Running effective HSCs - Solutions to common problems
The effectiveness of health and safety committees depends on the commitment, knowledge, and individual areas of expertise of their members. HSC members need to know and understand the overall purpose of the HSC, and their role as members to ensure the duties and purpose of their health and safety committee are achieved. The functions of a health and safety committee are stated in Section 77 of the WHS Act. Here are several common issues that affect the effectiveness of health
Officer ordered to have "Due Diligence" training
Up until this time it has been rare to see an Officer of a business or organisation prosecuted, fined and given an order to do WHS training.
“Reasonably Practicable” ... Fried Onions at Bunnings
In 2018 several media outlets ran a story about how Bunnings had changed the way its iconic sausage and bread delicacy could be...
Consulting with workers and worker representatives
A business must consult with workers who carry out work for the business or undertaking and who are, or are likely to be, directly ...
What is a Reasonably Foreseeable Hazard?
As you know, a PCBU has a duty under Section 19 of the WHS Act to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable , the health and safety of...
What or Who is a PCBU?
The words, “person conducting a business or undertaking” (PCBU), appear frequently in the WHS Act.
WHS Due Diligence Reviews are Important
The importance of reviewing your WHS management system and ensuring that directors demonstrate their WHS "due diligence" requirements .....
PCBU and Worker both prosecuted
In Stephen James Orr v Cudal Lime Products Pty Ltd; Stephen James Orr v Simon Shannon [2018] NSWDC 27 a woman was fatally electrocuted...
Ladder Safety at Work and at Home
Ladders are often used at work and at home to get access to higher or lower levels in order to carry out light tasks. But every year many...
A Tragedy Highlights the PCBU’s Responsibility to Manage WHS Risks
A tragic incident in the northern suburbs has highlighted a PCBU’s responsibility for managing work health and safety risks. A...
How to Identify Hazardous Manual Tasks
This article was first published in 2015 Manual handling is the cause of 29% of workplace injuries making it the most common cause of...
What it takes to be a Dogged Safety Champion
We recently came across the true story of a courageous Safety Champion who refused to be diverted from his commitment to carrying out his...
Why the Judge Convicted the Officer
In a Sydney District Court judgement on the 2nd of November 2017 an Officer was convicted of failing to comply with his duty to exercise ...