HSRs and Risk Management
Work health and safety (WHS) is most effective when it is built on shared understanding, clear roles, and genuine collaboration. One of the key strengths of the WHS framework in Australia is the way it brings together the business, management, workers, and Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) to manage risks collectively. Understanding the role of HSRs in risk management is essential, not just for compliance, but for creating workplaces where safety systems actually wor
Health and Safety Committee Provisions in NSW WHS Act 2011
Section / Topic Extract / Legal Requirement Connection to Consultation Section 76 – Constitution of Committee The composition of a health and safety committee is to be agreed between the PCBU and workers. At least half of members must be workers not nominated by the PCBU. If no agreement, an inspector can decide. ( NSW Legislation ) This agreement mechanism is directly tied to consultation obligations — committees only exist if workers and PCBU agree or a regulator decides.
Consultation as the fundamental failure in serious work health and safety incidents
Serious workplace incidents, worker fatalities, and life‑altering injuries rarely occur in the absence of prior warning signs. Repeatedly, investigations, coronial inquiries and court decisions show that the most common systemic failure is not the absence of written safety systems, but the failure of those systems to be informed by meaningful consultation. Consultation failures are consistently identified as a root cause of serious harm.
What does it take to be an HSR trainer?
Courtenell put considerable effort into expanding its scope of WHS services in 2023. Being one of the oldest training providers in New...
Is vaping in the office ok?
SafeWork NSW states that environmental e-cigarette vapour, second-hand e-cigarette vapour or passive vaping should be treated ...
Should an HSC be involved in issue resolution or health and safety disputes?
If a business has not arranged its own issue resolution process it must follow the default procedure outlined in the WHS Regulation ....
Three Categories of WHS Offences and a Table of NSW Penalty Units (2024-2025)
The NSW WHS Act 2011 has recently been amended. These amendments have included an increase in the penalty rates for WHS breaches. ....
HSR training is not “optional”
SafeWork NSW have an initial course and a refresher course for health and safety representatives. ...
What is Work Health & Safety Risk Management?
Weekly WHS Article 30th May 2024 WHS risk management is the systematic process of identifying hazards, assessing the risks associated...
Risk Management for all Industries
Weekly WHS Article 15th May 2024 While the procedures for identifying, assessing, and controlling or eliminating workplace risks and...
Your Views Matter
Workers at every workplace in Australia, irrespective of the nature and risk of the business, must be consulted as far as is reasonably...
Safe Work Australia Advice on WHS Consultation
Weekly WHS Article 8th November 2023 A PCBU must consult with their workers about work health and safety matters in their workplace....
What a Health and Safety Committee is Not
It has been over 10 years since New South Wales adopted the Model WHS laws. The WHS Act and WHS Regulation replace the repealed OHS Act ...