Latest news with #negligence
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
SafeWork NSW increases work safety breach enforcement after $128m budget boost
He was the man Linda Moussa thought she would grow old with. "Like many Brazilians, he loved parties, and he loved music, and he loved soccer," Ms Moussa said. But on October 25, 2016, Iremar Da Silva left for work and never came home. "He was the love of my life and my son's dad. It's really difficult to continue and actually fully understand that all the dreams that you had would never come true," Ms Moussa said. A skilled carpenter with an eye for detail, Mr Da Silva was working on a construction site for a block of units in Ryde, in Sydney's north-west, when he fell from the first floor. There were no safety barriers. Just weeks earlier, the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) had visited the site and made a list of safety recommendations. "That's really tragic, because had they paid attention to that advice, then maybe he would have been with us." Ms Moussa said. An investigation by the state's workplace health and safety regulator, SafeWork NSW, established that Mr Da Silva's death was caused by negligence. The regulator took the two companies responsible to court, and both were fined about $500,000 each. More employers breaking safety laws are facing a greater risk of being taken to court, with SafeWork NSW planning to ramp up enforcement after receiving a $128 million funding boost in the state budget. According to data from the regulator, one person a week dies from workplace-related injuries in NSW. SafeWork NSW executive director Petrina Casey said the regulator was now able to launch more prosecutions. "The intent is that we have more resources to hold employers to account," Ms Casey said. Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis said more than 50 new inspectors would be recruited. There are already 370 inspectors on the beat, policing workplaces across the state including building sites. The inspectors have the power to seize evidence, order work to stop on dangerous sites, and issue on-the-spot fines for safety breaches. Among the new roles being created are 25 positions focused on psychological hazards, as the government comes under pressure over a plan to cut back on compensation for mental injuries. A bill that would make it much harder for workers with psychological injuries to claim long-term support has been blocked in the upper house. Ms Costas told the ABC that the government takes psychological injury as "seriously as physical injury". "We've seen an increase, and we're trying to manage that increase at the front end as well, at the preventative," she said. Ms Casey said the regulator would sharpen its focus on psychological harms, including sexual harassment and bullying. "Traditionally [bullying] is where we're seeing a lot of the psychosocial claims come from," she said. As the regulator steps up enforcement, it is launching an advertising blitz to promote safer workplaces, scheduled to launch on Sunday.
ABC News
12 hours ago
- ABC News
Tasmanian boy left homeless due to child protection department's 'gross negligence', family member says
A 13-year-old boy was left languishing in a homeless shelter for months because of the Tasmanian child protection department's "gross negligence", a family member says. The family member, who cannot be named due to child protection laws, repeatedly urged the department to act, warning the boy was "hanging around a tent city of homeless adults", taking drugs and dealing them. When she found out in August that the child was homeless, and questioned why authorities had not intervened, she said a department worker told her there were only two response staff on in the area. "I understand that your office is grossly understaffed — this is not your fault, but it's also not [the child's]," the family member wrote to the worker. Having worked in the child protection system interstate, she told the ABC that understaffing could lead to "permanent harm". "Those sorts of levels of staffing lead to deaths of children," she said. "It leads to instability because then the workers burn out and they can't provide the correct level of care for these kids. But, ultimately, these kids pay the price, and it changes the path of their life permanently." The department could not tell the ABC how many staff were on in the child's area between August and September, but in the north-west there were 12.7 full-time employees, compared to 16.7 the year before. Across the entire state, the staffing figure for that period was 85.6 on average, down from 102 the previous year. In October, the child's primary worker told the family member the boy was under the department's guardianship as per an interim order, and that a 12-month order was in process. But the boy continued to bounce around the state homeless, with the family member holding "serious concerns" about how his case was being managed. "No disrespect to you…as you have been thrown in the deep end, but [his] case is complex and cannot be effectively managed if you have not met him and there is back and forth between the northwest and the south which further slows things down. It needs to be managed by an experienced team in the south who can physically get out to see [him]," she wrote in an email. The worker said the department was in search of stable accommodation for the child but there had been "some difficulty". "I have followed up with the progress frequently, but the matter sits above me at this point in time, so I am unable to escalate it myself. [His] case has also been requested to transfer south due to that is where he is currently located, but due to the current placement request potentially being state-wide, the case transfer has been put on hold," the worker wrote. Often gone from the shelter for days, the child was seen advertising the sale of drugs online. "It's not acceptable that an at-risk 13-year-old child is being left to his own devices and there isn't a plan in place to return him to placement," the family member wrote to the department. "I'm worried about the path that he is currently on and that it's going to lead to him being further abused or overdosing, in juvenile detention, seriously hurt, or worse." The family member said the department no longer responded to her questions about the child's current situation and that she would make a formal complaint about the handling of his case. The department could not comment on individual matters for legal and privacy reasons. Tasmania's child protection department has been increasingly handling notifications about children in potential risk through pathways other than launching an investigation. Around 75 per cent of notifications for non-Aboriginal children, and more than half for Aboriginal kids, were "dealt with by other means" last financial year, data from a Productivity Commission report shows. It contributed the increase to "a change" in how cases are recorded since the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. "During and following the commission of inquiry there were increases of historical abuse being reported. These notifications were assessed and closed as 'dealt with by other means' under 17 (2)(b), when no current risk to children is identified," the department said. Senior program manager at Anglicare, Marni Bos, said the non-government organisation received referrals from child safety — some that required a higher level of intervention than the organisation could offer. She said across the state, there was a "high demand" for their outreach program for kids with complex needs. The Supported Youth Program provided support, counselling and mediation for children aged 10 to 18 who were in an unstable home, disengaged from education, experiencing substance abuse or struggling socially. "In that program over the last 12 months, we have case managed 135 young people across the north, north-west," Ms Bos said. "We have limited services in the north, north-west, and so that can be a contributing factor [for high demand]." She said greater awareness of their rights among young people, family violence and lack of housing had also contributed to the increase in demand. Interim Children's Commissioner Isabelle Crompton said around 400 children between the ages of 10 to 17 presented to the state's homelessness services each year. "Prevention and early intervention systems have not met the needs of this highly vulnerable group of children whose homelessness relates to a lack of appropriate or safe care," she said. "I know from speaking with children and young people that experiencing homelessness on their own can lead to offending behaviour and further unsafe situations," Ms Crompton said. Youth offences in Tasmania have risen from 3,800 in 2022 to 5,782 last year. Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner of Operations Adrian Bodnar last month said 57 people were responsible for half of the youth crimes in the state. "It's a small cohort of youths that are creating the bulk of the issues for us in the community," Assistant Commissioner Bodnar said. The state's Liberal and Labor parties have not yet outlined their policies for the child protection sector, ahead of the election next month. Labor spokesperson Sarah Lovell said she was aware the system had been "chronically underfunded and under-resourced for over a decade". "Our commitment is to deliver a properly resourced, responsive, and accountable system that genuinely supports the wellbeing of vulnerable children and families," Ms Lovell said. Premier Jeremy Rockliff said: "We're supporting all the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, which includes increased investment in child protection."
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
'Rust' crew settles lawsuit against film producers and Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting
A settlement has been reached in the civil lawsuit alleging negligence in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie 'Rust', according to court documents released Friday. The lawsuit was brought by three 'Rust' crew members seeking compensation for emotional distress from producers of ' Rust," including Alec Baldwin as co-producer and lead actor. The civil suit accused producers of failing to follow industry safety rules — allegations they denied. Terms of the settlement were not available. Attorneys for 'Rust' producers and the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached by phone or email. Plaintiffs to the lawsuit included Ross Addiego, a front-line crew member who witnessed at close range the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins at close during a rehearsal on October 2021 on a filmset ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. A charge of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin was dismissed at trial last year on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense. Separately, 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and completed an 18-month sentence in May. Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unwittingly bringing live ammunition on set and failing to follow basic gun safety protocols. Baldwin was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Addiego testified at Gutierrez-Reed's trial and appeared before the grand jury that indicted Baldwin. The filming of 'Rust' was completed in Montana. The Western was released in theaters in May.
Associated Press
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
'Rust' crew settles lawsuit against film producers and Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A settlement has been reached in the civil lawsuit alleging negligence in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie 'Rust', according to court documents released Friday. The lawsuit was brought by three 'Rust' crew members seeking compensation for emotional distress from producers of 'Rust,' including Alec Baldwin as co-producer and lead actor. The civil suit accused producers of failing to follow industry safety rules — allegations they denied. Terms of the settlement were not available. Attorneys for 'Rust' producers and the plaintiffs could not immediately be reached by phone or email. Plaintiffs to the lawsuit included Ross Addiego, a front-line crew member who witnessed at close range the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins at close during a rehearsal on October 2021 on a filmset ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. A charge of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin was dismissed at trial last year on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense. Separately, 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and completed an 18-month sentence in May. Prosecutors accused Gutierrez-Reed of unwittingly bringing live ammunition on set and failing to follow basic gun safety protocols. Baldwin was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Addiego testified at Gutierrez-Reed's trial and appeared before the grand jury that indicted Baldwin. The filming of 'Rust' was completed in Montana. The Western was released in theaters in May.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alleged drunk driving crash near Kalispell costs passenger an arm
Jun. 27—Prosecutors say a driver involved in a U.S. 2 wreck earlier this month that cost her passenger a limb had a breath alcohol concentration of more than twice the legal limit. Kelly Ann Hartigan, 48, faces one count of felony negligent vehicular homicide in Flathead County District Court following the June 14 crash. Held in the county jail with bail set at $100,000, she is scheduled to appear before Judge Danni Coffman on June 30 for her arraignment. Hartigan was headed eastbound on U.S. 2 near Kalispell when she drove off the road and hit a light pole, according to court documents. The collision tore the right arm off of her passenger at the shoulder, and Hartigan allegedly continued driving for another 500 yards before stopping. An arriving Montana Highway Patrol trooper allegedly smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage on Hartigan. They described her as unsteady on her feet and seemed poised to fall over, according to court documents. During the ensuing field sobriety tests, Hartigan allegedly showed multiple signs of impairment. She also sported glossy eyes and swayed on her feet. A subsequent breath test returned with an alcohol content of 0.180, according to court documents. Investigators later secured a blood draw at a medical center following her arrest. If convicted, Hartigan faces up to 10 years behind bars and a fine of $10,000. News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@
