Australia: The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has claimed that workers at Knauf’s Bundaberg wallboard plant have been bullied and intimidated over safety issues. The CFMEU has released information that claims that Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has hit the plant with eight safety improvement notices since it opened in late August 2017.
The CFMEU’s divisional branch assistant secretary Jade Ingham said said that workers had been greeted with a hostile response when they attempted to take their safety concerns higher. “These workers have been bullied and intimidated for raising concerns about the safety and wellbeing of them and their workmates,” she said. “To have a brand new state-of-the-art factory like this have eight safety improvement notices cast upon it in the first two months of being open is a disgrace.”
Knauf Plasterboard Operations Director Sean Wareham confirmed that the factory had received eight work improvement notices but that ‘none of the items found were deemed to warrant the issue of an infringement notice.’ He said that, throughout its commissioning, the company had maintained its goal to ensure that all factory, engineering, safety practices and legal compliance requirements were adhered to.
“WorkSafe Queensland was invited to attend the Bundaberg site yesterday and determined six of the eight improvement notices have been closed out,” he said. “Of the two remaining notices, one is complete, awaiting official close out, and the other is on track to be completed ahead of time.”
Wareham said as part of Knauf’s commitment to providing a safe place to work, the company actively encouraged employees to raise safety matters, took any improvement recommendations extremely seriously and continued to work closely with its employees and WorkSafe Queensland.
