Workplace Health and Safety Plan and Framework (Supervisor/Mentors)

 

Our aim is to eliminate or minimize the risk of injury to people and the risk of damage to plant and equipment.

Scope and Responsibilities 

 

The Workplace Health and Safety Act places obligations on certain persons to ensure workplace health and safety. Ensuring workplace health and safety involves identifying and managing exposure to risks at the workplace.

 

• Provide and maintain a safe and healthy work environment including eliminating or minimising all workplace hazards as far as reasonably practicable
• Provide and maintain safe plant
• Ensure the safe use, handling, storage and transport of hazardous substances
• Ensure safe systems of work that comply with all organisational policies and procedures and legislation
• Provide adequate information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure health and safety.  
• Consult with employees to enable them to contribute to decision making that affects their health and safety at work

 

Contractors

Contractors have an obligation to ensure that when they are at a workplace, the health and safety arrangements established by the organisation are followed and maintained. Contractors must be informed of these requirements and will be held accountable for their actions.

• Risk Management
• Incident Reporting and Investigation
• Workplace Health and Safety Training
• Policies, Standards and Procedures – area and industry specific

Risk Management

These five steps must be followed to manage exposure to risks within MultiSkill Centre.

1. Identify the hazards present in a particular work situation
2. Assess and prioritise the risks associated with the hazards
3. Decide on measures to control the risk
4. Implement control measures
5. Monitor and Review the process

 

The objectives of risk management are to:

• Identify, assess, control and review and record risks in the workplace
• Ensure consultation with employees takes place during all phases of the risk management process
• Eliminate, as far as practicable, the risk of injury or illness, damage to property and damage to the environment.

Supervisors and Managers, with contribution from employees and participants, undertake risk management procedures that will ensure all workplace hazards have been identified, assessed, controlled, reviewed and documented. Those in supervisory positions demonstrate their commitment to the risk management process and implement risk management procedures, communicating the importance of risk management.

• Provides guidelines for existing workplace hazards.
• Ensures potential hazards of new or modified processes, equipment and materials are identified before they are introduced into the workplace.
• Maintains a current hazard register and record of controls for hazards relevant to regularly occurring tasks.

Assesses the risk posed by each identified hazard and considers:

• The nature of the risk
• How it may affect health and safety
• How many employees are exposed to the hazard
• How much, how often and for how long employees are exposed

There are three steps to assessing risks:

1. Estimate the likelihood (how likely is it that it could happen) of an incident.

2. Estimate the consequences (how severely could it hurt someone)

3. Combine these estimates to determine a risk rating for each hazard

 

 

 

The best results will be achieved by using several measures, not just one. 

Preference being given in order from the top down:

 

Remove the hazard altogether. For example, using a trolley instead of lifting and carrying eliminates a manual handling hazard.

 

substitution of a material, substance or a process. 

 

Example:  

• Modification of tools and equipment
• Automation
• Machine guarding
• Hoists and mechanical aids to eliminate manual handling

• Reducing the number of employees exposed
• Safe Work Procedures
• Training
• Job rotation
• Permits to work, eg. hot work; confined space entry 

 

Reviewing ensures procedures are effectively controlling workplace risks.

 

Under Chapter 12 Part 12.4 Section 711 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulations, MultiSkill Centre has a legal obligation to report specific workplace incidents to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. These specific workplace incidents are called Notifiable Incidents.

 

A notifiable incident is an incident resulting in:

• A person suffering a work injury that is a serious bodily injury, including a fatality
• A work caused illness
• A dangerous event.
• A serious electrical event
• A dangerous electrical event

 

A full explanation of the above definitions should be obtained from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland to ensure that all notifiable incidents are reported.

 

Incident and Near Miss Reporting Procedures                          

• All employees, contractors and visitor incidents or near misses are to be reported as soon as practicable after the incident but should be no later than the end of the day or shift.
• The MultiSkill Centre Incident Report Form on infopad must be completed as soon as possible after the incident/near miss occurs.
• Where an injury occurs, immediate first aid treatment should be given by the first aid officer if the injury is within their level of training and/or arrangements made for medical treatment or transportation to hospital.  
• A risk assessment is to be conducted and appropriate control measures implemented.    
• The relevant documentation to be completed and sent to WorkCover Qld.                  

 

Failure to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland of a notifiable incident, or failure to record a workplace incident will, in the first instance, result in significant penalties to MultiSkill Centre. It may also lead to possible prosecution and conviction for breach of legislation under the Workplace Health and Safety Act.

 

It is important to ensure employees are adequately skilled and trained to carry out the requirements of their work and to comply with health and safety practices and procedures 

 

Training may include the following, and be delivered through meetings, training days, induction presentations, quizzes, self-read documents/signs or other means.

 

Induction training for new employees, participants, contractors and visitors are an important aspect of workplace health and safety at MultiSKill Centre.

 

Inductions for equipment and tools must also be completed to ensure adequate training before tools are used.

Non-compliance 

Listed below are conditions that maybe considered examples of workplace health and safety non-compliance and may result in disciplinary action or other external prosecutions.

• Breach of a Manager/Supervisor's safety related instructions
• Breach of obligations under the Workplace Health and Safety Act, Workplace Health and Safety Regulation, MultiSkill Centre Workplace Health and Safety Policy and/or procedures.
• Deliberate unsafe actions. For example, the improper use of equipment, deliberate unsafe work practices and/or housekeeping practices.
• Repeated and unjustifiable failure to attend mandatory education in relation to Workplace Health and Safety.

 

• Smoking, drugs and alcohol
• Electrical safety and test and tag
• Emergency management
• Drugs and alcohol
• First aid
• Sharps, skin penetration injury and biohazards
• Infection control and hygiene
• Hazardous substances and chemical handling and Safety Data Sheets
• Burns prevention and hot work
• Cuts and abrasions
• Manual handling
• Isolation and lock out
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Fatigue including sun safety, hours of work, repetitive tasks
• Plant safety and mobile plant (forklift)
• Safe working procedures/ Standard operating procedures
• Hand and power tools
• Traffic control and traffic management plans
• EEO, workplace harassment, bullying, cyberbullying, victimisation, vilification and human rights
• Workers compensation
• Stress management and wellbeing including specific information for vulnerable, youth and at risks persons
• Industry specific information including codes of practice for hospitality, construction, recycling/manufacturing/waste management

Codes of Practice are also available https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/laws-and-compliance/codes-of-practice

View the Workplace Health and Safety Plan and Framework Policy here:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/home/Admin%20Management%20and%20Compliance%20MultiSkill/Policy%20Documents