Safe Work Australia

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In the past, Australia’s vast array of workplace regulations made OHS compliance about as easy as blindfolded origami. Regulatory standards changed from state to state and figuring out which worksafe Australia codes of practice applied to which job required scrolling through pages of health and safety laws written in complicated legal-lingo. This cost businesses time and money, so in 2008 Safe Work Australia was established with the aim of streamlining this process.

Understanding the role of Safe Work Australia is central to comprehending the broader network of OHS regulations. Although the Work Health and Safety Act is long and complicated, Safe Work Australia works to standardise health and safety laws, prepare workplace codes of practice and suggest policy improvements to the government. In essence, Safe Work Australia is a model of health and safety codes of practice and OHS laws and regulations, that is reviewed by the government and then adopted by the respective states and territories.

Safe Work Australia Council

Safe Work Australia council is comprised of an independent chairperson, representatives of the federal government and from each state or territory, representatives from workers groups like the Australia Council of Trade Unions, representatives of employer groups and a Chief Executive Officer. As a statutory agency independent of partisan politics, Safe Work Australia aims to develop and maintain workplace safety policy that serves the interests of all parties in a fair and balanced manner.

But what is the role of Safe Work Australia? Well its key functions as set out in the Safe Work Australia Act are to:
• Develop a national occupational health and safety policy and workplace compensation
• Prepare a model OHS Act, work health and safety codes of practice and regulations
• Review and revise laws, the workplace health and safety codes of practice and regulations if necessary
• Develop a nationally consistent policy for the compliance and enforcement of workplace health and safety legislation
• Monitor the adoption process by the Commonwealth, states and territories of health and safety legislations, codes of practice, regulations and compliance and enforcement policy

• Collect, analyse and publish any data or research relating to OHS policies and procedures, and Australian workers compensation in order to better inform the policy development process

• Communicate with international organisations and other countries on matters relating to workers’ compensation and OHS
• Raise awareness of OHS and workers’ compensation issues

It should be noted though that Safe Work Australia is not the department of workplace health and safety so its proposals don’t become law until the government signs off on any changes. This approval process happens on two levels. Firstly the Workplace Relations Ministers Council (WRMC) oversees Safe Work Australia and directs their strategic and operation direction. The WRMC is made up of the state and territory leaders responsible for industrial safety topics, workplace relations and workers’ compensation matters. So it’s mostly ministers from the related portfolios like industrial relations. When the WRMC is happy with what Safe Work Australia is proposing they collectively sign off on the agreement and the proposal then becomes a Bill to be put to the respective state’s or territory’s parliament. If the Bill is passed, then you’ve got a new set of laws and regulations sanctioned by the government and enshrined by Safe Work Australia.

It seems like a long-winded process but the eventual goal of Safe Work Australia is to standardise all the OHS safety regulations, laws and codes of practice into one consistent national policy. When achieved this will mean that the rules of workplace health and safety Queensland will be exactly the same as those in NSW or any other state or territory. With everyone on the same OHS page it will make it easier for businesses to conduct their work across state lines and grow.

Why Are Risk Assessments Important?

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We know hazard and risk assessment procedures are vital in maintaining workplace standards that are complaint with OHS laws and regulations, but there is another reason as to why are risk assessments important.

It’s more than knowing how to write a risk assessment – it’s about improving productivity.

It may sound absurd but there are methods of risk assessment available that can actually improve productivity in construction businesses. The traditional method of writing risk assessments involves multiple pages of paper work, administrative overhead and considerable amounts storage or filing. But completing construction risk assessments doesn’t have to follow this inefficient process. Your business productivity can be greatly improved by moving away from a paper-based risk assessment process and embracing the clear advantage mobile technology offers. We call it risk assessment software.

But don’t take our word for it. Just ask Steve Cole from Cole Contracting. He recognised the flaws of risk assessment paperwork and decided to use technology to improve productivity.

You don’t need a construction risk assessment example to understand the benefit’s Steve Cole speaks of. Increased productivity, improved workflow practices and high standards of employee safety – all benefits from risk assessment software. These are benefits you can experience too. Sign up to SafeWorkPro to begin completing your construction risk assessments quicker, with more safety and in total compliance with OHS laws. Or if you like to find out more about SafeWorkPro’s risk assessment software, just click here.

Work Method Statement Example Free Download

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Running a construction business is a time consuming and costly task, so finding areas where efficiency can be improved is vital. Getting an affordable safety method statement complicates this but as technology develops so too to the options available to construction managers.

The problem with a typical safe work methods statement template is that it is either too broad to be used effectively in construction work safety, or too narrowly focused to be effective. With many free

safety templates lacking in detail and the expensive alternative lacking in cost effectiveness, construction managers must turn to alternatives in mobile technology.

That’s what we do best here at SafeWorkPro. Our easy to use mobile tool empowers construction workers with cheap, quick and compliant risk assessments and safe work method statements. The first version of the SafeWorkPro tool is online and ready for free download. Try it today and let us know what you think. We’re eager to hear.

In the meantime, you can access our resources page to use a free method statement and risk assessment template for your construction safety needs. This health and safety policy document is based on those published by Safe Work Australia and is fully compliant with current OHS policies in Australia.

OHS Legislation Explained

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Interpreting complicated occupational health and safety laws is a hassle that many small and large businesses struggle to find time for. This presents issues because with a range of various penalties and regulations at stake, compliance with safety laws in the workplace is not to be trifled with.

OHS legislation Australia is made up of several different layers, each with its own detail and level of obligation. Understanding this hierarchy is important for not only avoiding preventable safety incidents but also for establishing and maintaining high workplace OHS standards.

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011

The WHS Act defines the roles and obligations that duty holders must comply with. OHS policies and procedures outlined under the Act are legally enforceable and violations of them could result in significant penalties. Every Australian jurisdiction (state or territory) has different regulators but for a broad idea of what enforcement options are available to them, read about Workplace Health and Safety Queensland.

Occupational Health and Safety Regulations

The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 supports the WHS Act in more detail. The Act is full of terminology that can be difficult to understand so the regulation works as a more detailed explanation of OHS policy. Specifically, the WHS regulation provides details on methods of compliance, hazard control and other certain obligations in relation to these. Like the Act, WHS regulations must be complied with or strict penalties can be applied.

Codes of Practice

As part of the policy goal of harmonised workplace health and safety laws, Safe Work Australia has published model codes of practice for a variety of high risk construction work. Unlike the WHS Act and regulations, the codes of practice are not legally binding but serve as practical guides for achieving the OHS standards established under the Act. This means that duty holders are not legally required to follow any of the guidelines. However, unless there is another method of controlling risk to an equal degree, it is strongly recommended that duty holders follow the practical guidance offered in the codes of practice. The codes outline safe work practices for a variety of high risk work. For a full list, check out Safe Work Australia’s model codes of practice.

National Health and Safety Standards

This refers to the work practices and benchmarks set out in peak industry standards, as well as manufacturer guidelines. On top of broad national standards, these aim to provide guidance material to a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) who wishes to demonstrate due diligence in eliminating or reducing workplace risk.  The guidance material outlined in these standards has no legal status meaning recommendations are not enforceable or mandatory (unless specifically referred to in the WHS legislation).

The hierarchy of Australian OHS legislation sets out the legal obligations PCBU’s must abide by as well as the practical guides for resolving workplace health and safety issues. For more information on health and safety laws and risk assessment procedures, read the SafeWorkPro Blog.

Free SWMS Template

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Are you looking for a free SWMS template? We got you. You can download one on our resources page. This is the template that is found on page 42 of the Construction Work Code of Practice that was published by Safe Work Australia. So, this template is correct and will help with your safety in the work place, as it comes from the horses mouth.

Now that you have a safe work method statement template free to download you are going to have to fill it out. The purpose of a SWMS is a set of work safety instructions that construction workers use for their personal safety at work. Traditionally this has been a paper-based process that workers are not particularly good at filling out. They could for example, fill them out after the job or even worse not at all. This is a huge contributor to health and safety problems in the workplace. Firstly, the construction worker is risking their own lives by not refreshing themselves with safety work instructions. Secondly, if an incident does occur the business is in a huge hole that they don’t want to be in. The good news is that there is a way to help with this process!

The solution is to tech-up! At SafeWorkPro we believe in getting workers on the job quicker, safer and compliant. By using technology a construction sites safety can be streamlined and construction work hazards can be reduced. The construction industry has been using tools for hundreds of years and the modern era has bought us yet another powerful tool, yup its in your pocket and everyone has got one … your mobile phone. So you can use this tool to deliver SWMS’s and safety work instructions to your workers and use dashboards to to see how your team in performing. Why wouldn’t you?

Electrical Safety in the Workplace: the story of Tim Martin

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It’s an unfortunate truth but occupational health and safety policies are often overlooked by both managers and employees, as something that is either too boring or just a matter of paperwork.  Safe Work Australia Month is an awareness campaign designed by the Queensland Government to contradict these common views and instil a new workplace safety culture.  Running through October, it’s a bold move that traces it roots to the countless unnecessary deaths that have occurred because of lacklustre safe work practices.

Tim Martin was one life cut shot by unsafe working methods.

Speaking at a Safe Work Australia Month event in Brisbane, Tim’s father Bill Martin, spoke of his son’s cheeky friendliness and bright potential. At the age of 17, Tim was only a second year electrical apprentice when he was tragically killed by overhead power lines.

Simple safety measures could have prevented this incident. In 1999, Tim was operating an elevated work platform when he came too close to high voltage power lines. A huge electrical current arched across the gap between the platform and the wires, electrocuting Tim and leaving him with severe burns to most of his body. Barely a month later, Tim died in the intensive care unit of a Brisbane hospital.

The unfortunate fact is that Tim’s tragic death is not an isolated incident. Approximately four people are killed in electrical incidents every year and more than 3000 workplace accidents are reported to the Electrical Safety Office in that same time period. These figures are a result of poor safe work habits. In the case of Tim’s death, several mistakes were made:

  • The vehicle Tim operated was parked in an exclusion zone
  • The correct personal protective equipment (PPE) was not used
  • As an apprentice, Tim was too inexperienced to operate the elevated work platform within close proximity to overhead power lines
  • Tim’s supervisor was not properly observing the high risk work being conducted
In these cases that involve death, it is all too easy to lay blame on either the victim or a co-worker, but in the eyes of Tim’s father neither culprit was truly responsible. Bill Martin puts it down to a workplace culture that has yet to fully grapple with the demands of OHS standards or come to terms with the permanent consequences of poor OHS training.

In his speech to a Safe Work Month event, Bill Martin spoke of a culture in the electrical industry that normalises close calls with electrical work hazards. Terms like ‘getting zapped’ or ‘feeling a belt’ serve only to downplay the inherent risks that come with electrical work. In turn, this leads a safety culture not fully equipped to prevent the worst case scenario.

“Safety is about relationships, not rules.”- Bill Martin.

This is one point that Bill emphasised, and one that is based on his years of experience working in the field of workplace health and safety. All too often, a safety manager can be excessively process driven, especially when it comes to focusing on the various forms and risk assessments required under OHS legislation. With all this attention being spent on paperwork, not enough time is spent on education, communication and consultation between the various duty holders. This in turn means that crucial safety information is not being conveyed

between various stakeholders when it needs to be the most. In the case of Tim, the required PPE and insulation gear was not worn because the need for it was not properly communicated. As Bill Martin said, “safety has got to be embedded into the DNA of a business.” Such an approach could very well ensure all levels of an organisation are aware of their responsibilities and roles – a goal that paperwork and risk assessments cannot achieve on their own.

When we witness the heartache and pain caused by the loss of life – especially that of a young worker – the seriousness of not just electrical safety but safe work practices more generally, becomes clear. Bill Martin’s speech emphasised a different way to think about work safe procedures. Rather than approach it as a series of forms needing to be completed, Bill promoted a view that holds safety as just another aspect of work.

For more information, you can watch Tim’s story here. If you would like more details on Safe Work Australia Month 2014, visit their website.