Regulator Confirms Use of Body Cameras to Deter Bribery

SafeWork South Australia inspectors will trial the use of body-cameras when attending workplaces, and will send two workers to each inspection, in an attempt to discourage bribery and persuasion.

Last year, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) began an investigation into SafeWork SA’s practices, policies, and procedures following several complaints over its integrity (see related article).

At the time, the findings of the ICAC inquiry were expected to affect all jurisdictions, after the ICAC concluded inspectors across the country all operate under the same “competing pressures” (see related article).

Counsel assisting the investigation, Holly Stanley, said having two SafeWork inspectors on an inspection protected them from inaccurate accusations and improved inspector safety. Stanley also said that inspectors were likely to feel more confident in a pair, and therefore “less likely to decide not to issue a notice where such a notice should have been issued.”

“I recognise that inherent in this recommendation is a serious resource question… [but] it is undoubtedly the case that the risks of corruption, misconduct and maladministration are significantly heightened by only one inspector attending a site visit.”

This week, SafeWork SA confirmed that it would trial these methods in its annual activity report.

SafeWork SA Executive Director, Martyn Campbell, said the regulator had been through a period of significant change over the past 12 months.

“Following the ICAC Evaluation, which detailed 39 recommendations, we have launched a Steering Committee to progress projects associated with the recommendations as a priority. As of 30 June 2019, five recommendations were completed and one had been partially completed.”

“SafeWork SA has focused on a number of reform programs and will be continuing to build the capability of the organisation to meet the expectations of stakeholders and industry.”

The report also states that all SafeWork SA staff are now required to document any gifts or benefits offered, and have been trained on exactly what constitutes a gift. The regulator has also implemented a program of GPS tracking in government vehicles in order to identify the location of inspectors during working hours.