A review into SafeWork SA’s operations has been announced by the South Australian parliamentary committee on Occupational Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation.
The inquiry will consider the organisation's overall effectiveness, and investigate whether greater efficiencies would be achieved if some or all of its current responsibilities were transferred to WorkCover Corporation. This latter option would create a powerful regulator with consolidated responsibilities across safety, rehabilitation and workers compensation, bringing SA into line with several other States.
The possibility of this move towards a more nationally "harmonised" regulatory approach comes as the Work Health and Safety Bill remains stalled in the Legislative Council. This means SA employers will have to continue complying with the current pre-"harmonised" Safety laws for the foreseeable future, including the obligation to appoint a responsible officer.
