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Monash University (Parkville Campus)
381 Royal Parade, Parkville
Victoria, 3052. Australia

Phone: +61 3 9903 9551
Fax:   +61 3 9903 9143

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