The ACT government has admitted more support needs to be provided to families of workers killed in workplace accidents.
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In its submission to a senate inquiry into industrial deaths, the territory government said support for families was an area that "requires attention and improvement" with further collaboration between federal as well as state and territory health and safety regulators needed.
"There is a limit to the support that the agency can provide," the submission said.
"The broader provision of adequate support services during a period of grieving should be a priority consideration for all levels of government."
There have been 10 industrial deaths in the ACT since 2008 .
Among them was Ben Catanzariti, who was just 21 when he was killed after suffering severe head injuries when a concrete pouring boom fell on him on a Kingston Foreshore construction site in July 2012.
His mother, Kay, was instrumental in campaigning to set up the senate inquiry into industrial deaths.
While Mrs Catanzariti has written her own submission to the senate inquiry, she agreed more needed to be done to support the families of those killed in industrial accidents.
"There are certain areas that need improvement. You seem to learn about the process as you go along," she said.
"To someone that doesn't know the legal system and has never been involved in the legal system, we were thrown into a legal minefield.
"Loved ones need confirmation and updates."
She said more needed to be done to prevent similar deaths from occurring.
"I'm doing it for Ben and I'm doing it for other families as well," Mrs Catanzariti said.
"My son should not be dead. He went to work, he didn't go to war. He's not a statistic and he's not a number and he has a name."
The ACT government also recommended an industrial manslaughter provision be placed in the ACT's work health and safety laws, based on similar legislation in Queensland.
While the ACT introduce a criminal charge of industrial manslaughter in 2004, it can only be heard in the ACT Supreme Court and not the Industrial Court, due to the maximum penalty being greater than 10 years in jail.
"The ACT government recognises that the industrial manslaughter provision drafted in 2004 may not be the most contemporary legislative model for dealing with industrial manslaughter," the government said.
"The ACT government strongly supports providing the regulator with strong compliance powers to ensure that the legislation can be enforced efficiently and effectively."
The government's submission also raised the issue of how cross-border investigations would be carried out under revised work health and safety laws, with a recent NSW review recommending SafeWork extraterritorial power to enforce WHS laws over the border.
An independent review is already under way in the ACT examining the effectiveness of work safety compliance in Canberra.
Almost six years on from Ben's death, his mother said it hasn't got any easier in coming to terms with her loss.
"I miss his voice, I miss him being here," she said.
"It's like I'm living in purgatory. You close your eyes thinking about him, and you wake up thinking about him."
The coroner is yet to hand down the findings on Ben's death, with an inquest into the matter finishing earlier this year.
Submissions for the senate inquiry closed on June 6, but are still being accepted beyond the due date as a result of the large number of responses.
Mrs Catanzariti said the number of submissions to the inquiry was a positive sign.
"It just goes to show how many industrial deaths there have been," she said.
"There are thousands and thousands of people out there that are suffering in silence."
A report is expected to be handed to the government by September 20.
