By Anthony Benbow
PERTH — "These are the worst breaches of workplace health and safety conditions that I've seen. Anywhere", said Peter Carter, an organiser with the WA Electrical and Engineering Union (AEEFEU). He was referring to Austal Ships, currently the subject of action by the union and the WA Department of Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare (DOSHWA).
Austal employs about 500 workers. Most work a 60-hour week for a flat rate of $18 per hour, which does not make up for lost penalty and overtime rates. Few are unionised.
AEEFEU organisers visited the site on March 13 at the request of union members there (The AEEFEU members on site work for a contractor, Coastline Marine.) Carter and a colleague, Les McLaughlan, were challenged by management at the gate but were eventually allowed to enter to talk to members as long as they were accompanied at all times by "security" personnel.
"I had a camera, and was photographing the site", Carter said. "It took a while to realise how bad the place actually was."
Carter's photographs are hard to believe. Workers were building a vessel three or four storeys high, with scaffolding in use as high as 10 metres. Most of the scaffolding is incorrectly assembled. Most scaffolds lack base plates and kick boards, and there are no access ladders. Some scaffolds have rope slung in place of the handrails, or no handrails at all.
There are holes in the decking and sheer drops — some as high as 15 metres — that have no handrails. One scaffold that did have handrails was not high enough; workers were standing on the rails to do welding. One slip would result in an eight-metre fall!
Ventilation was poor, and work was carried out in a haze of welding fumes. For 500 people, the amenities provided cater for only around 140. Workers were taking breaks in the work area, sitting on crates and cable drums, surrounded by fumes. Air hoses and electrical cords were scattered all over the decking, with people walking on them. Cables were stretched across doorways at head height.
The AEEFEU organisers immediately called DOSHWA inspectors to examine the site. The department had visited the previous week, but had issued only one or two "improvement" notices, which allow one month for the problem to be fixed. This time, however, the inspectors were made aware of more problems.
According to DOSHWA, "the level of safety indicates a lack of company supervision". When challenged, company management admitted "problems" with site safety. They also did not disagree with a DOSHWA inspectors' remark that "safety has been forsaken in a push to complete work".
"Austal Ships touts itself as internationally competitive and a major export earner", said Carter. "The safety breaches here make it clear who's paying for such competitiveness."
He added, "The question of what sort of work environment we want for our children makes the situation even worse. Last year this company took on 50 apprentices. These young people are just out of high school, and this is the example that's being presented to them as a 'normal work environment'. I'd sooner my kids be on the dole than work in a place like this."
The company has been served with 11 "improvement" notices, and four "prohibition" notices that require an immediate stop to work in affected areas until the problems are fixed. The management responded by sacking around 20 AEEFEU members on the basis that the prohibition notices mean there's no work for them!
The union is fighting the dismissals. "These people are available every day for work. It's the company's fault that there's no work available; therefore dismissal is completely unfair", said AEEFEU secretary Bill Game.