Workplace health and safety reporting.
How staff report workplace health and safety issues, incidents, and hazards.
AIM: To ensure that staff follow procedures to report concerns about WH&S issues to the Approved Provider as soon as they occur.
PURPOSE: -- To provide staff with a clear outline on the how to report WH&S issues and concerns.
To reduce the number of hazards in our service environment.
PROCEDURE: Risk management is a total process by which the risks from hazards are confronted, thought about and reacted to in such a way that is economical and beneficial to all involved. There are 4 steps that need to be taken in risk management: identifying hazards, assessing risks, controlling risks, managing the risks when purchasing new equipment or substances.
Identifying hazards
Employees are encouraged to report WH&S hazards as soon as they become apparent to the Director who would consult with the General Manager and Approved Provider.
Identify the hazard by:
walking through and inspecting each area,
workplace inspections using relevant workplace checklists:
Monthly Maintenance Checklist (Procedure 12 on centre App);
Daily Outdoor Environment Checklist (Centre App); and
Daily visual inspections in the indoor learning environment
Consulting with employees about any problems.
Observing all persons at or near the service environment.
Once any hazard has been identified, the risks associated with the hazards are assessed. If the risk is deemed to be relatively minor and is easily fixed attend to it immediately.
Each hazard is recorded on a >Hazard Identification Form.
Assessing risks
Assessment of the risks to health and safety from these hazards is designed to:
Ensure that all factors of the job/tasks are considered.
To assess the possible impact and severity of the risk.
Place in order of priority, the risk that need controlling.
Each identified hazard must be assessed in terms of the risks to health and safety associated with it to determine a prioritised list of risks for further action. Risk assessment is based on questioning >What if?= and >What could possibly go wrong?= and allowing for the worst-case scenario.
Staff are required to complete a >Risk Assessment Form to determine the risk priority.
Controlling Risks
Eliminating the hazard.
Substituting a less hazardous or dangerous substance, piece of equipment, task, or procedure.
Engineering controls - for example by re-designing the equipment, task, or procedure.
Isolating the hazard by physically removing or cordoning off the risk area/hazard.
Display signs and notices making people aware of the risk/hazard.
ALL FORMS ARE MAINTAINED IN THE WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY REGISTER.
Source: Work Health & Safety Regulation 2011
Work Health and Safety Act 2011
Managing OH&S in Children’s Services
*This procedure is the property of Eikoh Seminar Australia Pty Limited and must not be reproduced without the consent of management.