Make health and safety a priority in your business
- talk about it with your workers and supervisors
- lead by example - eg participate in safety training, attend safety meetings and wear personal protective equipment, if required
- don’t take short cuts - always follow your work health and safety procedures
- encourage workers to talk openly about work health and safety
- give positive feedback for good safety performance
- building health and safety into business plans
- making sure production demands don’t override health and safety
- making health and safety the first topic at team meetings
Demonstrate that health and safety is a priority:
Demonstrate your commitment by:
A guide to understanding responsibilities
| Responsibility | Owner | Manager | Supervisor | Worker | Visitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| You understand and apply your WHS duties | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Make sure appropriate resources and processes are available so workers are healthy and safe | ✓ | ||||
| Consult with workers on all matters relating to health and safety (see consultation) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Eliminate or minimise all hazards and risks (see managing risks) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Develop a WHS reporting procedure (see reporting) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Investigate WHS reports and take action (see reporting) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Make sure workers are capable of performing their tasks by giving them information, training, instruction and supervision (see ‘worker capability’) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Make sure the workers compensation insurance policy is accurate and up-to-date (see workers compensation and recovery at work) | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Have a written return to work program describing the steps you will take if a worker is injured (see workers compensation and recovery at work) | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Have a safety policy displayed in the workplace, visible to workers and visitors | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Lead by example and promote WHS at every opportunity | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Supervise to ensure safe work procedures are followed | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Participate in the planning and designing of the workplace, work tasks and items of plant | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Take reasonable care of your own health and safety, and the health and safety of others | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Follow health and safety procedures, instructions and rules | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Provide first aid equipment and make sure people are trained to assist | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Participate in health and safety training and discussions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Report health and safety hazards, injuries and incidents | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Notify us if a serious injury or illness, a death or a dangerous incident occurs | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Use safety equipment and personal protective equipment, as instructed | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Leave the workplace in a safe condition | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
As your business grows, you can consider facilitating the appointment of roles including:
- a first aid officer
- a fire warden
- a health and safety representative
- a return to work coordinator
Clearly communicate all health and safety responsibilities to your workers, including:
- making sure all workers have access to health and safety information and training that are relevant to their work tasks (see worker capability)
- making sure workers with specific health and safety responsibilities, such as first aid officers, health and safety representatives and fire wardens have access to specialised training and resources, so they have the skills, qualifications and confidence to fulfil their roles
- letting your workers know who holds specific roles, and what they are responsible for. When these responsibilities change, let workers know of the changes
Clearly communicate all health and safety responsibilities to your visitors, including:
- how to use equipment safely
- what hazards and risks are in the workplace, and how to control them
- emergency procedures, such as how to evacuate, assembly points, exit locations and fire wardens
- where to find the first aid kit
What you need to help you meet your responsibilities
- Time spent on safety is good business practice - it often translates to reduced workers compensation costs, less time lost to injuries, and better productivity.
- Make resources available so everyone can fulfil their health and safety responsibilities, and perform their job safely.
- Provide information to improve health and safety knowledge in the workplace.
- Provide access to personal protective equipment that is safe and fit-for-purpose.
- Allow workers time to attend health and safety training and safety meetings, and do tasks like workplace inspections.
Fix health and safety issues promptly
- Take immediate action to control identified hazards and risks.
- Monitor safety reports to identify trends and improve controls.
- Encourage workers to raise health and safety issues and propose solutions.