Buoyed by progress on work death laws

A Bunbury father who has been among the families fighting for work death laws following the electrocution of his teenage son has welcomed the progress of the Work Health and Safety Bill. Wednesday marked a significant day for several families who were united by the tragic death of loved ones, as the State Government’s Bill, which will criminalise industrial manslaughter, passed the Upper House. Greg Zappelli has been fighting for a change in industrial manslaughter regulations since the death of his 18-year-old son Jayden in 2013. Jayden was doing work experience in the hope of getting an apprenticeship, when he was electrocuted due to the power not being isolated on the circuit being worked on. Mr Zappelli said he hoped the Bill would prompt businesses to ensure they have the correct safety in place to prevent other deaths from happening. “There needs to be enough deterrent to prevent people from taking shortcuts,” he said. “Whatever it is when there’s death, there needs to be some action about trying to fix that and not just sit on existing laws. “If it continues to fail it needs to be fixed and that’s across the board.” Mr Zappelli said it was a step in the right direction but it was not over yet. “Time will tell whether it’s enough,” he said. “It’s important for everyone to learn from these mistakes and to be able to fix it so it doesn’t happen again, so we’re hoping that these laws will do that.” Mr Zappelli was one of eight representatives from Families Left Behind who shared their stories at a parliamentary committee hearing in July to ensure the industrial manslaughter provisions remained in the Bill before it went to the Upper House. At the time, he told The Herald it was about having strong enough deterrents that it put safety in the forefront of businesses’ minds. Now after nearly four weeks of debate, the Bill will be sent to the Legislative Assembly for the final vote, which is expected on November 3, and will become law once the supporting regulations are finalised next year. The new laws will criminalise industrial manslaughter, with a maximum penalty of between five and 20 years jail for an individual and fines of up to $10 million for companies.