The Principles of Effective OHS Risk Management
The Principles of Effective OHS Risk Management
The Principles of Effective OHS Risk Management
of Effective
OHS Risk
Management
Disclaimer
Publication details
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Copyright Act 1968, no part can be reproduced by any process
without the written permission from Comcare.
Comcare
GPO Box 9905
Canberra ACT 2601
www.comcare.gov.au
Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 4
Taking responsibility for workplace health and safety and for safely returning injured or
ill employees to work, is part of cultivating productive working relationships and building
organisational capacity.
An effective way to create and maintain a healthy and safe work environment is for
organisations to integrate OHS risk management into their daily business operations. As
a result, the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission (SRCC) has developed
the OHS Risk Management Model, which contains the following six elements:
1
Senior
management
leadership and
commitment
6 2
OHS Active
management involvement
of each
information
individual
systems
OHS in the
workplace
Risk
Management
Model
5 3
Hazard Principles
identication Effective
risk communication
assessment through
4
and risk consultation
control
Provision of
appropriate
information,
education and
training
1 4
Health and Safety Commission (1993), Organising for Safety, ACSN Study Group on Human Factors Third Report, London, HMSO.
2 ODea A and Flin R (2003), The role of managerial leadership in determining workplace safety outcomes, at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr044.htm.
It should be noted that Australian public service legislation places an emphasis on:
high levels of professional leadership and expertise; and Show leadership and
commitment and
performance management, and accountability in a devolved prevent workplace
injuries
management framework.
Senior management is in the best position to demonstrate its commitment to, and provide
leadership in, the development and implementation of OHS risk management programs to
meet legislative requirements.
Actively involved and accountable senior managers, who drive health and safety activities,
are more likely to deliver successful organisational health and safety outcomes. One way
to demonstrate accountability for OHS is to incorporate a clause in Australian Workplace
Agreements (AWAs) as discussed in Comcare booklet, OHS 32 Improving Occupational
Health, Safety and Rehabilitation Performance Through Workplace Agreements. Further
discussion on improving the effectiveness of safety leadership is highlighted in Comcare
booklet, PUB 35 Safe and Sound, Safety Leadership In Government Workplaces.
Productive Workplaces
a reduction in the incidence, severity, and costs (both direct and indirect) of
workplace injury and disease.
Supportive Workplace Culture
ensures that the agency is able to achieve its legal obligations under the OHS Act.
How is senior management leadership and commitment demonstrated and
achieved?
providing the necessary resources, both human and nancial, to achieve that vision;
and
taking an active role in hazard identication, risk assessment and risk control within
the workplace.
Information and Education
encouraging staff contribution to, and ownership of, OHS issues within the
workplace;
educating managers on OHS issues and their impact on the organisation; and
Employees are an important source of OHS information as they are often working with, or
in the immediate area of, identied hazards. They can provide valuable advice about risks
and possible solutions. For example, employees will have rst hand knowledge of:
the OHS implications of any short cuts taken in work Get involved .....
systems in order to save time; and
Prevent
OHS management programs after their introduction. workplace
injuries
Section 21 of the OHS Act states that an employee must take all
reasonably practicable steps, whilst at work, to ensure that their
actions or omissions dont create risks or increase existing risks to the health and safety of
themselves or others. In addition, they must co-operate with the employer in matters of
health and safety, and use any equipment provided in a manner consistent with its safe and
proper use.
The active involvement of each individual in the workplace means that each person
contributes to the consideration of safety at every level of the work environment.
Productive Workplaces
increased productivity due to employee ownership of safer and more effective work
methods; and
reduction in frequency and severity of injury, as staff become familiar with the
principles of OHS risk management in their area and begin to practice them.
Supportive Workplace Culture
employees are engaged in identifying OHS problems and solutions in the workplace;
OHS policies and procedures including risk assessment and control measures; and
Encourage open and frank discussion between staff and management on OHS issues:
ensure there are health and safety committees operating in the workplace;
ensure staff/management meetings are conducted regularly and during working hours
to encourage8 maximum participation;
encourage staff to raise issues and ensure that issues raised are documented, followed
up and reported on.
Co-operation
It is also a requirement of the OHS Act that consultation on health and safety matters
should occur in specic circumstances. The OHS Act requires consultation to be
undertaken:
Productive Workplaces
a reduction in the incidence, severity, and costs (both direct and indirect) of
workplace injury and disease.
Supportive Workplace Culture
effective lines of communication with people knowing who to contact about OHS
issues; and
appropriate forums in place that are able to address issues of concern whenever
necessary.
How is effective communication through consultation achieved?
involving staff and relevant parties in the process of OHS improvement, so that staff
understand what is occurring in the workplace to make it safer, and why;
10
providing staff with adequate training, so they have the necessary knowledge and
skills to participate in the consultative process;
being aware of differing skills in language, literacy and culture of employees and
considering these in all communications, as appropriate.
Safe workplaces
reduction in frequency and severity of workplace injury and disease as staff gain
knowledge and skills to perform their duties safely.
Supportive workplace culture
improved staff morale and corporate culture as staff become more knowledgeable.
How can appropriate information, education and training be provided?
Identication of organisational and staff training needs which identies potential gaps
between actual competency and the level of competency required to achieve set objectives.
In identifying training needs a range of factors need to be considered:
Employers should consult with their employees about the necessary information and
training they require to undertake their work safely.
Education and Training Programs
Establish appropriate education and training programs for staff, which may include a
structured training regime for employees, encompassing:
Induction Training
. emergency routines.
- Ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge necessary to perform their job
competently and safely.
Refresher Training
- Provide appropriate initial and on-going training for elected health and
safety representatives and staff involved in organisational health and safety
committees.
- Managers and staff should have the necessary skills and knowledge in relation
to effective consultation.
Dissemination of Information
document training activities and conduct regular reviews of the training needs of
staff.
Risk management is an integral part of good management practice and an essential part of
good corporate governance. In order for OHS risk management to be effective, it should
become part of an organisations culture. Ideally OHS risk management should not be
seen as a separate activity, rather it should be embedded in an organisations processes and
practices.
Risk management lies at the core of any occupational health and safety prevention program
and the success of any such program depends on successful implementation of this
principle for its success.
Hazard identication, risk assessment and risk control at workplace level may be
dened as the systematic application of management policies, procedures and practices to
the four-step process of:
identifying the hazard;
assessing the risk;
controlling the risk; and
monitoring and reviewing the risk management process.
14
The following table is useful in assessing the likelihood and consequence of a particular
action. Once this is done, the level of risk can be established. Obviously, if the likelihood
and consequences of an action will result in high levels of risk, then the action should be
avoided as much as possible.
LIKELIHOOD
Very Highly
Likely Likely Unlikely Unlikely
CONSEQUENCES
very likely;
likely;
unlikely; or
highly unlikely.
fatality;
minor injury; or
negligible injury.
elimination;
substitution;
engineering controls;
administrative controls; or
The following table provides information on the preferred sequence of risk control in the
workplace. This sequence is known as the hierarchy of controls.
How is it achieved?
- consulting with employees -they can often provide valuable information about
hazards, because they have hands-on experience in their work area;
- consulting with health and safety representatives and unions on OHS issues;
design practices and procedures for prevention and/or management of specic OHS
risks;
integrate OHS practices and procedures into existing operational practices and
procedures;
educate staff and supervisors in risk identication and assessment procedures; and
carry out regular risk analysis of workplaces, and compare with previous evaluations.
What are the benets?
risks are identied, assessed and controlled in accordance with the legislative
requirements of the OHS Act;
18
The management of OHS information makes good business sense. Regular monitoring
of OHS issues can indicate injury trends or recurring hazards in the organisation. This
information can form the basis of a prevention program specically targeting these areas of
concern.
indicate injury or illness trends within the agency, which gives management the
opportunity to institute prevention action specically targeted at these trends;
review the current Management Information System, and ascertain whether required
OHS information can be obtained from i;t
design specic recording and reporting tools that will collect necessary data for
analysis;
utilise external sources to add value to your agency OHS Management Information
System - for example, for Comcares premium payers the Customer Information
System (CIS) provides a range of reports including High Cost Claims Report, Injury
Type Report, Time Lost by Injury Group, Mechanism of Injury Summary, Hot Spot
Report, etc.
Flowchart
The following owchart illustrates the process for utilising Management Information
System to achieve a desired OHS outcome, whether it be provision of information for an
agencys annual report, or more importantly, provision of a safe workplace for employees.
OHS MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION
SYSTEMS
REMEDIAL ACTION
TAKEN TO ADDRESS
OHS ISSUES
SAFE
WORKPLACE
22
Comcare booklet, OHS 09, Safety Wise - Self Assessing OHS in the Workplace
Comcare booklet, OHS 11, OHS - A Reference Guide for Supervisors & Managers
Comcare booklet, OHS 12, Participating in Effective OHS Committees: A Guide for
Committee Members
Comcare booklet, OHS 17, The Management of Occupational Health and Safety in
Commonwealth Agencies. Establishing an OHS Management System.
Comcare booklet, OHS 32, Improving Occupational Health and Safety and Rehabilitation
Performance through Workplace Agreements.
Comcare booklet, PUB 35, Safe and Sound. A discussion paper on safety leadership in
government workplaces. Prepared by Comcare on behalf of the National Occupational
Health and Safety Commission.
Comcare
GPO Box 9905
In your capital city
Website: www.comcare.gov.au
Comcare
Email - [email protected]
Internet - www.comcare.gov.au