harmonisation of safetyGaye Cameron, Senior Consultant

harmonisation of safety laws

Re-establishing safety governance in the organisation

Improving on past practices, and integrating proposed laws into current and future practices

Gaining support from management throughout emergency service organisations

Harmonisation of safety laws: hinder or help?

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Change commences

• Model Legislation

• Work Health and Safety Act

• Work Health and Safety Regulations

• National Codes of Practice

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Due Diligence

• Exercise due diligence proactively

• Inspectors can inspect without a breach of the Act

• Evidence of due diligence framework and its implementation

• Up to date contemporaneous records

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Due Diligence Framework

• Setting OHS Management System• Setting standards for resource OHS

personnel & training requirements• Providing & establishing workable

mechanisms for ongoing auditing• Reporting requirements to relevant

officers on the safety performance• Critical Incident response procedures for

critical OHS incidents

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PCBU

Person conducting a business or undertaking

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Worker

Defined as (categories)• Employees• Contractors and Sub-contractors• Employees of contractors & sub-

contractors• Apprentices and trainees• Students gaining work experience• volunteers

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Volunteers

• Section 5 (7) Model WHS Act– Volunteer association does not conduct a

business or undertaking for the purpose of the Act and a Volunteer association is defined as a group of volunteers working together for one or more community purposes where none of the volunteers whether alone or jointly with any other volunteer employs any person to carry out work for the volunteer association.

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Officers

• New definition – Corporations Act 2001• Officer of the Crown• Exception Minister of State and Federal• Includes Govt Corporations• “who makes or participates in making

decisions that affect the whole or substantial part of the business or undertaking of a public authority”.

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Whats ahead?

opportunity

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What’s ahead?

• Review current safety systems

• Re-development of Safe Working Procedures

• Re-training & re-educating

• Safety Governance in the organisation

• Possibly some uncertainty

• Testing times

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harmonisation of safetyGaye Cameron, Senior Consultant

CONSULTING – AUDITING – LABOUR HIRE – TRAININGCONSULTING – AUDITING – LABOUR HIRE – TRAINING