A report leaked to the ABC has revealed Ambulance Tasmania is failing to meet its legal obligations regarding the work, health and safety of paramedics.
The report by IPM Consulting was handed to Ambulance Tasmania (AT) in November 2018 but was not released to the public.
It found there was a lack of workplace health and safety policies and procedures across AT, significant issues around the compliance of emergency response systems, and poor management of fatigue and workplace stress.
More than half of the 39 WHS requirements assessed by the consultants were found to be non-compliant with Australian and New Zealand standards, while a further 13 were only partially compliant.
Five WHS processes also failed to comply with State Government legislation under the Work Health and Safety Act.
Tim Jacobson from the Health and Community Services Union said it was a damning report and little at AT had changed since.
"This is an ambulance service that is clearly in crisis, and is failing on pretty much every point in addressing the safety of their staff, and safety, ultimately, of the community," he said.
The review found AT's management had not been trained in their duty of care to staff and potential emergency situations had not been identified, nor had an emergency plan been updated since it was drafted in 2012.
The report also found the physical health of employees who were at high risk of exposure to infectious diseases was not being monitored, nor were there relevant procedures in place.
IPM Consulting made 47 recommendations but said under-resourcing would make it difficult for the changes to be implemented.
"It is acknowledged that Ambulance Tasmania has resourcing constraints and there is limited capacity to develop, implement and improve the WHSMS and processes," the report stated.
Ambulance Tasmania 'determined' to tackle the problem
Mr Jacobson said WHS issues like ramping were still not being addressed fast enough.
"We have major issues right now … in all of our hospitals, safety issues that we are trying to have resolved, everyone knows about those issues but no-one is addressing them in any significant way," he said.
A paramedic who could not be identified told the ABC the workplace stress and fatigue staff experienced was overwhelming and patients were being put at risk.
"It's quite dangerous, we have people going off with stress leave because of ramping. There are medication errors and patients left on the ramp are deteriorating, and some have died," they said.
Another paramedic said chronic under-resourcing put staff at risk every day and that the report "shows Ambulance Tasmania has no respect for their workers".
A spokesman for AT said eight of the report's recommendations had been put in place, 14 were due to be completed next month, and 15 in the first quarter of next financial year.
"Ambulance Tasmania is determined to tackle workplace health and safety issues on behalf of its employees, which is why the report was commissioned," he said.
He said measures to address fatigue were being implemented and additional WHS training for managers were being addressed as a priority.
