Managing Workplace Health and Safety (WHS)
Goal of WHS
The primary goal of Workplace Health and Safety is the prevention of injury and illness.
WHS responsibilities
By law everyone in the workplace has WHS responsibilities. The responsibilities of employers,
supervisors and workers will be determined by the regulations in your State. Refer to your State
regulator.
Systematic management of WHS
A systematic approach is required to effectively manage health and safety. There are numerous
models for WHS management systems. Any system to manage WHS includes systems to
prevent injury and illness through the management of hazards and potential emergencies. It
also includes systems to minimise the losses if accident and emergencies occur. Injury
management programs include first aid, workers’ compensation and rehabilitation
management systems.
WHS management system
WHS planning and administration
Hazard
management
Incident
management
Emergency
procedures
Injury
management
Management commitment
The commitment and leadership of management is required for any system to work. Effective
risk management starts with a commitment to health and safety from those who operate and
manage the business or undertaking. The commitment to WHS should be part of the plant’s
business plan. In order to meet the objective in the business plan WHS policy, programs and
procedures should be developed. You also need the involvement and cooperation of your
workers, and if you show your workers that you are serious about health and safety they are
more likely to follow your lead.
To demonstrate your commitment, you should:
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get involved in health and safety issues
invest time and money in health and safety
ensure health and safety responsibilities are clearly understood.
Management should also demonstrate their commitment through the allocation of human and
financial resources to WHS and promptly acting on WHS issues.
Consultation
Meaningful and effective consultation processes are essential for the whole plant to work
together to achieve health and safety outcomes. The WHS Act requires that you consult, so far
as is reasonably practicable, with workers who carry out work for you who are (or are likely to
be) directly affected by a work health and safety matter.
If the workers are represented by a health and safety representative (HRS), the consultation
must involve that representative.
Consultation involves sharing of information, giving workers a reasonable opportunity to
express views and taking those views into account before making decisions on health and
safety matters.
Consultation with workers and their health and safety representatives is required at each step
of the risk management process. By drawing on the experience, knowledge and ideas of your
workers you are more likely to identify all hazards and choose effective control measures.
Prevention
The main system to prevent illness and injury is the management of potential hazards. This
system involves the identification, assessment and control of hazards. Hazard identification and
risk assessment processes identify the potential hazards of the proposed work activities, assess
the risks involved and develop control measures to eliminate, or minimise, the risks. The risk
management process is carried out in consultation with employees.
Implementation
The control measures that you put into operation will usually require changes to the way work
is carried out due to new or modified equipment or processes, new or different chemicals or
new personal protective equipment. In these situations, it is usually necessary to support the
control measures with the following.
Work procedures
Develop a safe work procedure that describes the task, identifies the hazards and documents
how the task is to be performed to minimise the risks.
Training, instruction and information
Train your workers in the work procedure to ensure that they are able to perform the task
safely. Training should require workers to demonstrate that they are competent in performing
the task according to the procedure. It is insufficient to simply give a worker the procedure and
ask them to acknowledge that they understand and are able to perform it. Training, instruction
and information must be provided in a form that can be understood by all workers. Information
and instruction may also need to be provided to others who enter the workplace, such as
customers or visitors.
Supervision
The level of supervision required will depend on the level of risk and the experience of the
workers involved. High levels of supervision are necessary where inexperienced workers are
expected to follow new procedures or carry out difficult and critical tasks.
Evaluation
A WHS management system should have a built-in review system to check whether it is working
or not, and, if not, what needs to be changed to meet the objectives.
Components of the WHS management systems
WHS planning and administration
WHS policy
WHS responsibilities at all levels
WHS performance indicators for each level
Integration of WHS into production
Coordination of WH&S
Consultation process
Training
Performance appraisal
Monitoring and review
Hazard management
Incident investigation
Emergency procedures
Injury management
Identification
Incident reporting
Early warning
First aid
Setting priorities
Incident investigation
Workers compensation
Assessment
Corrective action taken
Response and
evacuation
Control
Corrective action
reviewed and modified
Implementation
Monitoring
Review
Training
Practice drills and
evaluation
Rehabilitation
Further information in your state:
WorkCover NSW
WorkCover QLD
Phone: 13 10 50
Phone: 1300 362 128
Website: http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au
Website: www.workcoverqld.com.au/
WorkCover SA
WorkCover WA
Phone: 13 18 55
Phone: 08 9388 5555
Website: www.workcover.com/
Website: www.workcover.wa.gov.au
WorkCover Tasmania
WorkSafe Victoria
Phone: 1300 776 572
Phone: 1800 136 089
Website: www.workcover.tas.gov.au/
Website: www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/
NT WorkSafe
Safe work Australia
Phone: 1800 019 115
Phone: 02 6121 5317
Website: www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/
Website: www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
Further references:
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AMIC Members OH&S and Workers Compensation Database
Australian Red Meat OHS Reference Guide