Be proactive about OHS

WorkSafe Victoria is currently encouraging medium-sized businesses to integrate safety into their business management systems and ensure they practice prevention rather than reaction. Part of this strategy is to gain commitment from owners and directors to the process. Frequently, owners and directors are simply unaware that systematic, prevention-based health and safety management and promotion leads to reduced WorkCover premiums and other costs.

To educate owner and directors, WorkSafe developed the ‘Seven Pillars of Safety’.

The fourth pillar – Training and Supervision – seeks to ensure supervisors and workers understand the potential impacts of poor performance and fulfil their OHS/RTW roles and responsibilities, minimising injuries due to rule breaches.

Do you have the fourth pillar in place in your workplace? Here are some areas where you can be proactive about your health and safety requirements.

Area: New staff (includes contractors)

What to look for:

• Induction process

Expected practice:

Induction:

• Covers work process safety issues including supervision
• Covers RTW information
• Addresses training needs/site conditions
• Is signed off by an authorised person
• Recurs on a regular basis

Unacceptable practice:

• No reporting indicators assigned for OHS
• Designation unclear / not evident

Area: Training

What to look for:

• Needs identification
• Verification of training effectiveness
• Ongoing support

Expected practice:

• Formal training needs analysis conducted and signed off by authorised person.
• New and experienced staff regularly assessed.
• All training verified for effectiveness.
• Programs based on coaching and mentorship actively supported by leadership team.

Unacceptable practice:

• No training needs analysis (or only after an incident)
• No verification
• No ongoing programs

Area: Supervision

What to look for:

• Responsibility in place
• Process

Expected practice:

• Basic supervision responsibilities are recorded in position descriptions and reviewed.
• Supervision processes understood by all staff, both for on and off site work.
• Supervision responsibilities and processes for all levels of management documented and reviewed whenever changes to work practice occur.

This simplified approach is designed to support personnel in medium-sized businesses that have OHS and RTW responsibilities on top of their normal duties. It will establish and confirm their role as the ringmasters, not the experts, and as facilitators, not doers of everything.

At Work Safety Hub we are using the seven pillars as a guideline. This means that businesses now have a much simpler view and understanding of their roles and responsibilities.