Information Regulator ignores occupational safety standards: PSA demands accountability
The Public Servants Association (PSA) has raised concerns that a serious leadership crisis has unfolded in the Information Regulator as the premises at 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead continues to be occupied in open defiance of a lawful Prohibition Notice issued by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) on 26 March 2026.
The notice took immediate effect after inspectors identified a complete failure of the building’s ventilation system, creating conditions that endanger the health and lives of workers. This conduct reflects deeper contradiction in the Institution. An authority mandated to protect rights has become an instrument that undermines the safety and dignity of its own workforce. Workers are being compelled to enter a space that has been formally declared unsafe. This is not an administrative failure but the imposition of risk on labour by those who exercise control over the workplace, revealing a pattern of disregard for the material conditions of workers.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act is clear and uncompromising. Section 30 empowers inspectors to prohibit the use of any workplace that threatens employee safety. Once issued, such a notice is binding and immediate and not subject to managerial discretion or delay. The continued occupation of the building is therefore unlawful. Section 38 of the Act elevates this violation to a criminal offence as any person who contravenes a Prohibition Notice is liable to prosecution, including fines or imprisonment. The CEO’s actions constitute a conscious and deliberate breach of the law. This defiance places workers in harm’s way in pursuit of operational continuity at any cost.
This situation reflects a broader reality where labour is expected to absorb risk whilst authority evades accountability. Forced occupation of a prohibited workplace represents coercion, not leadership. It strips workers of their right to a safe environment and reduces them to instruments of compliance under unsafe conditions.
The PSA therefore calls for immediate enforcement action. The DEL must act decisively to uphold its own directive. Law enforcement agencies must initiate a criminal investigation into the CEO’s conduct. The threshold for arrest has been met under Section 38 of the Act. The building must remain closed until it is formally certified as safe. No worker must be compelled to enter a hazardous environment. The PSA will not allow the rights of workers to be eroded, and accountability must follow.
