One of Australia's leading union officials insists he doesn't want to see bosses go to jail under federal industrial manslaughter laws recommended by a Senate committee.
A Labor-chaired inquiry into workplace deaths has found a new national offence of industrial manslaughter should be created to target negligent corporations.
ACTU assistant secretary Michael Borowick says the laws are needed to create a deterrent for employers who do the wrong thing.
"The equivalent would be if we all knew speed cameras didn't have any film inside; we'd all travel much faster," he told AAP on Thursday.
"(But) we don't want see employers go to jail," Mr Borwick said. "This is not spiteful, we just want an effective deterrent."
Mr Borowick is disappointed the coalition has opposed industrial manslaughter laws because they would undermine existing workplace safety legislation.
"It's a landmark report and it's certainly a blueprint for a future Labor government," he said.
"The fact the federal Libs are down on some of the principle recommendations is not a good sign. If we're calling for anything, it's a call to action."
Families cried in the upper house's public galleries on Wednesday evening as senators remembered the deaths of their loved ones.
A group had gathered at Parliament House in Canberra to see the report's release, hoping it could prevent other families experiencing what they had.
Kay Catanzariti's crusade to change workplace laws was sparked by her 21-year-old son Ben dying on a Canberra construction site in 2012.
"All our loved ones should have come home from work," she said.
After a Senate inquiry earlier in the year, the committee found Queensland industrial manslaughter laws, which include jail terms of up to 20 years and $10 million fines, should be a starting point for federal legislation.
The report also recommended treating all investigations of workplace deaths as potential crime scenes, rather than accidents.
Included in the 34 recommendations are a range of measures to help grieving families receive better access to outreach programs, along with more money for counselling and mental health.
The report says unions and families should have the right to bring forward cases under proposed manslaughter laws on behalf of workers.
Liberal senator Slade Brockman said while one death at work was too many, fatalities had fallen by 50 per cent over the past decade.
Australian Associated Press
