E-mail:
chris@chrisjones.com.au
fax 0411 228 051
mobile 0411 228 051
Frequently Asked Questions
If your question isn't covered here, feel free to send me an email to chris@chrisjones.com.au.
Q: Do you run public training courses?
A: No. We provide a wide range of
OHS training services direct
to organisations and companies. We conduct accredited OHS
courses in New South Wales; carry out training needs analysis; and
conduct OHS training for management, supervisors, and employees.
Q: I own a small business, what do I
need to do for safety?
A: Most state authorities provide guidelines for small businesses on
their websites.
However, if you need more specific advice, we can conduct a
desktop audit, in
conjunction with a hazard inspection, and help you develop
an effective OHS programme.
Q: Does my company have to have a safety
committee?
A: The requirements for employee consultation vary state to state,
and are detailed on their
websites.
Generally speaking, an employer is required to consult with their
employees on OHS matters, including how this consultation takes
place. Different jurisdictions require different minimum
standards for OHS committees and/or safety representatives.
Chris Jones Risk Management can assist you in developing a
consultation programme that not only meets legislative requirements,
but is effective.
We can also provide accredited training for your safety committee and/safety representatives in New South Wales, as well as customised refresher training for your safety committee.
Q: I've been told I have to have risk
assessments. What's that about?
A: Broadly speaking, every jurisdiction requires an employer to
identify hazards, assess the risks, and control the risks that
cannot be removed. There are specific documentation
requirements and codes of practice for high risk manual handling;
plant; hazardous substances; noise; and construction work. All
jurisdictions require the risk assessment process to be conducted in
consultation with employees. We can assist in the preparation
of a risk register and risk assessments, and
train your staff in
risk assessment.
Q: How much responsibility does a company have for their sub-contractors?
A: A contractor has a responsibility to
ensure that their sub-contractors work safely and are not exposed to
risks to their health and safety.
In other words, the safety of your installers remains your
responsibility, even if they are sub-contractors.
Of course, they have their safety responsibilities too, both
for their own employees and sub-contractors, and for other persons
who may be affected by their actions or inactions.
However, it is not uncommon for all three parties on a
construction site – the builder (or principal contractor),
contractor, and sub-contractor, to be prosecuted over the same
incident.
Employers in the construction industry need to
ensure that their sub-contractors have safe work method statements,
follow the safety controls in their statements, use the required
protective equipment, and are inducted safely onto the site.
If the builder doesn’t require the use of
necessary safety equipment, such as hard hats or safety harnesses,
that does not relieve you of your responsibility to ensure that it
is worn by both your sub-contractors and employees.
Q: I
can’t have a supervisor overseeing every employee all the time; so
how do I get employees to work safely?
A: There is no single answer to this challenge. An employer must take a full bodied approach to ensuring employee safe behaviour including:
- Induction training;
- Ongoing
OHS training;
- Safety promotion and awareness activities;
- Consultation with employees on the OHS
rules and procedures;
- Documented safe work procedures and safety
rules;
- Training and supporting supervisors and
managers in OHS, company policies, procedures, and supervision;
- Discipline and counselling for employees
who do not work safely; and
- Establishing a safety culture in your organisation so that employees, supervisors and manages know that the only way to do a job, is the safe way.
Q: How much time do we have to spend on induction
training for new employees?
I conducted a study for the Queensland
government many years ago that analysed over a thousand lost time
injuries in nearly thirty companies.
The results showed that over half of all employees injured
had been in their employment less than twelve months.
I haven’t seen anything since that dispels that finding.
Because new employees are particularly at risk of injury,
induction training is critical.
The time spent on induction training will depend
upon the experience and qualifications of the employee, and the
complexity and hazards of the job.
In reality, induction training is not confined to the first
day or week, but should continue over the first year or longer, as
the employee progresses through the company.
The missing link in most induction training
programmes is assessment.
Conducting a documented assessment, covering both knowledge
and demonstrable skills, is an excellent way of determining that an
employee has fully grasped a new job.
The time it takes an individual employee to reach an
acceptable level of competency, on a given job, will vary
considerably.
There is a national code of practice on induction
for construction work.
The code requires three types of induction:
-
- Site specific induction – this will normally be provided by
the principal contractor
and include such things as the site safety rules, first aid and
emergency arrangements, and so on.
- Work activity induction – this is
induction into the specific OHS matters and hazards related to
the work activity undertaken.
Q: Does an employer have any responsibility for such contractors as maintenance people and cleaners?
A: To the extent that you have control
over someone else’s workplace, you have responsibility for their
safety. You should
ensure that contractors are inducted onto your premises, are
provided with safety rules, especially isolation procedures, and
advised of emergency procedures and first aid arrangements.
You should require them to have any electrical equipment
properly tested and tagged, and ensure that they advise you of any
hazardous substances they may be bringing on site or leaving over
night. Contractors
should be required to follow the same safety rules, and use the same
protective clothing as your employees.
Is there a maximum weight an employee can be required to
lift?
A: There is a national standard and code of practice on manual handling, supported by a range of legislation in each state. In brief, there are no longer specific weight limits. An employer must:
- Identify all high risk manual handling
tasks;
- Assess the tasks, taking into account a
number of factors, of which the weight of the objects being
handled is but one factor (examples of other factors include the
distance moved, the frequency of lifts, the postures adopted,
the environmental conditions and the persons doing the work);
and
- Implement appropriate controls, in
accordance with the “hierarchy of controls” approach.
The
manual handling risk assessments must be documented, and
conducted in consultation with employees.
An
OHS Consultant gets asked a lot of questions. Here are some of
the more common questions I've been asked.