Work Health and Safety Introduction Geoff Bailey Safety

Work, Health and Safety Introduction – Geoff Bailey Safety Officer – Byron Shire Council

My background in safety

Work, Health and Safety Your experience – how many of you have been members of previous 355 Committees Who has had to report a WHS incident in the past? 1) Overview of legislative requirements 2) Small exercise Point of interest: BSC Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate = 9. 9 Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate at home = approx. 200

Work, Health and Safety • Work Health and Safety legislation has been around for a long time. Previously called OHS. • A consistent approach for years was the head in the sand approach. • Legislation changed in January 2012 and now we all have duties under the WHS legislation. • The WHS Act 2011 defines requirements and duties and penalties available for non compliance. • The WHS Regulation 2011 provides detailed information on the requirements of the Act.

Work, Health and Safety Approved Codes of Practice provide guidance on how to comply with legislation and if followed can be used as a defense in any proceedings for non compliance of the legislation. Australian Standards and Regulator provided guidance notes also provide direction on acceptable ways to meet WHS Duties and obligations. This induction process is one way for Council to meet its duty to provide training and instruction.

Work, Health and Safety Key terminology: Employer Employee Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) - includes councils, corporations, partnerships, labour hire businesses, associations, franchises and sole traders. A PCBU does not need to employ workers. The ‘person’ in PCBU is a reference to an entity and not necessarily a ‘natural person’. Worker - includes employees, contractors, volunteers, apprentices, outworkers, trainees, visitors and work experience persons in a workplace.

Work, Health and Safety ‘Reasonably practicable’ is based on: Likelihood of the hazard or risk occurring What is known or ought reasonably be known about how to eliminate or minimise the risk Level of harm from exposure to the hazard Availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise What is known or ought reasonably be known about the hazard or risk Whether the cost of eliminating or minimising the risk far exceeds the risk

Work, Health and Safety Section 19 WHS Act 2011 - Primary duty of care (1) A person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of: a. workers engaged, or caused to be engaged by the person, and b. workers whose activities in carrying out work are influenced or directed by the person, while the workers are at work in the business or undertaking. (2) A person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the health and safety of other persons is not put at risk from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking.

Work, Health and Safety (3) Without limiting subsections (1) and (2), a person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable: a. the provision and maintenance of a work environment without risks to health and safety, and b. the provision and maintenance of safe plant and structures, and c. the provision and maintenance of safe systems of work, and d. the safe use, handling, and storage of plant, structures and substances, and

Work, Health and Safety e. the provision of adequate facilities for the welfare at work of workers in carrying out work for the business or undertaking, including ensuring access to those facilities, and f. the provision of any information, training, instruction or supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety arising from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking, and g. that the health of workers and the conditions at the workplace are monitored for the purpose of preventing illness or injury of workers arising from the conduct of the business or undertaking.

Work, Health and Safety Section 20 WHS Act 2011 Duty of persons conducting businesses or undertakings involving management or control of workplaces (2) The person with management or control of a workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the workplace, the means of entering and exiting the workplace and anything arising from the workplace are without risks to the health and safety of any person.

Work, Health and Safety Section 28 WHS Act 2011 - Duties of workers While at work, a worker must: (a) take reasonable care for his/her own health & safety, and (b) take reasonable care that his or her acts or omissions do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons, & (c) comply, so far as the worker is reasonably able, with any reasonable instruction that is given by the person conducting the business or undertaking to allow the person to comply with this Act, and (d) co-operate with any reasonable policy or procedure of the person conducting the business or undertaking relating to health or safety at the workplace that has been notified to workers.

Work, Health and Safety Others with duties under the WHS Act include: • Designers of plant, substances or structures – must be safe and without risk • Manufacturers of plant, substances or structures – must be safe and without risk • Importers of plant, substances or structures – must be safe and without risk • Installers of plant, substances or structures – must be safe and without risk

Work, Health and Safety Hazard and Risk Management What is it? What risks will you be managing?

Work, Health and Safety Hazard and Risk Management To fulfil our duties we must identify hazards and manage risks those hazards pose. This involves identifying hazards in the workplace Assessing the risk those hazards pose Implementing controls to manage the risk; and More documentation: Reviewing and monitoring those controls

Work, Health and Safety Hazard Identification

Work, Health and Safety Risk Assessment What if? What might happen if I or someone else was to interact with the identified hazard?

Work, Health and Safety Implementing controls

Work, Health and Safety Keep in mind that, unless the hazard is eliminated, very seldom do the consequences of a incident scenario change after the implementation of controls. Example: • No matter how safe our cars are – Engineering control • No matter how prescriptive our road rules are – Administrative control • No matter how good our training is – Administrative control • No matter how good we think we are at driving… … there is always the potential for a traffic accident. 98% of incidents are due to human behaviour

Work, Health and Safety Monitor and Review

Work, Health and Safety Taken from the How to manage work health and safety risks Code of Practice

Work, Health and Safety Exercise - Break into groups 1) Identify two hazards in the scenario provided 2) Assess the risk those hazards pose 3) Now using the Hierarchy of Controls decide on appropriate controls 4) Who is responsible for implementing the controls and by when?

Work, Health and Safety If at any time you are unsure or would like to chat about WHS please don’t hesitate to call me.