Perth Security Company Caught Underpaying Security Guards Cops $81,000 In Penalties

A Perth security company has been penalised in Court for underpaying its guards more than $200,000.

A penalty of $81,270 has been imposed against the Rockingham-based security company in the Federal Court, as a result of legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

In addition to the penalty, the company has back-paid 22 security guards a total of $205,408 it underpaid them between December, 2014 and January, 2016.

Underpayments of individual workers ranged from $227 to $20,174.

The Fair Work Ombudsman discovered the underpayments when it conducted a self-initiated audit of the company in 2015 as part of proactive campaign in Perth’s southern suburbs.

Fair Work inspectors found that the guards - including 13 who performed permanent night work - were paid flat hourly rates of between $21.50 and $24 for static guard work and $25 for patrol work.

This led to the guards being underpaid their minimum hourly rates, casual loadings, overtime pay and penalty rates for night, weekend and public holiday work under the Security Services Industry Award.

In his judgment on the matter, Justice Michael Barker dismissed the company’s submission that it thought paying flat rates above lawful minimum rates for ordinary hours would counteract the different rates of pay for other periods as “at best, a misunderstanding of the law, but a lame excuse”.

Justice Barker accepted that there may have been no blatant design to circumvent the law but found that there was no real excuse for the contraventions, which occurred without any regard for the award requirements.

Justice Barker also ordered the company to commission workplace relations training for its managers.

The company back-paid the guards after the Fair Work Ombudsman commenced legal action.

Are You Looking For Workplace Relations Training For Your Managers?
ISOsafe offer Fair Work support to businesses Australia-wide. One of our Specialists will visit your workplace to review your processes and documents. Based on this, we will provide you with advice, compliance documents, training and a detailed report containing areas for improvement. Call ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132.

Melbourne Restaurant Owners Hit With Almost $200,000 In Penalties For Underpaying Staff

The operators of a Melbourne restaurant have been hit with nearly $200,000 in penalties, after a Judge ruled they deliberately underpaid workers.

The penalties, imposed in the Federal Circuit Court, are the result of an investigation and legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman. 

Thirteen employees at the restaurant in Westfield Knox shopping centre, including six young workers under 21, were underpaid a combined $26,707 over a period of just three-and-a-half months in 2015.

Workers were paid flat rates which failed to meet the minimum hourly rate for 11 of the workers. The flat rates were also not enough to meet weekend, overtime, night and public holiday penalty rates under the Restaurant Industry Award 2010.

Casual loading, shift allowances and annual leave entitlements were also underpaid.
The employees missed out on between 16.95 and 38.22 per cent of their minimum entitlements. They have now been back-paid in full.

The ex-operator and his company also contravened workplace laws by failing to keep proper employment records and failing to comply with a Notice to Produce pay records.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says the substantial penalties reflect the seriousness of the contraventions.

“We have no patience for business operators who fail to respect the law and ignore our advice,” Ms James said.

Ms James said addressing underpayment of young workers in the restaurant industry would continue to be a key focus for her agency.

“We have commenced more than 25 legal actions against restaurant industry operators over the past two years, which means the restaurant sector has accounted for about a quarter of our legal actions over this period,” she said.

“We will continue to scrutinise the restaurant sector closely and employers should be aware that we treat cases involving underpayment of young workers particularly seriously because we are conscious that they can be vulnerable due to a lack of awareness of their entitlements and a reluctance to complain.”

Are You A Business Owner In Need Of Expert Help?
ISOsafe offer Fair Work support to businesses Australia-wide. One of our Specialists will visit your workplace to review your processes and documents. Based on this, we will provide you with advice, compliance documents, training and a detailed report containing areas for improvement. Call ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132.

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ISOsafe is not affiliated with 3D Safety Systems (3DSS) in any way. We are a help service for business owners and contractors.

Truck Driver Dies In Victoria’s North East

A man in his 50s has died after the tip truck he was driving made contact with overhead powerlines on a dairy farm at Kergunyah, south of Albury Wodonga, on Tuesday evening.

It is believed the man died when the front of the tip truck trailer made contact with the powerlines.
The trailer was unloading when the incident occurred.

WorkSafe is investigating the incident.

Do you own or operate a Heavy Vehicle Business? Contact ISOsafe today for Heavy Vehicle Compliance Documents to protect your business and avoid costly incidents and avoidable injuries. 

Crane Fails And Sends 32-tonne Concrete Structure Crashing

WorkSafe is making inquiries into a serious incident in which a precast concrete structure weighing 32 tonnes fell while being lifted by two cranes at a factory in Dandenong on Tuesday. 

The structure fell to the ground when a gantry crane being used in the lift failed. There were no injuries.  

The serious nature of the incident has prompted WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety, Marnie Williams, to issue a warning to employers about the importance of crane safety.

“We are thankful there were no injuries, but it is a stark reminder to every employer that uses a crane to manage all the risks and ensure safety is a priority,” Ms Williams said. “Because inquiries into this incident are ongoing, we cannot release further details at this stage.”

Ms Williams said that with so much construction work going on across Melbourne, many worksites were lifting heavy loads daily.

“Cranes are an essential part of many industries but work involving cranes is high risk and must be treated with the utmost care and caution,” Ms Williams said. “Failure to do otherwise could have tragic consequences.”

When using cranes, measures to manage the risks include:

Selecting the proper crane and lifting equipment for the task, size and weight of the load.

For construction work, ensuring a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) is created and adhered to.

Ensuring cranes are maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications and requirements.

Checking that crane operators have the skills, training and licences to operate safely.

Creating and adhering to safe systems of work and ensuring all workers are properly trained and competent before commencing the task.

Avoid costly WorkSafe penalties. For peace of mind, contact ISOsafe. Our specialists provide training, customised induction programmes for businesses Australia-wide.