Workplace health and safety concerns at CSIRO have intensified with the release of a shock directive ordering all staff at the organisation’s Agriculture and Food research unit to stop work, following a “series of safety incidents” including two occasions requiring the hospitalisation of individuals, presumably staff members or affiliates.
The Staff Association understands that Comcare, the federal regulator for work health and safety, is now involved and alert to the recent incidents at Agriculture and Food.
The stand down order covers one of the biggest teams within CSIRO and was announced by Deputy Director Michelle Colgrave, who said when justifying the move that “health and safety is our highest priority, and this proactive measure is necessary to ensure everyone’s safety moving forward.”
Health and safety concerns are growing across the organisation. The impact of psychosocial risks due the workload impacts of Enterprise Services job cuts has already attracted the separate interest of Comcare.
CSIRO narrowly avoided prosecution for breaching federal work health and safety laws less than four years ago, including a charge of failing to protect workers from the risk of death and serious injury, relating to a laboratory explosion at CSIRO Clayton in June 2017 in which a scientist was injured.
“Due to a series of safety incidents over the past few weeks, including two incidents which have required individuals to be taken to hospital, we are implementing a Stop Work until key safety checks and risk assessments have been reviewed and verified,” Dr Colgrave said.
“Effective Thursday 19 December 2024, all work – with the exception of critical tasks required to ensure the welfare of animals – must cease until Friday 20 December. This applies to every Agriculture and Food site, work location team and individual.”
During the stop work, staff will ensure that current and approved risk assessments are in place for all work activities, including the sign-off of all project team members. All plant or equipment being used will include a current plant risk assessment. A visual inspection of all work areas, plant and equipment will be undertaken to check for hazards or faults.
Teams will meet to review emergency response procedures, including identification of first aid officers, fire wardens, location of emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers and first aid kits, as well as emergency exits and assembly points.
“This is a mandatory review and sign-off process. Please ensure that your team takes immediate action to review all documentation and confirm compliance before resuming any work… if you have completed all necessary steps, then you can recommence work on Friday 20 December,” Dr Colgrave said.
“We understand that many staff will be on leave at this time of year, and as such our expectation is that staff returning to work after leave will spend their first day back undertaking the activities outlined.”
Elsewhere, the federal regulator for work health and safety, and workers’ compensation, Comcare, has been alerted to health and safety impacts due to the deep cuts to support roles across the organisation.
Staff Association Secretary Susan Tonks wrote to Comcare in November outlining the potential psychosocial hazards arising the ongoing job cuts across the organisation, the worst cut in more than a decade.
“The Staff Association and CSIRO workers have identified and raised significant workplace health and safety psychosocial hazards that workers are exposed to including; job demands resulting from 700 jobs being cut, poor organisational change management including inadequate consultation with workers and Health and Safety Representatives, inconsistent processes and communications and a lack of role clarity.”
“We hold concerns that the CSIRO has an inadequate risk management framework in place to be able to mitigate or control these hazards,” Ms Tonks said.
Less than four years ago, CSIRO narrowly avoided prosecution for breaching federal work health and safety laws, relating to a laboratory explosion at CSIRO Clayton in June 2017.
Following an investigation by Comcare, in 2019 the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) filed four charges in Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, alleging CSIRO failed in its duties under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
According to a Comcare statement, ‘the incident happened at the Clayton laboratory in June 2017 during an experiment that involved sawdust being heated at pressure using hydrogen gas in an autoclave.’
‘Gas leaked from the autoclave and ignited, causing minor injuries to the researcher including cuts, bruises and facial burns. The explosion caused extensive damage to the building, propelling debris more than 20 metres into a garden area.’
‘The worker suffered minor burns and abrasions to his face, a laceration to the forearm which required 15 sutures and bone bruising to his left knee. The worker was hospitalised overnight.’
However, the court action ultimately was dropped by the CDPP, on the advice of Comcare, after CSIRO settled the case in early 2021 and agreed to enter an ‘enforceable undertaking’ to implement a range of workplace health and safety improvements costing nearly $1.5 million.
