It’s very important for your organisation to maintain a positive relationship with the community. A large part of this is the prompt and effective handling of public complaints. Such complaints may be made about a company action that’s perceived to have had an adverse effect on environment, health or safety.

Maintain a positive public profile by handling genuine public complaints promptly and effectively. For more tips, keep reading.

1. Be pro-active with WHS information

Make it clear you are already considering your impact on the public by being proactive in offering WHS information. You should also supply it upon request. This information could include:

• the company's WHS policies
• WHS procedures (as applicable)
• WHS objectives and targets
• general brochures and information sheets
• material safety data sheets
• details of your emergency response plan
• incident reports
• details of transport to and from the site

2. Restrict sensitive information

Though some material should be readily supplied to the public, there are certain categories of information that shouldn’t be released. This includes:

• personal details of employees
• commercially confidential information
• financially confidential information
• information that is protected by law or obligation to a third party

3. Follow Up On Public Complaints Immediately

All public complaints should be recorded, acknowledged and investigated with every reasonable effort made to bring them to a satisfactory resolution. Public complaints should be treated as incidents, included in performance measurement and addressed in your management reviews. Once a situation has been satisfactorily resolved, efforts should also be made to obtain written acknowledgments from complainants that this is the case.

4. Special Initiatives

Where appropriate, initiatives to foster a positive profile in the community should be considered, such as open days or sponsorship of local activities and organisations (e.g. sports clubs).

General advice warning

The information on this site is of a general nature only. It does not take your specific needs or circumstances into consideration. You should look at your own situation and requirements before making any decisions.

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