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Victoria’s troubled building regulator has been charged over the suicide of one of its senior inspectors for allegedly failing to provide a safe workplace free from health risks, such as stress and other mental health issues.
Rob Karkut, 55, took his own life in May last year after 16 years as an inspector at the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), where he came under intense pressure to meet ambitious targets.
Andrea Holden, partner of the late Rob Karkut.Credit: Scott McNaughton
His death exposed the VBA, which has also been scrutinised for gaps in its regulation of the construction industry, as an unsafe workplace with toxic culture.
WorkSafe on Thursday announced it had charged the VBA with two breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
“WorkSafe has charged the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) after an inspector took their own life in May 2022,” WorkSafe said.
The charges include recklessly engaging in conduct that placed another person at a workplace in serious injury and for failing to provide a safe workplace free from health risks, including workplace-related stress and psychological injury such as anxiety and depression.
“WorkSafe alleges the regulator refused to transfer the inspector to a different supervisor and continued to pursue performance and redundancy processes while aware that this conduct may have placed the inspector at risk of psychological injury,” WorkSafe said in a statement.
The Age revealed on Tuesday that five board members, including the chief commissioner, would not have their terms renewed when they expire on Saturday.
Following Karkut’s suicide, the authority’s board asked former Fair Work Commission deputy president Greg Smith to investigate the immediate dangers to the mental health and wellbeing of its inspectors.
A first tranche of the review, released last year, found a “culture [of] conflict”.
Chief executive Sue Eddy stood down in May and was replaced by Anna Cronin, the former commissioner for better regulation, who has been tasked with cleaning up the regulator.
“She’s working very hard to address the issues in there,” Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny said last week.
A filing hearing is listed at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court next month.
Karkut’s widow, Andrea Holden, the VBA and the Community and Public Sector Union have been contacted.
If you or anyone you know needs support, call Lifeline 131 114 or beyondblue 1800 512 348.
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