Addressing workers’ and employees' health and safety responsibilities in the workplace
Educating and training workers and employees on their responsibilities to safety in the workplace is a primary duty for a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU).
Knowing and understanding their safety duties may help eliminate potential risk to the worker’s or employee’s own health and safety and the health and safety of those around them, reduce notifiable incidents and strengthen a safe and healthy workplace.
Workers’ and employees’ health and safety responsibilities
Under Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) laws a worker is “a person who carries out work for a small business or undertaking”. This includes, but is not limited to, contractors, subcontractors or volunteers.
The definition of an employee, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, is “a person employed under a contract of employment or contract of training”. This includes but not limited to an independent contractor or a person provided by a labour hire agency or recruitment agency. The terms may have different meanings under the two employment laws, but the principal health and safety duties are the same.
Workers and employees must take reasonable care of their own health and safety.
This includes, but not limited to:
- Wearing all required personal protective equipment (PPE) properly
- Maintaining a hazard-free work area
- Stopping work immediately if an unsafe work situation arises and notifying your supervisor
Workers and employees must take reasonable care and not put co-workers or others at risk or harm.
This may include, but not limited to:
- Not engaging in reckless behaviour that could adversely affect or expose a person at the workplace to serious injury or harm.
- Not interfering, tampering or misusing safeguards, safety devices or PPE unless it forms part of an approved maintenance, repair or emergency procedure.
- Addressing safety concerns with the supervisor or manager and to report all hazards and notifiable incidents.
Workers and employees must co-operate with their organisation’s effort to maintain their health and safety in the workplace.
This may include, but not limited to:
- Following the work safe policies and procedures provided to safely perform their job
- Attending training and adhering to the health and safety instructions and advice given.
- Using the provided equipment properly
Educating and training workers and employees on their responsibilities
A PCBU can introduce their workers and employees to their health and safety obligations in many ways. The most common way is through a safety induction. An induction may be conducted when a new worker or employee begins, when a worker or employee’s role changes or, even, for visitors and contractors.
A safety induction can provide workers and employees with the relevant skills and knowledge to work in a safe manner, and may include:
- Work health and safety policy and safe work procedures.
- Methods for reporting hazards, incidents, injuries, and communicating safety concerns
- Their health and safety representative, first aid officer and fire warden
- Their workplace hazards and risks and how to control them
Another way to introduce workers and employees to their health and safety obligations is through training and supervision. Depending on the level of risk associated with the job being conducted, training may need to be focused on specific duties and tasks to ensure the worker or employee is properly trained prior to commencing employment.
Training must be supervised and hands-on, and may include, but not limited to, the safe use of machinery and equipment and the use and maintenance of PPE. Training should enable workers and employees to demonstrate they can follow safe work policies and safely perform their work tasks without supervision.
Creating a safe and healthy workplace comes from the top
Inducting and educating employees on their work health and safety requirements is a good starting point to making health and safety a priority in the workplace. But to make it a top priority for every employee, an organisation should aim to develop a strong safety culture.
To develop a strong safety culture, an emphasis should be placed on strong safety leadership.
Strong safety leadership is “influencing others to adopt health and safety as an important work goal.” When executives, managers and team leaders commit to health and safety, it can:
- Motivate and increase employees’ work health and safety knowledge
- Help employees comply with health and safety laws and rules
- Encourage employees to adopt proactive safety behaviours
Demonstrating commitment to a strong safety culture
Lead through actions
- Take part and lead safety activities
- Comply with workplace procedures
- Demonstrate a keen interest in the health, safety, and wellbeing of employees
Make it clear that health and safety are a top priority.
- Highlight instances where individuals and teams have displayed good safety actions
- Encourage employees to voice their concerns and suggestions about work health and safety
- Emphasise that worker safety is just as important as getting the job done.
Include health and safety in your business plans
- Have a well-defined health and safety policy.
- Establish measurable objectives for health and safety performance
- Incorporate health and safety responsibilities in employees’ job descriptions
Sources:
Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
SafeWork Australia webpage: Duties of a PCBU
SafeWork Australia webpage: Duties under WHS laws
SafeWork SA webpage: Worker Responsibilities
WorkSafe QLD webpage: Management Commitment
WorkSafe QLD webpage: Safety Leadership and Culture
WorkSafe QLD webpage: Training and Supervision