A WHS Tool to Help Identify Areas of Concern

You may find it useful to have a simple WHS tool that can help you identify areas in your workplace that are areas of concern that need WHS improvement. And you may need to drill down into that area to identify or verify specific situations that require attention. This basic tool covers areas that could concern most workplaces. It provides a base that each workplace could modify if needed to best suit their workplace. Maintaining a safe and healthy workplace requires vigilant attention and action. There are a number of pressing reasons to stay on top of this including, compliance with WHS law and the productivity and viability of the workplace. Each duty holder in your workplace (PCBU, Officers, Workers, and Others) can contribute to or implement actions according to their level of authority and their WHS duty of care that can help to keep each item in the tool in a compliant state.

WHS Concerns Tool

The items in the tool below are all key areas for WHS compliance. You may like to mark a score out of 10 for each item. This can help identify any area that needs attention and the overall state of WHS in your workplace. You may prefer to use it as a survey by getting each person in a specific group (such as all Managers) to score each item in the tool so that you can tabulate their responses. 1. Identify hazards Have all the health and safety hazards in your workplace been identified – do you know what could cause fatality, injury or illness in your workplace? (WHS Act Section 17 to 19, WHS Regulation 34)

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2. Assess the risks Do all workers and other persons who may be exposed to the risks, understand the harm that could be caused by each hazard, how serious the harm could be, and the likelihood of it happening? (WHS Act Section 18)

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3. Eliminate or control the risks If the risks cannot be eliminated, have the risks been minimised as far as reasonably practicable by routinely using effective control measures? (WHS Regulation 35-37)

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4. Maintain and review the control measures Are risk control measures reviewed regularly to ensure they are working as planned and revised when necessary? (WHS Regulation 37-38)

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5. Consult with workers Are workers consulted about health and safety matters that affect them? (See WHS Act Sections 46 to 49)

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Are your HSR’s or Health and Safety Committee members effective and have they been trained to perform their role in the workplace?

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6. Instruct, Train, Inform and Supervise Have your workers been given sufficient instruction, training, information and supervision to enable them to safely carry out their work? (WHS Act Section 19 (3)(f), WHS Regulation 39)

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7. WHS Duty Holders Do all WHS duty holders in your workplace know what they must do to satisfy their duty of care and do they do that?

PCBU (WHS Act Section 17 to 19 and 20 to 26) ------------------------

Officers (WHS Act Section 27) ------------------------

Workers (WHS Act Section 28) ------------------------

Others (WHS Act Section 29) ------------------------

Do the Managers and Supervisors who have been given the necessary authority and directions by the PCBU, develop and/or implement the actions that will satisfy the PCBUs duty of care?

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8. Work Health & Safety Management System Does your workplace have a functional health and safety management system in place that enables your workplace to comply with the WHS Act and WHS Regulations that apply to your workplace?

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Are all employees sufficiently aware, trained, and instructed to develop and/or implement or contribute to the actions needed to maintain an effective health and safety management system?

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Is the effectiveness of your work health and safety management system regularly checked?

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6th August 2018 rev. 16th March 2020