REFERENCE MATERIAL › OH&S POLICY

What you need to do
An Occupational Health and Safety policy is a plan, aimed at providing and maintaining a work environment that is safe and without risk to health.

A successful OH&S policy should involve:

  • Effective consultation between senior management and employees
  • Involvement of health and safety representatives
  • A clear reflection of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1985 and other related OH&S legislation, and the use of Codes of Practice.

The most important aims of the policy are:

  • To ensure that your organisation complies with all OH&S legislation
  • To clarify senior management’s commitment to the provision and maintenance of a working environment that is safe and without risk to health
  • To integrate the above commitment into all the activities of your organisation
  • To identify responsibilities, accountability and targets within your organisation for maintaining workplace health and safety
  • To indicate procedures to ensure consultation and cooperation between management and employees to help achieve the objectives of the policy
  • To provide a commitment to the dissemination of information and training that is needed to apply safety practices and procedures
  • To commit to regular monitoring and review of the policy and its effectiveness.

What should be the format of an OH&S Policy?
The policy should be written and comprise:

  • A general policy statement and a declaration of intent
  • Details of the organisation (i.e. of people and their responsibilities) for health and safety
  • An overview of the arrangements to implement the policy using particular systems and processes.

Two typical examples of policy statements have been provided below.

Further Infromation
Further information can be found at the following websites:

Xchanging can provide clients with advice concerning appropriate controls aimed at achieving injury prevention at your workplace. Please contact the Risk Management Team for further information.

TWO EXAMPLES OF AN OHS POLICY
Note that these will require further amendments to reflect a particular organisation’s needs and circumstances, and should also include measurable targets.

“XYZ Company” Pty Ltd
To all employees

At the XYZ Company the safety and health of our employees comes first. Management is committed to doing everything possible to comply with all Occupational Health and Safety legislation, to prevent injuries and to maintain a healthy environment throughout our worksites. To this end:

  1. All managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that their employees are trained in approved work procedures to obtain optimal output without accidents and injuries and to ensure that all employees follow safe work methods and follow all applicable OH&S Acts and Regulations;
  2. All personnel are required to support our OH&S program and make safety and health a part of their daily routine and to ensure that they are following safe work methods and relevant regulations, and using the safety equipment provided;
  3. Relevant laws and regulations are incorporated in our program as minimum standards, and
  4. All personnel will be held accountable for implementing this program.

Signed: ___________ CEO Date: ______________

Our Commitment to Occupational Health and Safety
We recognise that health and safety is vital to the combined well-being of our staff and customers and the success of our business. Therefore we seek to develop a co-operative, consultative relationship with all our employees to achieve the highest standards of Occupational Health and Safety that we regard as of equal importance to our other business objectives.

To this end, we acknowledge that:

Management has a duty to provide and maintain so far as is practicable a working environment that is safe and without risks to health, and will:

  • Fulfil its responsibility under the OH&S Acts and Regulations and take practical steps to provide and maintain a safe and healthy work environment for all employees & contractors
  • Undertake regular assessments of OH&S in consultation with employee representatives
  • Provide applicable information, training, measurable targets and supervision to all employees
  • Ensure that specific policies (eg fire, purchasing, first aid, noise, systems of work, dangerous goods ...*) are periodically reviewed and that they remain consistent with current legislation and company health and safety objectives.

Employees have a duty to take care, as far as they are capable, for their own health and safety and of others affected by their actions at work and must:

  • At all times to comply with and maintain all safety procedures and directives as agreed to between management and employees, including ... *
  • Ensure that all items or facilities that are provided in the interest of health and safety are correctly used and not interfered with or misused
  • Report all incidents/ accidents to their supervisors/managers, and safety representatives.

Signed: ___________ Position: ___________ Date: ___________

Disclaimer: The information contained here is not intended to be comprehensive nor does it constitute legal advice. It contains only a summarized general overview of particular topics, and further professional advice or directives may still be required.