Occupational Health and Safety Duties to Protect Outworkers: The Failure of Regulatory Intervention and Calls for Reform

Abstract

Many Australian outworkers, especially recent immigrants working from home, currently endure poor working conditions. Outworkers often toil without traditional industrial support. Most retailers and suppliers do not monitor working conditions at the base of the supply chain. Occupational health and safety protections are often not enforced in practice. Increased obligations for retailers and suppliers at the top of the supply chain would reduce the violation of fair working conditions.