Introduction

1. This policy is based on the Comcare guidelines and has been developed in consultation with unions through the National Health and Safety Sub-committee.

Legislative Basis

2. The Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 requires that the employer take "reasonable practicable steps" to develop, in consultation with unions, an OH&S policy that will:

1. enable effective cooperation between the employer and the employees in promoting and developing measures to ensure the employees' health, safety and welfare at work; and
2. provide adequate mechanisms for reviewing the effectiveness of the measures.

3. The legislation also includes the requirement that the policy must provide for the making of an Agreement between the employer and the unions.

Policy

4. The Department will promote and maintain the health, safety and well-being of staff by aiming to:

1. protect the health and safety of all employees, contractors, visitors and other persons at or near our workplaces;
2. prevent accidents and ill health caused by working conditions;
3. protect staff from any health hazard which may arise out of their work or the conditions in which it is carried out;
4. place and maintain staff in an occupational environment designed to satisfy their needs for health, safety and well-being at work.
5. monitor and evaluate our OH&S performance against our OH&S strategies, Corporate Plan and Department’s Certified Agreement;
6. ensure comprehensive rehabilitation and return to work strategies are maintained;
7. participate in external forums that encourage best practice in OHS;
8. measure our success against agreed performance indicators; and
9. benchmark our performance against known best practice methodologies.

5. This will be achieved through consultation and cooperation with staff and their unions, and by providing employees with necessary information, instruction, training and supervision.
6. Through the implementation of this policy and the Agreement, management will ensure compliance with the legislation as a minimum standard, and implementation of the Act.

Accountability/Responsibilities

7. The Department recognises the importance of developing and maintaining healthy and safe working conditions in all workplaces of DEEWR and the importance of keeping the health and safety standards in these workplaces under constant review.

This will be achieved by:

1. the Department, through all levels of management, accepting responsibility for OH&S and ensuring that action is taken to implement this policy; and
2. resources being provided to implement the legislation.

Organisational Arrangements

8. To facilitate the implementation of the Act, management will ensure that appropriate designated work groups as agreed between management and unions are established, and that health and safety representatives and designated workplace supervisors are nominated and their roles maintained.

Health and Safety Committees

9. To facilitate communication between management and employees on health and safety matters, the joint union/employee/management committee, with State representation, will continue. The National Health and Safety Sub-committee is a sub-committee of the Departmental Consultative Forum.
10. Each State/Territory may establish Local Health and Safety Committees or include a standing item on OH&S in the existing State consultative process.

Financial and Other Resources

11. To ensure that necessary OH&S programs and activities are established and maintained management will allocate corporate funds for OH&S. Maintenance and monitoring of these funds will be the responsibility of the OH&S Manager within DEEWR who will report on the issues to the National Health and Safety Sub-committee.

Training

12. Management will ensure that all health and safety representatives, deputies and designated workplace supervisors are provided with the necessary training to carry out their responsibilities.
13. Management will ensure that health and safety representatives, designated workplace supervisors and staff are kept up to date with information about Commonwealth Codes of Practice(s), departmental OH&S guides and other relevant information relating to OH&S.
14. All staff will be informed of the implementation of the Department's policy and the roles and responsibilities held by management, health and safety representatives and designated workplace supervisors.
15. Management will ensure that training in basic occupational health and safety principles is offered on an on-going basis to staff and managers.
16. Management will ensure that training is offered to members of the National Health and Safety Sub-committee.

Human Resource Strategy

17. The Department will integrate this policy with other relevant guidelines/policies on the Intranet.

Review

18. This policy will be jointly reviewed every two years. The review will take account of the Department's OH&S performance and any changes in workplace risks which may have occurred since the policy was issued. A report relating to the review will be provided to the Health and Safety Committee for discussion and consideration of any amendments that may be suggested.

Signed
Peter Boxall, Secretary
Date:   3 September 2002