Reduce Injuries and Improve Safety Culture
What helps to reduce injuries and improve safety culture?
Can it be that compliance with the mandatory consultation requirements of the NSW WHS Act 2011( sections 46 to 49) would help to reduce injuries and improve the safety
culture in your workplace?
Have a look at the points in the checklist below and see what you think.
The points in the checklist below are all from the mandatory consultation requirements of the NSW WHS Act 2011. Mark a score out of 10 in each box in the checklist.
If each item you marked less than 10 was improved to a 10 would that improve the attitudes and behaviour about health and safety and reduce injuries in your workplace?
Perhaps your Managers and Supervisors could also use it as a checklist or you could turn it into a survey of your workplace.
Perhaps you could simply use this checklist to help you verify that your workplace is fully compliant with mandatory consultation requirements or to identify areas where improvements are needed.
Checklist for Mandatory Consultation
The meaning of the term "workers" in this checklist is the same as as used in the WHS ACT and in the Consultation requirements in that Act (Sections 46 to 49). See bottom of the checklist for the WHS Act definition of worker.
In your workplace is consultation a 2 way process between
the PCBU and workers where they:
talk to each other about health and safety matters? ____
listen to concerns and raise their concerns?____
seek and share views and information?____
Are all workers encouraged to:
ask questions about health and safety?
raise concerns and report problems?
make safety recommendations?
be part of the problem solving process?
Are all workers given:
relevant work health & safety information?
a reasonable opportunity to express their views and to raise health or safety issues?
a reasonable opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process relating to the health & safety matter?
the outcome of any consultation in a timely manner?
And:
are the health and safety views of workers taken into account?
If more than one person has a duty in relation to the same health & safety matter does each person:
so far as is reasonably practicable, consult, co-operate and co-ordinate activities with all other persons who have a duty in relation to that health and safety matter.
Are workers consulted when:
Identifying hazards and assessing risks to health and safety
Making decisions about ways to eliminate or minimise those risks
Proposing changes that may affect the health and safety of workers
Making decisions about the adequacy of facilities for the welfare of workers
When making decisions about procedures for:
- consulting with workers
- resolving workplace health and safety issues
- monitoring the health of workers
- monitoring workplace conditions
- providing information and training for workers
For further details see page 5 of the Work Health and Safety Consultation, Co-operation and Co-ordination Code of Practice
Meaning of “worker”
Section 7 WHS Act 2011
(1) A person is a worker if the person carries out work in any capacity for a person conducting a business or undertaking, including work as:
(a) an employee, or
(b) a contractor or subcontractor, or
(c) an employee of a contractor or subcontractor, or
(d) an employee of a labour hire company who has been assigned to work in the person’s business or undertaking, or
(e) an outworker, or (f) an apprentice or trainee, or
(g) a student gaining work experience, or (h) a volunteer, or
(i) a person of a prescribed class.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a police officer is:
(a) a worker, and
(b) at work throughout the time when the officer is on duty or lawfully performing the functions of a police officer, but not otherwise.
(3) The person conducting the business or undertaking is also a worker if the person is an individual who carries out work in that business or undertaking.
You are welcome to download and distribute the article in your workplace if you feel it may be useful
