October 12th, 2020
Safe Work Australia is an agency responsible for health and safety in the workplace and arranging workers’ compensation. Each year they have a National Safe Work Month to raise awareness in October about the importance of having a safe workplace for customers, management and staff in businesses across Australia, in a bid to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses. This year, amid the global pandemic, it’s more crucial than ever to raise awareness.
The theme of this year’s ‘Work Health and Safety’ month is based around COVID-19 and the various ways we can deal with the impacts the virus has had. Businesses all around Australia, and the world, have had to put processes and procedures in place to help manage both the physical and mental effects that the coronavirus is having on workers.
At INOX, many of our customers run businesses or are responsible in some way or another for keeping their workplace and staff safe. We’ve compiled a handy checklist that you can use to ensure you’re taking all the necessary steps to create a safe workplace:
✓ First of all, you need to know exactly what responsibilities you have. Do you know which duties you are required to undertake, by law, in order to create a safe workplace? These laws often vary by state so you can use these essential regulator resources to find out.
✓ Have you considered any and all potential hazards in your workplace that could have either a physical or psychological impact on staff or your team? Safework Australia states that this can include things such as “noisy machinery, chemicals, working at heights, a repetitive job, remote or isolated work, poor environmental conditions, bullying and violence.”
✓ Are you aware of the risks that exist within your workplace? As a person conducting a business or undertaking, you’re required to carry out a risk assessment, then explain to your staff how these risks can be minimised.
✓ Speak to your workers or team. Get the insight of others as you may not always see things from the same perspective that others do, and you may not carry out the same tasks that your staff do.
✓ Always consider health and safety issues when planning a new project or work system. For more information, have a look at the Safe Work Australia guide on ‘Principles of good work design: A work health and safety handbook’.
✓ What’s your emergency plan? Your emergency plan should be clearly written down with clear instructions on the steps employees should take in case of an emergency. Any emergency procedures that are featured in your emergency plan must be previously tested, and employees must have been given training.
✓ Have you or any of your workers been impacted by an injury or illness that occurred in or due to the workplace? It’s important that your team is provided with communication and assistance in dealing with this matter and that you take whatever measures necessary to make the return to work process as smooth as possible. This includes both physical and mental support.
✓ Do you have workers who speak a language other than English? Many businesses in Australia employ staff whose first language isn’t English or who perhaps only have basic English skills. Make sure there are health and safety resources available and made readily accessible to these staff. To make this straightforward for you, Safe Work Australia has published information in 22 different languages.
✓ Do you know where and how to report a Work Health and Safety incident? Contact your WHS regulator to make a report or for advice on how to make your workplace a safer space.
At INOX, we are dedicated to not only ensuring that our workspaces are as safe as possible but to also helping our customers create safe businesses. Head to our website to check out our product range with over 1001 uses!