| Q: |
What is Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)? |
| A: |
It is all about health and safety at the workplace, and the hazards and risks associated with it. |
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| Q: |
What is a workplace? |
| A: |
Most
people think of a workplace as a factory, an office or perhaps a
construction site, but for a truck driver it can also be the cabin of a
truck, for a plumber, electrician or linesman it could be a van or a
ute, for a road worker it may be roadside where the worker has been
sent to perform the work, and for an installer it may be the
installation site. |
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| Q: |
Is OH&S just about employers and employees? |
| A: |
Not
entirely! OH&S deals with everybody who may be affected by the work
occurring at a workplace, such as visitors, people passing by, or
contractors working there. For instance, if a visitor to a
manufacturing site was hit by a forklift, OH&S Law would apply, or
if a contractor was working on site for a company and was injured,
OH&S Law would apply, or if a pedestrian was hit by debris whilst
walking past a building site, it would also apply. (See consultants directory for assistance) |
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| Q: |
What are the main laws applying to Occupational Health and Safety? |
| A: |
The main laws for most OH&S in Australia are the health and safety Acts of each state:
(See OHS LAW)
Other
acts also apply for particular issues such as dangerous goods, public
safety, electrical safety, radiation, environmental, etc. Besides the
State Acts there are also regulations and federal laws which may apply
to your business as well as Australian Standards |
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| Q: |
Why can’t we just use a bit of commonsense? |
| A: |
There
have been enough injuries and deaths in Australian workplaces to show
us that common sense is not that common after all. That is why we need
common rules instead of common sense. (See consultants directory for assistance) |
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| Q: |
What is my role as an employee? |
| A: |
As
an employee, you are expected to report any hazards you may see in the
workplace to your supervisor, abide by the company safety rules, wear
clothing and equipment that has been given to you for your safety and
protection, ensure that what you do, or fail to do, at the workplace
doesn’t put you or others at risk. |
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| Q: |
What is my role as an employer? |
| A: |
As
an employer, under common law and statute law, you have a duty of care
to your employees, casual workers, contractors, visitors and the public
to provide and maintain a workplace that is without risk to health or
safety.
It means that the regulatory authorities expect you to take a proactive role in health and safety and use a systematic
approach to identifying and controlling the hazards and risks in your
business. When you employ people to do your work the authorities do not
want to see an ad hoc approach to their health and safety. |
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| Q: |
Is a Health and Safety Management System difficult to develop? |
| A: |
There
are simple systems and more complex systems. It all depends on the size
and type of business. Often they can be quite difficult to put
together, and businesses regularly find that their people do not have
to skills or abilities needed and it takes them forever to develop.
Industry consultants can tailor-make one for your business and you
will have it operating in your business in a fraction of the time and
without the stress. (To learn more about an OHS management system see consultant’s directory for assistance) |
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| Q: |
What is a Hazard? |
| A: |
The
meanings of hazard and risk can be confusing and one is often mistaken
for the other. A HAZARD is anything that may have the potential to cause harm to a person, property or the environment. |
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| Q: |
What is a Risk? |
| A: |
A risk is the likelihood (or probability) of that harm occurring.
It is measured in terms of the likelihood of harm occurring from the
hazard and what the consequences would be if it did occur. |
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| Q: |
How do I identify the safety hazards in my business? |
| A: |
Whether
it is for an item of plant, a hazardous or dangerous substance, a
manual handling process or vehicle and pedestrian separation, hazard
identification is law and an important part of your business. Sometimes
it can be simple, but it is sound business sense and should not be left
up to unqualified people, as it is a combination of experience and
knowledge of law and relevant Australian Standards. |
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| Q: |
Do I need to do Risk Assessments? |
| A: |
Regulations
state that when you have identified health and safety hazards in your
business you are to assess them for the levels of risk they pose. This
is also better left to the experienced person as the Hierarchy of
Controls is to be used when calculating control measures for the
hazards. |
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| Q: |
Where do I find a consultant in my area? |
| A: |
VIC | NSW | QLD | SA | TAS | WA | ACT | NT |
