PLS can only be responsible to the extent they have a level of control. In other words, if they were to see a problem and not act on it then they are responsible, as are any other person on site who didn’t intervene under duty of care laws.
I’ve spent around 15 years working on sites in the north west including The North West Shelf Gas Project at Dampier, plus various BHP, RIO and FMG sites. There are many inductions and most include tests which must be passed that outline an individual’s responsibilities whilst on site. By passing the test you accept responsibility for your actions.
A contractor is responsible for its workers. The principal contractor is responsible for all those below them and the owner is responsible for all. But there is a caveat, that being only if the company and differing levels of contractors had prior knowledge of an existing issue and didn’t act appropriately or through negligence, failed to identify a possible issue.
Whilst I gave away site work in 2013, I still know people working in the industries and in every instance, each has said the onus on the individual is greater than ever before. Personal responsibility is paramount and the companies spend a fortune training workers to understand and fully comply with site rules.
Many times over the years I’ve witnessed workers being escorted from site for breaches of site protocol. They are taken to the airstrip and catch the first flight out, even if it means workers booked to fly out on R&R are bumped off and made to take a later flight.
Any company can only be responsible to a point, as is evidenced by the charge of murder against an individual. There will be an inquiry which will report the findings and recommend any charges against any person or company on site, plus recommendations of any changes to procedure if considered necessary.
As a point to show just how strict site rules are on the sites where I’ve worked, even though a worker may have a valid ticket to operate machinery, they must resit both the theory and practical tests on site using the model machine to be operated. After passing the test, a worker is given a Certificate of Competency which allows them to use that particular model of equipment on that site only.
Even though I only had to sit one exam to get an EWP ticket, I sometimes had to do one theoretical test and four practical tests to use four different sized EWPs. The same for all machinery operators.
Anyone who says companies don’t take safety seriously has never worked on a site imo.
I came from a farming background where things were fairly laid back to one of the most controlled industries possible.
For those who talk of bad company culture etc are full of crap. People get killed on Australian roads by the hundreds each year. There is usually between 250-300 people murdered on average each year in Australia. The fact there is such a reaction to a murder on a work site shows how well behaved Australians usually are at work. This is a big deal because of its rarity.
I can remember one event in the 80s at the Burrup where two workers had knives and threatened each other because both were banging the same woman at the camp. Other than a few fights from blokes getting on the turps on their RDO and looking for trouble, there has been little trouble during my time working on sites in the north west.
Suicide is another issue that plays out regularly around Australia through work/relationship problems. Are the same idiots thinking its bad work culture that’s causing it. If so, just check out how many men kill themselves each DAY
To try and blame others for the actions of one is a low act, but unfortunately there are a few grubs inhabiting hot copper.
Just my take on a tragic event. Having had a daughter and grand daughter murdered by a psychopath a few years ago, I condemn only the person who chose to do a despicable, cowardly act. It would be exceptionally unfair to blame others for the actions of one arsehole.
Nobody, including management of a company deserves to be tainted by keyboard warriors. PLS management have to deal with this upsetting event. Supporting those who are forced to be involved through their positions within the company, as well as the other site personnel seems more appropriate than talking of a bad culture. Sometimes bad things happen and can happen almost anywhere.
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