As a business owner, manager, or supervisor, it’s your responsibility to ensure that your workplace remains safe and OHS & WHS compliant for any individual working at or visiting your site.
Your employees’ health and wellness should always be top priority; not only is it the right thing to do, but failing to meet expectations could lead to potentially costly repercussions.
Your responsibility also extends beyond your employees – you also need to consider the safety of equipment, storage of any hazardous items or chemical materials, physical and ergonomic risks, as well as the welfare of any other individuals (like contractors or suppliers) who visit you on-site.
Fortunately, there are several proactive steps you can take as an employer to ensure compliance and keep everyone safe in your workplace.
In this blog post we will discuss four ways you can construct a comprehensive safety strategy for your organisation.
4 steps an organisation should take to remain compliant with OHS & WHS obligations
An organisation has an obligation to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for its employees.
Taking the appropriate steps to stay compliant with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Work Health and Safety (WHS) obligations can help protect an organisation’s workers, the associated working environment, as well as demonstrate commitment to safety compliance.
1. Understand your obligation as an employer
As an employer, it is important to understand the full scope of your obligations under the law when it comes to OHS and WHS compliance.
This includes understanding how to:
- Identify potential hazards in the workplace
- Adhere to relevant legislation relevant to your jurisdiction, such as the Work Health & Safety Act and Regulations
- Develop appropriate risk management systems and processes
- Provide adequate health and safety training programs and resources for employees
It is also critical to understand your duty of care responsibilities towards workers so that you can provide them with a safe working environment that meets all statutory requirements.
Employee obligations
A healthy workplace involves everybody: employees, too, have an obligation to adhere to WHS policies.
They should:
- Follow instructions
- Adhere to policy and procedures
- Conduct themselves in away that does not cause harm to themselves or others
- Report any danger, risks, or other concerns to their immediate boss or supervisor
2. Assess workplace policies and procedures
It is vital to assess your organisation’s policies regularly in order to stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and changes in the law and to ensure all hazards and risks are constantly identified and controlled.
This involves conducting regular reviews of all relevant workplace policies, procedures, and documents, including:
- Health and safety plans
- Codes of conduct
- Risk assessment and management
- Safe work method statements
- Job safety analysis documents
- Hazardous materials registers
- Emergency evacuation plans
- Incident reporting
If any changes have been made to these policies since the last review was conducted then they should be updated accordingly.
3. Invest in workplace health and safety software
The easiest, best, and safest way to ensure you’re meeting all of the obligations outlined above in steps one and two is with a health and safety software package.
The use of a WHS management system will streamline processes related to OHS & WHS compliance within an organisation. This software automates much of the administrative work associated with keeping track of policies and procedures.
OHS software will not only help reduce time spent on outdated paperwork and clunky spreadsheets, but also make sure that no details are overlooked or missed which could lead to non-compliance issues down the line.
4. Commit to ongoing training, education, and development
Once policies have been reviewed and systems have been put into place, it is essential that you commit to ongoing training of staff so that best practices are upheld within the workplace.
Training should be relevant to each individual’s role and include both theoretical knowledge as well as practical skills related to hazard identification, risk management processes, and more.
Investing in quality employee training does not only help ensure compliance; it also boosts morale amongst staff. They feel valued knowing that their employer takes their safety seriously enough to invest in ongoing training programs for them.
Try Skytrust for yourself with a 3 month FREE trial!
Skytrust is a flexible and adaptable cloud-based safety and compliance system that provides a holistic approach to your organisation’s compliance obligations.
The platform can grow in function as the business grows. Different modules can be activated as required to meet your unique needs and you manage how these work for you.
From risk management procedures in aged care to occupational health and safety in manufacturing industries: Skytrust helps more than 140,000 global users across a range of industries to create more compliant workplaces and safer, happier employees.
Want to experience the power of Skytrust for yourself?
We offer a FREE three-month trial in which we set up Skytrust with dedicated data, such as HR, plant and equipment, and contractors, allowing you full access to explore all its capabilities. If you think we’re a good fit, we would love to hear from you. Three months, on us – enquire now.
If you have further questions or want to speak to our team, please get in touch by filling in this form or calling (08) 8361 7100.
