Network Meeting – Panel Discussion: Prosecution of safety professionals

Network Meeting Agenda – April 2025

PRESENTER: John Makris, Partner, Kingston Reid

TOPIC: Potential Prosecutions of Safety Professionals

The 2023 decision involving the successful prosecution of a safety manager in Queensland has raised concerns over the WHS liability of safety professionals.

In this presentation, John Makris will discuss the reasons for the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court decision and the implications for safety personnel moving forward.

About the speaker:

John has over 25 years’ experience working in regulatory workplace health and safety, environmental and heavy vehicle compliance, dealing with regulators, and providing advice and representation on numerous issues, John is regarded as a notable senior leader in the industry.

His appetite for getting to know and understand his clients, and his focus on providing exceptional service and support to them is admired by John’s peers and colleagues and valued by his clients.

His real passion is helping clients get their businesses back on track with minimum downtime and disruption, following workplace incidents and investigations.  John expertly guides clients through the uncertainty and complexity of dealing with workplace incidents, including police and regulator investigations, prosecutions and coronial proceedings. His insightful, clear and practical advice is built around helping teams and people understand what has occurred and what needs to happen next and focused on minimising any adverse impacts on the business and its people.

John also takes pride in staying ahead of the game; he invests a significant amount of time educating and training his clients on a range of safety, environmental and heavy vehicle compliance subjects so they too can be ahead of the game and can be proactive in meeting their regulatory and compliance obligations.