1. HRhelp Pty Ltd [name] [date]
Work Health and Safety
HRhelp Pty Ltd
[name]
[date]

2. Overview WHS – harmonisation, why pay attention and what has changed?
Responsibilities
Managing risks and hazard identification
Workplace consultation

3. WHS in a nutshell WHS laws have been harmonised across Australia.
New legislation commenced nationally 1st January 2012.
Main differences:
Specific obligations are spelt out.
No longer reverse onus on employers to ‘prove innocence’.
More of a focus on consultation.

4. Why pay attention?
In 2007/08, there were 134,835 workers’ compensation claims for serious work-related injuries or illnesses ( serious claims per 1000 employees).
One-quarter of serious claims require 12 or more weeks off work.
Overall there were 53 claims per 1000 employees.
Work related injury and illness were estimated to cost $ billion in the 2005/06 financial year, this represented 5.9% of the GDP.
How would a serious injury impact on your business?
Ask them to take time to consider the potential impact of a claim on their business, consider their more high risk areas and also to pass on any previous experience with claims and the impact it has had in the past. Also talk about the personal impact, how it affects the individual, the team etc

5. What has changed? Old term New term Employer
PCBU (Person Controlling a Business or Undertaking)
very broad, covers businesses or undertakings including employers, principal contractors, head contractors, franchisors
Management
Officers
“someone who makes or participates in making decisions that affect the whole, or a substantial part of, a business or undertaking”
Employees
Workers

6. What has changed? New legislation Old legislation
PCBU is expected to so far as is reasonably practicable, ‘ensure the health and safety’ of workers and others who may be affected by the carrying out of work, by managing risks. This involves:
eliminating the risks, so far as is reasonably practicable, and
if not reasonably practicable—to minimise the risks, so far as is reasonably practicable.
No significant difference
Officer has a positive duty to exercise ‘due diligence’ to ensure that the PCBU complies with any duty or obligation under the legislation. officers are individually ‘off the hook’ if they act diligently.
Major improvement over some previous states’ laws because the obligations of officers are now specifically spelt out
Mention here that there have been no significant changes to responsibilities of workers… they are still required to exercise reasonable care

7. Managing risks Employers must
IDENTIFY all foreseeable workplace hazards
ASSESS risks posed by hazards
CONTROL or eliminate risks
REVIEW the assessment and controls

8. Assessing risks

9. Controlling or eliminating risks

10. Work Safety Action Plan – Top 5 Hitlist
Hazard
(What can go wrong?)
Assessed Risk - Harm x Likelihood
(How bad could it be and how likely is it to go wrong?)
Current Solution
(how effective are existing controls?)
Decision / Action Plan
(Who is responsible / When Due / When Completed)

11. Hazard Identification
H&S Policies and Master Plan
H&S Policies & Master Plan
Policies, roles & responsibilities, objectives, measures, industry legislative requirements
Risk Assessment
Likelihood and severity assessment
Risk controls
Hierarchy of controls from elimination to administrative
H&S Reporting
Incident reporting
Plan updates
H&S Local Plan
Local roles & responsibilities
Action plans
Training Plan
Local procedures
H&S review
Hazard Identification
Audits
Self Assessments
Industry Hazards
Tools & Templates
Hazard identification forms, H&S checklists, procedures, training guides, reporting templates

12. Evaluate & Review Have the controls been effective?
Short & long term measures
Consult & document
Talk about the importance of establishing a review process. Monthly, 3 monthly? Open up a discussion about what would work best for them

13. Workplace consultation
Must enable employees to contribute to decisions affecting safety at work
Provide employees with
information
opportunity to express views
views valued, taken into account by employer
Publicise the arrangement
consultation statement
It is important to consult when making changes or undertaking reviews and risk assessments

14. “Safety is not an intellectual exercise to keep us in work
“Safety is not an intellectual exercise to keep us in work. It is a matter of life and death. It is the sum of our contributions to safety management that determines whether the people we work with live or die”. - Sir Brian Appleton