PREVIEW Workplace Health and Safety Compliance for All Businesses

Workplace Health
and Safety
Compliance For
All Businesses
Ananda Naidu
KOHSSAFETY

KOHSSAFETY
Contents
Introduction 3
Injury Costs to the Economy 5
WH&S Importance in Business 6
Eight Steps for Businesses:
Step 1: Definitions under the
Health and Safety Act 2011
Step 2: Workplace Health and
Safety Policy
12
Step 3: Consultation 14
Step 4: Hazards and Risks 15
Step 5: Workplace Training 17
Step 6: Keeping Records 19
Step 7: Safety Management System 20
Step 8: Monitoring & Review 21
7
2
Workplace Health and Safety
Compliance for All Businesses

KOHSSAFETY
Introduction
In Australia, there are approximately 650,000 small to large family
businesses according to the 2017 Australian Bureau of Statistics and all
of these businesses comprise a very sizeable proportion of the business
community. All business is a business that employs less than fifteen fulltime
equivalent employees, whereas a large business comprises more.
While many of the workplace health and safety challenges facing small
businesses are industry-specific, there are similarities across all
businesses and can be adapted to any individual mall businesses who
often find it hardest to manage Work Health and Safety issues.
The aim of this booklet is to
explain the Eight (8) Essential
Steps that All Businesses should
be familiar with in order to
comply with the ‘Model’ laws
namely the Work Health and
Safety Act 2011 No 10 (herein
called the Act) and Workplace
Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (referred herein as the Regulation).
The Act and Regulation can be confusing to business owners regardless
of their size.
Workplace Health and Safety
Compliance for All Businesses
3

KOHSSAFETY
The eight steps will raise awareness of all business owners across
Australia to meet their legal requirements imposed by the Act and the
Regulation. The Regulation underpins the Act, and it provides practical
steps that should be followed to have a safe and secure work
environment and prevent injury and illness while at work.
It is time consuming and burdensome especially on businesses who
have limited resources to manage Work Health and Safety. However
having an increased Work Health and Safety outcomes will positively
benefit and improve the success of many businesses by having higher
quality products, increased productivity and lower workers
compensation costs to name a few. Also, Importantly, addressing health
& safety issues add value to businesses, workplaces and protect workers
on the job. This a win -win situation for all business owners, workers and
their customers.
There are WHS regulators in the Commonwealth and in each State and
Territory who are responsible for regulating and enforcing the laws in
their jurisdictions. Businesses operating in NSW, Queensland, the A.C.T,
the N.T, South Australia, Tasmania and (the Commonwealth) are all
subject to the WHS Act. However, businesses operating in Victoria and
Western Australia have their own Safety Act, which are the OHS Act
2004 and OSH Act 1984 respectively. These two states have yet to
embrace the 2011 Act and 2017 Regulation.
Workplace Health and Safety
Compliance for All Businesses
4