Assist with Maintaining

Workplace Safety

Lecture 2
 • http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/​
Discussing the
DAP and the • Q: what policies and procedures would
there be in a workplace?​
assessments
• http://www.mauport.com/occupational-
safety-and-health-policy
 • You are a safety representative of South Metropolitan Business
Solutions (SMBS) which is a consultancy company, it provides a range
of consultancy services to include marketing & communications,
human resources, financial management and corporate services to a
range of businesses.
• Safety representative of a work group has to work in close
collaboration with the WHS manager
• The WHS Manager has emailed you with some tasks to undertake as a
Assessment- safety representative. These tasks include:
1. Safety inspection
Tasks 1-4 2. Hazard identification and risk assessment
3. Assist in consulting and providing information to your work group
4. Assist with training sessions
5. Solving problems
You need to read each task and email and follow the request
Update and Share your Knowledge of
WHS
Task 1

• In this task you are required to

research inspection as indicated in
the scenario.
TASK 2 - INCIDENT REPORT STUDENTS ARE TO READ THE SCENARIO AND TO INSTRUCT STUDENTS TO FILL IN ALL SECTIONS OF
COMPLETE THE ACCIDENT INCIDENT REPORT THE FORM AND NAME THE WHS MANAGER
USING THE INFORMATION FROM THE SCENARIO (ASSESSOR) AS THE SUPERVISOR.
TASK 3 – CONDUCT A HAZARD INSPECTION AND RISK AS A SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE TO
ASSESSMENT CONDUCT A WORKPLACE INSPECTION AND RISK
ASSESSMENT OF A DESIGNATED WORK AREA EACH
MONTH.
• Task 4 – Implement and monitor
safe work practices in staff duties
 • The WHS Act provides a framework to protect the health, safety and
welfare of all workers at work and of other people who might be
affected by the work. The WHS Act aims to:
• protect the health and safety of workers and other people by
eliminating or minimizing risks arising from work or workplaces
Recap on • ensure fair and effective representation, consultation and
cooperation to address and resolve health and safety issues in
lecture 1 - the workplace
• encourage unions and employer organizations to take a
Purpose of constructive role in improving work health and safety practices
• assisting businesses and workers to achieve a healthier and safer

the WHS Act working environment „

• promote information, education and training on work health and
safety
• provide effective compliance and enforcement measures, and
• deliver continuous improvement and progressively higher
standards of work health and safety
 Regulations
-Regulations support the legislation – these are requirements,
duties and procedures that apply to all workplaces or to specific
industries

An example of OHS regulations

would be:
1) requirements/qualifications for
undertaking specific tasks
2) Testing equipment prior to use
3) Using effective signage
 Codes of Practice
- rules outlining the responsibilities or proper practices for an individual, party or
organization What would be an example of this?

CODES OF PRACTICE FOR

DANGEROUS GOODS

- Workers should wear conductive clothing and footwear; and

avoid the use of non-conducting plastics or rubber hoses,
containers or funnels.

Question: What’s the difference between Regulations and Codes of Practice??

Answer: Codes of Practice are not legally enforceable whereas Regulations are
 • Legislation is made by parliament example WHS Act -
Work Health and Safety Act WA 2020- (
https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/statutes.ns
f/law_a147282.html
)

Recap on • WHS Regulation- Western Australia’s Work Health and

Safety (General) Regulations
lecture 1 2021-https://www.dmirs.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/at
oms/files/overview_general_regulations.pdf

• Code of Practice for managing hazards and risks-How to

manage work health and safety risks
2018-https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/system/files
/documents/1901/code_of_practice_-
_how_to_manage_work_health_and_safety_risks_1.pdf
 • A person conducting a business or
undertaking ( PCBU ) has a primary duty of
Who is a care to ensure the health and safety of
workers while they are at work in the
PCBU business or undertaking and others who may
be affected by the carrying out of work, such
as visitors.
 It is crucial to remain up to date with changes in
relation to WHS legislation. You need to make use of
verified sources.
 Examples :
Is it important • Work safe website
to be up to https://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe

date with • Safe work Australia

WHS info https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/

• Comcare
https://www.comcare.gov.au/scheme-legislation/
whs-act
 2.1 Assist with implementing consultative
processes designed to engage work team in
managing WHS

Element 2 :
Contribute to 2.2 Respond to WHS issues in a timely
manner and according to organisational

consultative
policies and procedures for issue resolution

arrangements 2.3 Encourage others to participate in

for managing arrangements for managing WHS

WHS
2.4 Assist in engaging with required
personnel to identify and implement
improvements in response to WHS feedback
 • Apply and monitor the Organisati on’s
consultati ve procedures to facilitate
parti cipati on of the work team so that
Contribute to they may manage the WHS issues at
consultative work
arrangements • The workplace must be safe and any
WHS issue should be dealt with
for managing promptly according to the
WHS Organisati on’s policies and procedures
• Consultati on remains crucial to resolve
WHS issues
Consultation
• Consultati on is a legal requirement and an
essenti al part of managing health and
safety risks.

• A safe workplace is more easily achieved

when everyone involved in the work
communicates with each other to identi fy
hazards and risks, talks about Work Health
and Safety (WHS) concerns, and works
together to fi nd soluti ons.
Consultation
Procedures
Discussion:
• Is consultation regarding an
organization’s WHS important?
When should employees be
consulted?
 Consultation

Consultation is useful Deciding how best to Implementing new risk Making decisions about Proposing change
when: control a risk controls facilities and equipment
used by staff
OHS Policy cont…
The procedures may set out things such as:
• how often safety checks and inspections
should be carried out
• a list of what needs to be checked (e.g., are
corridors clear of obstructions that could
cause an injury)
• a plan of action and who to report to in case
you do find an issue or hazard

Employees should know these procedures so

that they can act quickly if someone is harmed
or injured.
An employer ’s responsibility includes:
• Management taking responsibility for health and
safety at the top level
• Senior management working out the implicati ons
within the workplace of health and safety
• Allocati ng responsibility and resources for each acti vity
to people in the workplace
• Establish procedures to ensure that all responsibiliti es
are being carried out
• Write these responsibiliti es and accountabiliti es directly
into the Health and Safety Procedures Manual.
• It is important to include interesti ng WHS informati on in
regular meeti ngs to emphasise the importance of health
and safety to the organisati on.

• If you do not present the informati on clearly, concisely,

and with examples that the listeners can relate to, the
whole delivery may be a waste of valuable ti me.
Encourage
others to
participate in Q:
arrangements How can you encourage others to contribute
for managing to workplace safety?
WHS
 Be a role model for Offering rewards to the Surveys to get the
your team and practice most compliant WHS Suggestion box views of staff on WHS
what you preach employee matters

Staff meetings
One-to-one interviews specifically OHS Workshops Spot checks
focused

Allocate responsibilities
Offer training to raise
to various people at
awareness about
different levels of
importance of WHS
organization
Assist in engaging with required personnel to identify and
implement improvements in response to WHS feedback

Safety meetings allow you to

ensure that your staff are aware of
Formal and Informal Health and
the requirements they need to
Safety Meetings
meet with regards to health and
safety in the workplace.

They also allow you to show how

Safety meetings, note hazards that
health and safety is not just theory,
exist in the workplace and use this
but something that needs to be put
for eliminating problems before
into practice in the actual
they become a major issue.
workplace.
• Ensure that your safety meeti ngs are well planned.

• Managers and safety offi cers need to be aware of the agenda so that they can prepare
for the meeti ng and know what they will be required to discuss during the upcoming
meeti ngs.

• Everyone should be encouraged to discuss issues and fi nd soluti ons to the problems that
exist.

• Management should listen carefully to what staff members are saying, so they are aware
of what is happening on the shop fl oor.
• Suggesti ons, Requests, Reports and Concerns
Put Forward to Management

• The fi nal method by which you can make a

positi ve contributi on to workplace safety is by formally
informing your management or WHS staff about any
concerns you may have with regards to safety.

• If you have any concerns or suggesti ons, these

should be provided to management in an appropriate
manner so that they can consider your suggesti ons and
make any recommendati ons based on your ideas.

• Feedback is crucial and all employees should be

involved in parti cipati ng in the management of
workplace hazards. Try and get as much feedback as
possible from individuals and teams in your workplace
to be able to identi fy and implement the management
of health and safety
End of
Element 2