Work Health and Safety Prosecutor
Role / OfficeReferenced in 2 bills
Resources Safety and Health Queensland Bill 2019
This bill creates Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ), a new independent regulator for workplace safety in Queensland's mining, quarrying, explosives and petroleum and gas industries. It was introduced after an inquiry into coal workers' pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) found that having safety regulation inside the same department that promotes the mining industry created a conflict of interest. The bill separates safety regulation from industry promotion and strengthens prosecution and oversight arrangements.
Electrical Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
This bill updates Queensland's electrical safety and workplace safety laws across several areas. It modernises the electrical safety framework to cover emerging technologies like e-scooters and battery storage systems, strengthens the industrial manslaughter offence to protect bystanders as well as workers, adds negligence as a basis for prosecuting the most serious safety breaches, and gives worker representatives new powers to document workplace hazards with photos and testing equipment.