Safety and Workers' Compensation Diagnostic
Company details
- Business name
- State
- Number of employees
- Contact Name
- Job Title
- Phone
Introduction
About safety
Managing your business and considering safety, means maximising profits and ensuring your business has identified the hazards and controlled them. This will then lead to key productivity improvements that can be built into your safety system and planning processes.
The management of safety requires employers to analyse what is done in the business, how it is done, and to talk to workers to get their views and ideas, and to consider those views when making decisions.
Cost savings can be found by improving the safety of your operation and documenting these in your safety systems. By reviewing your current safety systems and ensuring these are applicable to the work that you do, this will ensure you have processes in place to reduce the injuries to workers and improving productivity at the same time (as the processes are directly relevant to what you do).
Other reasons for businesses to become more aware of hazards include improving employee morale and retention, improving efficiency and creating innovations in processes by considering safety. With improved collaboration and engagement across your workforce, you not only engage workers in safe work practices, but you can comply with safety legislation.
Get WHS Help
Ai Group offers a range of multidisciplinary Work Health Safety Consulting Services advising companies faced with strategic, operational and compliance difficulties. Our consultants have an employer-focussed approach with your needs and operations in the front of their minds.
Find out more online or email safety.services@aigroup.com.au to speak to a consultant.
About this report
The diagnostic tool and subsequent report gives you a high-level overview of your business's position in ten safety elements: awareness of legislative safety duties, safety improvement strategies, risk management, work practices, continuous improvement, hazardous activities, training and competency, consultation and communication, monitoring and review, and reporting. It provides suggestions of what you might do next to improve your workplace safety.
Executive summary
The table below is designed to show your performance based on the answers provided.
Your results show that your business has % conformance to the diagnostic tool. As such your phase is: .
| Not Yet Developed < 50% Nothing in place | Under Development 50-79% Something in place – needs further work on processes | Fully Developed ≥ 80% Got building blocks/system – now time to review for management of risks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you are now | Workplace has few or no policies, procedures or tools in place. | Workplace has some policies, procedures and tools in place. | Workplace has most or all required policies, procedures and tools in place. |
| Workplace has limited or no HR, Health & Safety, compliance, business improvement processes, or safety training program in place. | Workplace has some HR, Health & Safety, compliance, business improvement processes, and specific training program in place. | Workplace has comprehensive HR, Health & Safety, compliance, business improvement processes, and specific training program in place. | |
| Organisational productivity will be improved by enhancing the health and safety management processes, and understanding and managing the high risk hazards of the organisation. | Organisational productivity will be improved by enhancing the health and safety management processes, understanding the high risk hazards of the organisation, and implementing a process to either eliminate or manage these risks. | Organisational productivity could be improved by further enhancing the health and safety management processes, ensuring all the high risk hazards of the organisation have been identified, and a process exists to either eliminate or manage these risks. | |
| Your next steps | Work with industry body/consultant to develop Compliance frameworks for internal and external requirements. | Work with industry body/consultant to identify and prioritise the gaps/deficiencies in compliance strategy. | Work with industry body/consultant to assess audit preparation and to fill any remaining gaps/deficiencies. |
| Create supporting business improvement, change management processes and training. | Strengthen supporting HR, OHS, compliance and business improvement processes, policies and procedures. | Review supporting HR, OHS, compliance and business improvement processes, policies and procedures. | |
| Start with Ai Group Safety & Workers Compensation services | Compliance review including compliance framework design, policy & procedure template suite, and accredited training program. | System review including compliance improvement roadmap, and implementation of accredited training programs. | Pre-Audit review including gap analysis, process improvement, and review of organisational strategy. |
Section 1: Aware of legislative safety duties
The organisation should establish, implement and maintain procedures to identify and have access to all legal and other requirements that are directly applicable to safety issues related to its activities, products or services, including relevant information on legal and other requirements to its workers. Senior Management should understand their their due diligence obligations and ensure that the workplace risks have been appropriately controlled. By being aware of legislative duties, Senior Management can target their efforts to manage their critical risks more effectively and efficiently.
Opportunities for improvements
- Understand what duties in the WHS legislation is relevant to your business by reviewing the relevant legislation for your state or territory.
- Ensure the Job Descriptions for Senior Managers and workers include the relevant WHS responsibilities.
- Provide training to all Senior Managers and Workers in relation to their safety responsibilities. This may include awareness training and / or induction programs.
Section 2: Safety improvement strategies
In having a safety policy authorised by the organisations top management that clearly states overall safety objectives it will demonstrate a commitment to improving safety performance. When establishing, implementing and maintaining documented safety objectives and targets at each relevant function and level within the organisation the organisation will be able to work towards the same goal and avoid any wasted time spent on activities that are not aligned to the organisations safety plan/initiatives. In order to be productive, by establishing and reviewing objectives, an organisation should consider legal and other requirements, safety hazards and risks, technological options, operational and business requirements, and the views of interested parties. The objectives and targets should be consistent with its safety policy, including the commitment to measuring and improving safety performance.
Opportunities for improvements
- Develop a Safety Improvement Plan by considering:
- Suggestions / input from Senior Managers and Workers;
- Organisations' incident history;
- Hazards that have been identified in the business; and
- Client / Customer / Tender requirements.
- Ensure the Safety Improvement Plan has:
- Clearly defined actions;
- Realistic timeframes; and
- Persons appointed as responsible for action.
- The Senior Managers should monitor the progress of the improvement plan to ensure all actions are completed within the appointed timeframes.
Section 3: Risk Management
Understanding and preparing for risks in the organisation will highlight the hazards and subsequent controls that must be identified. This will then prepare the business to plan for safety rather than reacting to incidents that occur as a result of not identifying and controlling hazards.
The organisation should establish, implement and maintain documented procedures to ensure that the following are conducted:
- hazard identification
- hazard/risk assessment
- control of hazards/risks; and then
- evaluation of hazards and subsequent controls.
The identification of hazards in the workplace shall take into account:
- the situation or events or combination of circumstances that has the potential to give rise to injury or illness;
- the nature of potential injury or illness relevant to the activity, product or service and:
- past injuries, incidents and illnesses.
The identification process shall also include consideration of:
- the way work is organised, managed, carried out and any changes that occur in this:
- the design of workplaces, work processes, materials, plant and equipment:
- the fabrication, installation and commissioning and handling and disposal (of materials, workplaces, plant and equipment).
- the purchasing of goods and services:
- the contracting and subcontracting of plant, equipment, services and labour, including contract specification and responsibilities to and by contractor and:
- the inspection, maintenance, testing, repair and replacement (of plant and equipment).
All risks shall be assessed and have control priorities assigned, based on the established level of risk.
Additionally, all risks, identified through the assessment process as requiring control, shall be controlled through a preferred order of control methods (commonly referred to as a hierarchy), and based on reasonable practicability. Elimination shall be the first control method to be considered.
The process of hazard identification, hazard/risk assessment and control processes shall be subject to a documented evaluation of effectiveness and modified as necessary.
Opportunities for improvements
Hazard Identication
- Develop process/es for identifying the Health and Safety hazards relevant to your workplace and activities.
- Communicate the hazard identification process to the workforce, ensuring that the process step and responsibilities are understood.
- Implement the process into the workplace.
Hazard Indentification, Risk Assessment, Risk Control & Review
If there is no process in place and / or working to identify Health and Safety hazards and hazard controls (in accordance with the Hierarchy of controls), then:
- Consult with workers and get their suggestions on what would be the most effective way to identify hazards and hazard controls in the workplace.
- Communicate the process to the workforce, ensuring that the process step and responsibilities are understood.
- Implement the process into the workplace.
Also consider having workers involved in implementing / using the process/es (ie. Conducting workplace inspections, providing insight in to identifying hazard controls).
Note – Process/es need to:
- Be suitable to the nature of the workplace,
- function efficiently so not to negatively impact on productivity (operations),
- be 'user friendly' for the worker to use,
- include the use of the hierarchy of controls to assist with identifying hazards controls to ensure the associated risk controlled as far as reasonably practicable.
Purchasing & Safety
- Develop a purchasing process that ensures that the safe features / mechanisms and hazards of introducing the item into the workplace are considered / assessed before purchase. That is:
- What hazards does the item introduced into the workplace?
- Can the new hazards be eliminated or controlled to as far as reasonably practicable.
- Can the item safety features / mechanisms be successfully used in the workplace?
- Would installation and commissioning of the item introduce new hazards in to the workplace?
- Provide Training to all workers who are involved in the purchasing process, including purchasing personnel, purchasing authorisers, workers selecting items to purchase.
Equipment - Safe & Fit for Purpose
Consult with workers, including supervisors, that workers, have access to all equipment necessary to conduct their jobs safely and the equipment is fit for purpose.
This consultation and review of equipment would be conducted via risk assessment of work activities, review of existing work practices, and in consultation with the relevant workers.
Change & Managing Safety
Develop a work method review process that requires workers consultation (specifically consult with workers who carry out the work or are likely to be directly affected by the work). The processes need to:
- Be suitable to the nature of the workplace,
- Function efficiently so not to negatively impact on productivity (operations),
- Be 'user friendly' for the worker to use, and
- Include steps for managing the hazards identified that are not controlled as far as reasonably practicable.
Communicate the requirements of the process to the workforce, ensuring that the process step and responsibilities are understood. Implement the process into the workplace.
Section 4: Work Practices
To ensure that the organisation is operating efficiently and everyone understands what is required of them, work practices should be documented, communicated and followed up if not being followed.
If workers understand what is required of them, how to undertake a task and the safety precautions that must be undertaken, it will require managers less effort to train a worker and supervise rather than continually explaining and instructing workers to undertake a task.
Opportunities for improvements
- Ensure work instructions / safe operating procedures are developed for all high risk work activities. This development should include consultation with workers and supervisors who are involved in the specific work activity.
- Provide training to all the workers and supervisors on the work instructions / safe operating procedures relevant to their job. Ensure they understand the requirements of the job and they are competent.
- Ensure there is a process for monitoring work practices to ensure the work instructions / safe operating procedures are being followed
Section 5: Continuous Improvement
If procedures are reviewed and continually improved, processes and tasks will become ultimately safer and quicker to undertake as everyone is aware of the requirements and what is required of them.
The organisation should establish, implement and maintain a program and procedure for periodic reviews to be undertaken to determine if further hazards have been identified and require control.
Opportunities for improvements
If these documents are not reviewed on a regular basis, establish a time period for review that is related to the associate risk of the work activity being addressed in the document. For example, if the work activity is high risk then the review period may be established as being required every 6mths.
Section 6: Hazardous Activities
Hazardous work is serious business. Hazardous types of work being performed can be dangerous. Heavy machinery and equipment, scaffolds, dangerous tools, hazardous materials, confined spaces, work at heights and electrical wiring on-site can be considered hazardous work. If your workers aren't careful, serious injury or even death is possible. With all these hazards, you might find it difficult to increase the productivity on the site if you don't manage these risks.
Opportunities for improvements
If this hazardous activity is relevant to your business then you have a duty to manage the risks related to this activity as far as reasonably practicable.
This requires:
- Identifying all related reasonably foreseeable hazards, and
- Eliminating or minimising the risks as far as reasonably practicable.
- If not reasonably practicable to eliminate risks then must minimise risks by:
- Substituting, isolating or using engineering controls
- Administrative controls
- Personal protective equipment
Note – That some of these activities may have specific requirements outlined in the relevant State or Territory legislation and guidance material, Codes of Practices or Australia / Industry Standards.
Section 7: Training and Competency
The organisation, in consultation with workers, shall identify training needs in relation to performing work activities competently, including safety training.
Procedures shall be in place to ensure that safety competencies are developed and maintained. Personnel shall be assessed as competent, on the basis of skills achieved through education, training or experience, to perform assigned tasks taking into account the safety obligations, hazards and risks associated with the work activities.
Procedure shall be developed for providing Safety training. These procedures shall take into account:
- the characteristics of the workforce which impact on occupational health and safety management; and
- responsibilities, hazards and risks
The organisation shall ensure that all personnel (including contractors and visitors) have undertaken training appropriate to the identified needs.
Training shall be carried out by persons with appropriate knowledge, skills and experience in safety and training.
Opportunities for improvements
Safety Training
-
Identify the Business's Training Profile - Identify what safety training, skills and information the business needs to provide to conduct the work in a healthy and safe manner. Ensure you consider:
- the nature of the work
- the nature of the risks associated with the work
- the control measures implemented
- workforce consultation to assist with identifying the needs.
- Current Business Training - Review current skills/licenses of all workers against the identified needs of the role/s they have been allocated, identify the training, skills and information they do not have or that has expired.
-
Provide Training / 'Fix the Gaps' - Make arrangements for providing the training, skills or information to the workers.
Ensure the training and information is readily understandable to the worker it is being delivered too. Consider if there are any literacy, language concerns or other barriers that may make it difficult for the worker to understand the information.
-
Review
Ensure the business safety training needs and worker training currency is regularly reviewed or reviewed with any major work process / activity change.
Competency
Identify what knowledge and /or skills the worker does not have sufficient understanding of, and select an appropriate training method for improving their level of competency.
Section 8: Consultation and Communication
There shall be documented procedures, agreed to workers, for worker involvement and consultation in safety issues. Information regarding the arrangements shall be made available to interested parties.
Workers shall:
- Be involved in the development, implementation and review of policies and procedures for hazard identification, hazard/risk assessment and control of hazards/risks;
- be consulted where there are any changes that affect workplace safety;
- select those who will represent them on safety matters; and
- be informed as to who is/are their worker safety representative (s) and specified management representative(s).
Those representing the employees and employer shall receive appropriate training to undertake effectively their involvement in the development, implementation and review of safety arrangements.
Opportunities for improvements
Worker Consultation
Health and Safety legislation requires businesses to as far as is reasonably practicable to:
Consult with workers:
- who carry out the work, or
- who are likely to be directly affected by a health and safety (HS) concern
Where workers are represented by Health and Safety Representatives (HSR), consultation processes must involve the HSR.
- Share relevant health and safety (HS) information with workers.
- Give workers reasonable opportunity to express their views, raise HS issues and contribute to the decision making process.
- Taken into account the workers' views.
- Advise workers of the outcome of the consultation in a timely manner.
Consultation with workers should be conducted when:
- Identifying HS hazards and assessing risks,
- Making decisions about how to eliminate or minimise these risks,
- Proposed changes that may affect the HS of workers,
- Making decisions about the facilities for the welfare of workers.
Involving and consulting with workers does not mean that an agreement must be reached with the workers on all HS matters, just that the workers have be given the opportunity to express their views.
Communication of Safety Information
Health and Safety legislation requires businesses to as far as is reasonably practicable to consult with workers:
- who carry out the work, or
- who are likely to be directly affected by a health and safety (HS) concern.
Part of effective consultation is the communication of relevant information, as well as including how it is communicated, when it is communicated.
Communication of HS information mechanisms must be suitable to the nature of the business and operational environment, and the worker's ability to receive the information. Examples are:
- Noticeboards
- Issue of HS alerts, notices, newsletter or bulletins
- Emails
- Meetings
- Toolbox / HS talks
- HS Committee members
- HS Representatives
Safety Discussion Records
There are a number of advantages to maintaining health and safety discussion records:
- A brief documented summary of the discussion and outcomes can be an effective process for providing information back to those involved in the discussion or who may have an interest in the discussion.
- If an inspector visits the site for an investigation the records will be helpful to show how, when and what the business has discussed with the workers, as well as what the outcomes were.
Examples of the types of records that could be maintained are:
- A Safety diary could be sufficient for recording day-to-day HS discussions.
- Formal records that record the HS discussions, suggestions and outcomes such as:
- Meeting minutes
- Consultation record form
Safety Issue Resolution
The business must have:
- Discussions with their workers to try to resolve any health and safety issues that may arise.
- An agreed and relevant issue resolution procedure, which maybe an agreement to use the procedure as outlined in legislation.
Agreed procedure means the workers have agreed to the procedure that outlines a reasonable process for resolving HS issues in an effective and timely manner.
Section 9: Monitoring and Review
The organisation shall establish, implement and maintain procedures to monitor and measure on a regular basis the key characteristics of its operations and activities that can cause illness and injury.
The effectiveness of these measures shall be evaluated. Appropriate equipment for monitoring and measurement related to health and safety risks shall be identified. calibrated, maintained and stored as necessary. Records of this process shall be retained according to the organisation's procedures.
With regard to the safety system, the organisation shall establish, implement and maintain procedures to monitor:
- Performance, effectiveness of relevant operational controls and conformance with the organisation's objectives and targets; and
- compliance with relevant safety legislation.
Opportunities for improvements
Health Surveillance
- Identify what health surveillance activities are required based on the work activities conducted, health exposures in the workplace, legislative requirements.
- Ensure the required health surveillance activities are implemented to an appropriate schedule.
Workplace Inspections
- Develop a process for regularly inspecting the workplace. The hazardous work area should be inspected more frequently. Consider developing an inspection checklist to provide guidance to the workers conducting the inspection and to record the findings of the inspection.
- Consider both workers and supervisors to conduct inspections.
- Present the outcomes of the inspections the HS Committee, HS Representatives or Senior Management team for review and monitoring. This is to ensure that all inspection deficiencies are addressed.
Independent System Review
Senior management should consider arranging for an independent person to review the organisation document systems, physical hazard management processes and legislative compliance to ensure the organisation is managing it's WHS risks as far as reasonably practicable.
Preventative Maintenance
Establishing a preventative maintenance schedule will ensure that essential mobile plant, equipment and machinery are kept at optimum operating standard, which will improve the organisations' safety and operating performance. Consult the organisations mechanical personnel, plant/equipment /machinery operating manual for guidance on appropriate timelines for maintenance.
Safety Knowledge
To ensure the organisation maintains up-to-date knowledge of Safety legislation, codes of practices and industry best practices, appoint a person, or external party, responsible for distributing the relevant information through the organisation.
Section 10: Reporting
Appropriate procedures for relevant and timely reporting of information shall be established to ensure the safety system is monitored and performance approved.
Reporting procedures shall be established to cover the following:
- Safety performance reporting (including results of safety audits and reviews)
- Reporting of incidents and system failures
- Reporting on hazard identification
- Reporting on hazard/risk assessment
- Reporting on preventive and corrective action
- Statutory reporting requirements.
Opportunities for improvements
Establish a process for collecting WHS performance data, such as incidents, new hazards identified, improvement plan update, workers compensation details, and injury claims update.
This data must be presented to senior management for review and consideration when assessing the hazards and risk control strategies for the organisations.
Next steps
To assist your company in implementing the opportunities identified in this diagnostic, the following resources are available:
- Ai Group members can access our Workplace Advice Line and have unlimited access to our Health and Safety Resource Centre. Find out further benefits of membership here or email sales@aigroup.com.au to arrange a discussion.
- Ai Group offers a range of multidisciplinary Work Health Safety Consulting Services advising companies faced with strategic, operational and compliance difficulties. Our consultants have an employer-focussed approach with your needs and operations in the front of their minds. Find out more online or email safety.services@aigroup.com.au to speak to a consultant.
- Ai Group delivers training that can be customised to your organisations needs to assist with injury prevention and management. Ai Group also delivers the regulator approved HSR training. Discover Safety Training Courses.