Workplace watchdog finds 44 safety breaches across NSW farming sector

NSW work safety watchdog conducts blitz on Coffs Coast, Riverina farms after modern slavery inquiry In short: Five labour hire firms across the Coffs Coast on the New South Wales Mid North Coast have been ordered to stop work in certain areas after a SafeWork NSW blitz. A total of 44 breaches were handed out during the surprise inspections in the Coffs Harbour and Riverina regions. What's next? The state's industrial relations minister, Sophie Cotsis, says the government is in favour of a national labour hire scheme, but some states have already opted out. The workplace safety watchdog has identified dozens of safety issues across labour hire firms operating across New South Wales fruit farms in the wake of serious modern slavery allegations in the fruit picking industry. SafeWork NSW has issued 44 notices to labour-hire companies following inspections in the horticultural sector across the Coffs Harbour and Riverina regions. Five prohibition notices were issued to Coffs Coast operators where SafeWork NSW identified serious safety risks at certain sites that resulted in an immediate stop work until those risks are addressed and rectified. The blitz comes after a report delivered by a state parliamentary inquiry into modern slavery that sparked serious concern about practices in the fruit picking industry, with allegations made that workers were being underpaid and were not being given appropriate entitlements. In the Coffs Harbour region, inspectors spent eight days visiting 28 businesses and issued 34 compliance notices, which included 29 improvement notices and five prohibition notices. In the Riverina, SafeWork worked with the State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) on a two-day operation where another 32 businesses were inspected, and 10 compliance notices were issued. SIRA officers verified workers' compensation coverage, including declared wages and worker classifications. SafeWork NSW commissioner Janet Schorer said the blitz focused on pack houses, agricultural businesses and farms that were working in berry picking. "We're interested in the labour hire arrangements, as well as the supply chain arrangements that happen in those particular industries," Ms Schorer said. "What we saw in those locations and around the improvement notices was a range of issues with moving plant machinery, with electrical safety and with hazardous chemicals, which happens quite frequently in this industry." Ms Schorer said SafeWork NSW spent time talking with staff and employers about worker rights, safety systems and the available support systems. She added that SafeWork NSW was training inspectors to recognise signs of modern slavery. Ms Schorer said inspectors gave the farms instructions on what needed to be done to address the issues identified. The inspector will also provide a time frame for changes to be made, and will visit again to ensure compliance. SafeWork NSW had passed on any relevant information to the Australian Federal Police following the operation. Ms Schorer said more operations would be conducted across the picking season. 'They will be found out' NSW Work Health and Safety Minister Sophie Cotsis said there were "dodgy operators" out there that needed to be dealt with, but she conceded that there was more work to do. "Labour hire operators who are not following work health and safety are doing the wrong thing, and they will be found out," Ms Cotsis said. She added that federal and state operators were working together to address issues in the berry picking industry because a "coordinated approach" was key. "A number of these workers are very scared about providing information," Ms Cotsis said. "I recently spoke to the Migrant Worker Centre that the government established, are doing really important work getting out into the communities. "Getting the information out to these workers is very challenging. You can't just pick up a phone and talk to them; they're very scared, and they don't want to be identified." Ms Cotsis said the NSW government was in favour of a national labour hire scheme, but some states had pulled out already. She said that in NSW, the government was looking at a number of options so it could have its own scheme. "We want to make sure workers go to work safely, are working safely, and come home to their family and friends safely," she said. In addition to this, she said the government had increased the number of SafeWork inspectors.