• Peter Bateman
    273
    The Forum has a poll feature which has not yet been used, so let's have a go and see how it works. Fingers crossed!

    In Australia, it now looks more than likely that some kind of industrial manslaughter legislation will be enacted in all jurisdictions, most likely as a piece of legislation quite distinct from health & safety statutes.

    Meanwhile, in NZ, a referendum at the 2020 election may result in marijuana being decriminalised.
    1. Should NZ introduce legislation to establish a new crime of industrial manslaughter? (63 votes)
        Yes
        43%
        No
        38%
        Not sure
        19%
    2. If marijuana was decriminalised, would it affect your organisation's drug and alcohol policy? (63 votes)
        Yes
        32%
        No
        57%
        Not sure
        11%
  • Peter Bateman
    273
    The poll has been open a week and 50 people took part - thanks to all of you!
    Support for industrial manslaughter is evenly split. Personally, I'm not yet persuaded a new law is necessary, for the reason suggested by @Drew Rae, and also because the HSW Act already contains ample provision for imprisonment. The courts so far have been reluctant to go anywhere near the maximum penalty provisions, but presumably Parliament put them there for a reason.

    On marijuana, I can't see why its decriminalisation (should it ever happen) would have any effect on drug and alcohol policies. Alcohol is an extremely potent legal drug, and marijuana is a less potent illegal drug. Both are widely tested for already. Therefore what difference does it make if the item being tested for is legal or illegal? (Unless, of course, companies aren't really testing for impairment/safety, but for another agenda altogether.)
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