Overview

• WorkSafe has laid two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act for failing to provide a safe working environment and for exposing non-workers to health and safety risks
• The regulator alleges the department neglected to prevent unauthorized access to Malmsbury’s buildings and security gates before the October 2023 incident
• The key theft escalated into assaults on a youth justice worker and several inmates and saw seven staff members held hostage
• Three detained youths were hospitalized with upper body injuries during the breach and a fourth received on-site first aid
• Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre closed in late 2023 following repeated security incidents and its detainees were transferred to Parkville and Cherry Creek