Investigation into Car Park Death

Open letter – concerned OH&S practitioner, 21

WorkSafe Victoria investigation after a worker dies in car park

Robyn Pearce
CEO
WorkSafe Tasmania

Good morning Robyn, I hope my email finds you well.

RE: WorkSafe Victoria investigation after a worker dies in car park

My team note that the Victorian workplace health and safety regulator are investigating the death of an employee that occurred in a carpark

For details please see the link below:
https://worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/2023-07/worker-dies-after-being-run-over-carpark

However my team also note that when a Tasmanian died in violent, traumatic, unnatural and preventable circumstances in a Tasmanian carpark the employer did not report this notifiable workplace fatality to WorkSafe and the Tasmanian workplace health and safety regulator did not conduct an external, open and transparent investigation into this workplace fatality subsequent to the Coronial Inquest and Findings and subsequent to our formal notification

For details on this workplace fatality please see the links below:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-07/fatal-fall-from-wheelchair-in-car-park-examined-by-tas-coroner/101740166#:~:text=Woman’s%20fatal%20fall%20from%20wheelchair%20in%20sloping%20car%20park%20examined%20by%20Tasmanian%20coroner,-Posted%20Tue%206&text=A%20coroner%20has%20found%20that,90%2Dyear%2Dold%20woman.

https://www.magistratescourt.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/684399/Stevens,-Cynthia-For-web.pdf

Although given that the state, territory and federal workplace health and safety regulators are legislatively responsible for ensuring that Australian workplaces are a safe environment for not only employees but also for people other than employees, my team are obviously left wondering why one workplace health and safety regulator would investigate an unnatural death that occurred in a carpark and another won’t investigate an unnatural death that occurred in a car park.

Is it possible that because the death that occurred in a Tasmanian car park in violent, traumatic, unnatural and preventable circumstances was that of someone other than an employee and the regulator is reluctant to investigate these types of workplace fatalities?

Given the above, I hope that you will review your previous decision not to investigate the death of Cynthia Stevens that occurred in violent, traumatic, unnatural and preventable circumstances at a Tasmanian workplace due to a number of obvious OH&S issues that may or may not have been addressed to prevent any further deaths given that Coronial Findings aren’t legally enforceable and therefore employers aren’t legally required to make any changes to their workplaces or work practices to prevent another fatality.

Best regards

— concerned OH&S practitioner —

B.App.Sci.(O.T.)

Editor’s note: the identity of the writer is known to TT.