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So what do I do?
I am your Work Health and safety representative, which means I am a worker who has been elected to represent the health and safety interests of my work group at IVET gym.
One of my key responsibilities is to work with you all as new staff as you go through your induction, to ensure that you understand the importance of workers being an active part of the hazard identification and risk assessment process !
My job explained:
Some of my other responsibilities are to:
HAZARDS vs. RISKS
A risk is a situation involving exposure to danger, harm or loss.
Hazards are any sources of potential harm or a situation with the potential to cause harm.
Ways to identify hazards at IVET gym:
Enlisting the assistance of professional consultants and/or industry specialists:
This can be beneficial as they may see things that those within the organisation fail to notice and because they don’t work for the organisation they may feel more comfortable identifying hazards. They will have visited a number of worksites and be familiar with common hazards that may exist in similar organisation and businesses.
FOR EXAMPLE: most gyms, like ours, would have similar hazards such as,
• machine maintenance
• weights on floor
• wear and tear on cables and pulley systems
Talking with staff:
When talking with staff and others in the workplace ask them to identify any potential hazards that they see. As staff, you will be able to offer the most insight into potential hazards you see, as you work in your role every day! As staff, you may be asked to brainstorm a list of potential hazards during a staff meeting, or to complete a questionnaire that I will review.
Its important that if staff identify a hazard, they report it to the relevant person and complete any required paperwork.
Conducting physical inspections: Where you walk through the workplace and look out for hazards.
You should use a checklist specific for the workplace when conducting the inspection, to remind you of each area and/or item that should be checked as well as documenting the inspection conducted.
FOR EXAMPLE: When checking the outdoor pool area, your checklist might include,
• The pool hose is appropriately stored
• Chemicals are covered and sored
• That lane ropes are attached correctly
• Appropriate swim lane signage has been allocated and erected
Reviewing records or accidents and ‘near misses’:
To identify hazards that you were unaware of, review records of incidents and near misses that have occurred at IVET gym. By using these records to identify hazards in the workplace, you are learning from previous mistakes to ensure they do not occur again.
An example of a near miss is a worker tripping over a weight lying on the gym floor, but avoids serious injury by grabbing onto the frame of a nearby bench. Reports should be generated of these near misses, which are ‘close-calls’ where serious injury was narrowly avoided.
The document needs to be given to an appropriate person in the workplace, such as myself (WHS/OHS representative), manager or supervisor, so that they can action the hazard and reduce the chance of it occurring again.
Once a HAZARD has been indentified, it is important to assess the RISK.
This involves determining the likelihood of the risk occuring, turning into an accident, injury or loss, the potential consequences, and then rate the risk based on the potential severity of the harm.
Computer software systems are available to make risk assessment in the workplace easy and ensure the heath and safety of all employees and others in the workplace. Many of these programs help facilitate:
If you choose this method, it is important to ensure that the software system is suitable for the type of workplace (gym/recreation centre) and any specific legislative and regulatory requirements that must be complied with.
?
This method is where staff brainstorm as a group and identify things that could go wrong in the workplace and the impact that they would have
For this method to be effective:
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Allows the person conducting the risk assessment (step 1- hazard identification) to focus on specfic areas of the organisation that are most dangerous, and ensures they don't forget any elements.
Effectiveness depends on:
What does this mean? These are the different risk control options !
Remove the hazard or cause of potential harm completely.
Substitution: Replacement of the item/object with something that has the same function but reduces the level of harm.
Isolation: Create a barrier between harm and employees or others in the workplace.
Engineering controls: Changes to equipment, materials or resources to reduce the harm.
Adminstrative Controls: Implementation of training, changes to rosters, timing, policies or procedures
PPE: Implemention of the use of personal protective equipment, i.e. protective glassess, earplugs etc.
An impeding factor is something that limits the success of your selected risk control/s.
Staff: If staff resist things changing in the workplace, this could be an impeding factor. This is due to be people becoming comfortable in their roles. This is why STAFF CONSULTATION is important, to help ease potential fears and explain the importance of the risk control in maintaining their health and safety.
A lack of resources or money: IVET gym will need to ensure that they have the correct resources in place and that the risk control can be funded. It is important that once a risk control option has been selected that it is implemented straight away.
Lack of planning: While it is important to act quickly, changes need to be thoroughly considered, with all aspects and obstacles (such as staff resistance) and strategies to deal with the situation if it arises. The control needs to be implemented correctly.
Poor management and communication: Managers and leaders at IVET gym need to consider how to communicate changes with staff. Communication channels between members of the organisation need to be kept open, as effectiveness of the control could be dependant of now the changes are perceived by the staff and how supportive they are.
This is the ranking system used to qualitatively assess the risk of incidents at IVET gym.
Under OHS laws, Incidents at a workplace which result in the consequences described below must be reported to Work Safe. The number to call if you aren't sure about if an incident is notifiable is: Worksafe at: 132 360 to seek advice.
Notification is required where an incident at a workplace results in:
• death
• serious injury
Serious injury is used in this context to describe those incidents that result in the consequences described in section 37(1) of the OHS Act.
They include, but are not limited to, incidents that result in a person requiring:
• medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance
• immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital
• immediate medical treatment for: – amputation – serious head injury – serious eye injury – separation of skin from underlying tissue (for example de-gloving or scalping) – electric shock – spinal injury – loss of bodily function – serious lacerations
Employers and self employed person's must report to Worksafe immediately after they become aware that an incident has occured.
The process of rthe obligatory work safe report can be condered as 7 standard steps.
Reporting an incident
1. If the situation is still dangerous or high-risk, call emergency services immediately on 000
2. Confirm if the incident is notifiable
- Find out what type of incidents must be notified.Criteria for reportable incidents
3. Ensure the incident scene is not disturbed until a WorkSafe inspector arrives
However, incident scenes can be disturbed if necessary to:
1. protect a person's health or safety
2. help someone who is injured
3. make the area safe
4. Notify WorkSafe immediately by calling 13 23 60
The icident details will be lodged details and you will be sent a link to an online incident notification form. WorkSafe will then advise if an inspector will make a site visit and whether the incident scene can be disturbed before the inspector's attendance.
Call 13 23 60.
5. Report the incident in writing within 48 hours
Once you have completed and submitted the online incident notification form, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your records.
6. Having trouble completing the online form?
If you are having trouble completing the online incident notification form, download a print copy of the incident notification form, and email the completed form to: info@worksafe.vic.gov.au or post to:
WorkSafe Victoria
PO BOX 279
Geelong VIC 3220.
Incident notification form
7. Save a copy of the incident notification form
You are required to keep a record of the form for at least five years.
All near misses and incidents/accidents should be reported to the chief WHS Officer within 24 hours of the occurrence. They will then contact Worksafe if required.
All incident/accident forms should be emailed directly to: chiefwhsofficer@ivetgym.comau
They will keep a record of all forms sent to them.
You should also CC your manager and the nominated WHS representative in the communication.
As an organization we must advise workers of, and consult them about developing risk control options according to WHS consultation and participation, policies, procedures and processes.
It's important that all workers have the chance to offer their input and are appropriately supported through this process so that they understand how their workplace may have changed with the implementation of the risk control.
Special consideration should be made in providing training and instruction to workers with:
When providing information and training to staff
Identifying and assessing hazards or risks to health and safety in the workplace
making decisions about control measures to implement
1. Improves employee confidence and morale in the workplace -> If employees are involved in the process, it is a way to demonstrates that their ideas and opinions are valid. NOTE: While worker participation is mandated by law, it is key to not feel as though they are only involved to comply with the act.
2. Results in the removal of hazards in the workplace -> Workers can provide valuable insight into potential hazards as the work in the organization every day.
3. Makes them aware of the organizations legal responsibilities -> If employees are consulted through formal staff meetings, through HSR and other methods included in the WHS procedures, they will gain understanding on what the consultation process must include.
1.Enables them to comply with legal requirements-> These legal requirements are outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004.
2. Less worker compensation claims-> Due to the fact that worker consultation protects the health and safety of workers and prevents injuries, illness and loss, less compensation for harm will need to be payed to employees.
1.Encourages a more productive, cooperative and collaborative workplace-> If workers contribution is valued, they are more encouraged to participate effectively .
And which is the most effective?
The most effective method is usually through staff meetings.
This is because when consulting workers during the WHS consultation process you should ask for any feedback, answer any questions asked, provide any additional information, and seek their active support and approval, which can be more easily achieved in person. While emails and noticeboards offer the advantage of being succinct and direct, the WHS process requires a more open and collaborate approach, and these methods don’t promote engagement.
Engagement in general is key in sharing information effectively.
To engage people in staff meetings, consider:
Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
Workplaces in Victoria are required to act in accordance with the following:
Victorian Compliance Codes:
Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)
Compliance code: Hazardous manual handling
This compliance code provides practical guidance on how to comply with your obligations under Victoria’s occupational health and safety legislation to manage risks associated with hazardous manual handling.
From <https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/compliance-code-hazardous-manual-handling>
Compliance code: Communicating occupational health and safety across languages
This compliance code provides practical guidance on how to comply with your duties or obligations under Victoria’s occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation to communicate OHS matters in appropriate languages.
From <https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/compliance-code-communicating-occupational-health-and-safety-across-languages>
Compliance code: Noise
This compliance code provides practical guidance on how to comply with your obligations under Victoria’s occupational health and safety legislation to manage risks associated with workplace noise exposure.
From <https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/compliance-code-noise>
Compliance code: First aid in the workplace
This compliance code provides practical guidance on how to comply with your obligations under Victoria’s occupational health and safety legislation to provide first aid facilities in your workplace.
From <https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/compliance-code-first-aid-workplace>
Compliance code: Workplace amenities and work environment
This compliance code provides practical guidance on how to comply with your obligations under Victoria’s occupational health and safety legislation to provide employees with workplace facilities.
From <https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/resources/compliance-code-workplace-amenities-and-work-environment>