Resources: Blogs

Home Improvements

Blogs
|

Dreamworld Issued With 10 Improvement and Prohibition Notices by WHS Queensland

Since the tragic events of October this year, Queensland theme park Dreamworld has come under intense scrutiny from the public, the media and a range of investigative bodies. The park gates have remained closed to guests over recent weeks while investigations and audits of the park’s facilities and processes have been conducted.

Since the tragic events of October this year, Queensland theme park Dreamworld has come under intense scrutiny from the public, the media and a range of investigative bodies. The park gates have remained closed to guests over recent weeks while investigations and audits of the park’s facilities and processes have been conducted.

One such agency involved in assessing Dreamworld during its close-down period was Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ). WHSQ recently announced that its audit had come to an end, resulting in 10 safety prohibition and improvement notices being issued to Dreamworld and sister park WhiteWater World. All the notices issued by WSHQ related the safety of workers and maintenance staff and not to the safety of guests.

The improvement notices covered a range of areas such as updating procedures and equipment associated with the use of pool chemicals and correctly and durably labelling rides, equipment and tools. The prohibition notices, on the other hand, related to some more serious safety concerns including the safety harness anchor points on a particular ride, maintenance of certain pieces of safety equipment and the requirement for a new operator’s booth gate to be installed.

Dreamworld has committed to addressing WSHQ’s concerns before the park re-opens next week, and has instituted its own internal safety review to be conducted in conjunction with amusement ride specialists and an international theme park safety expert. Dreamworld has since been commended by the Queensland Industrial Relations Minister for its commitment to “robust safety systems and procedures.”

The results of the WSHQ audit are a good reminder to employers about conducting comprehensive and detail oriented safety audits for the safety of both customers and workers. Effective safety auditing help identify small issues before they evolve into big incidents. As discussed in a number of our other recent articles, employers should not discount the value of early investment in a robust work health and safety culture.

 

Information provided in this blog is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Workplace Law does not accept liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on the content of this blog, or from links on this website to any external website. Where applicable, liability is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

 

Similar articles

Remote work environment risks and considerations

Barking up a broad tree

Work from home arrangements have become the “new normal” across many workplaces since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more...

Employee’s exaggerated complaints created psychosocial risk

False alarm

Employers have work health and safety obligations to eliminate or minimise psychosocial risks in the workplace so far as is reasonably practicable. These risks arise from psychosocial hazards including conflict or poor workplace relationships.

Read more...

Commission rejects application for stop bullying orders

A cyclone of drama

Differences in opinion, dysfunctional relationships and disagreements between employees may occur from time to time in the workplace. Generally, these instances of workplace conflict do not amount to bullying behaviour, which is defined as repeated, unreasonable behaviour causing a risk to health and safety.

Read more...

FWO secures penalties against bar operator and external accounting firm

Closing time

The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) requires employers to keep certain employee records for a period of 7 years. These records are necessary to ensure that employees have been paid their minimum entitlements should an underpayment claim be made.

Read more...

Employer found liable for workers compensation despite worker’s unreasonable perceptions

Fact or fiction

A recent decision of the New South Wales Personal Injury Commission serves as a reminder of the differing standards of proof when determining liability for claims of bullying and/or harassment under workers compensation laws and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).

Read more...

Commission finds employee’s flexible working request to work entirely from home was not reasonable

The worst has now passed

One of the many changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) introduced this year include the Fair Work Commission’s new powers to deal with disputes relating to requests for flexible working arrangements.

Read more...

Let's talk

please contact our directors to discuss how ouR expertise can help your business.

We're here to help

Contact Us
Let Workplace Law become your partner in Workplace Relations.

Sign up to receive the latest industry updates with commentary from the Workplace Law team direct to your inbox.