Managing your workplace health and safety responsibilities is a difficult task. You must analyze, reduce, and control risks to the health, safety, and welfare of people who work in and visit your workplace. Work health and safety systems, procedures, job safety analyses, risk assessments, and training are all important components.
This article talks about the duties of both employers and employees, how to deal with risks, and how important training is.
What is the employer’s obligation?
This basic duty of care requires offering a safe working environment by eliminating risks to health and safety to the greatest extent reasonably practicable. If risk elimination is not attainable, risk minimization to the greatest extent possible is essential. They must ensure the following:
The provision and maintenance of a safe and healthy working environment, including safe access to and from the workplace.
The provision and maintenance of safe and non-hazardous plants, structures, and work processes (for example, providing effective guards on machines and regulating the pace and frequency of work).
For example, the use, handling, storage, and transportation of plants, structures, and substances in a safe manner (for example, toxic chemicals, dust, and fibers).
For instance, the provision of suitable facilities for workers’ welfare during work (for instance, access to washrooms, lockers, and dining areas).
The provision of information, instruction, training, or supervision to workers in order for them to work without endangering their own or others’ health and safety.
Worker health and workplace conditions are monitored in order to prevent damage or illness caused by the operation of the business or undertaking.
They are responsible for the upkeep of any accommodation owned or managed by them in order to safeguard the health and safety of personnel occupying the premises.
To meet your workplace health and safety obligations, consult, collaborate, and coordinate. Employers must discuss, cooperate, and coordinate with workers and representatives from health and safety organizations. They must provide information about workplace hazards and how to be safe and protected. Employers must also advise and train employees on how to cope with these dangers safely. If the employer fails to meet their workplace health and safety requirements, there will be substantial legal consequences. They may be judged negligent if they create a dangerous working environment.
What is the employee’s responsibility?
Employees, on the other hand, are obligated to follow workplace safety regulations and take all possible precautions to stay safe.
Employees must pay attention to training and induction processes, safety systems, and papers so that they are aware of the proper procedures for carrying out their activities in the workplace safely. Employees who fail to meet their workplace health and safety obligations and cause themselves or a coworker to be injured may be held legally liable.
4 Steps to hazard and risk management
To create a safe working environment and meet your workplace health and safety duties, you must identify, control, and eliminate all hazards and dangers. You can choose from four options:
Consult: When detecting and assessing dangers or risks, employers must consult with employees, and they must discuss their options with them.
Find-Analyze all tasks in your workplace in cooperation with your staff to identify potential dangers. It’s a good idea to document everything and look into the history of dangers in your sector so you know what to avoid. Discussing dangers and hazards with others in your field, as well as exchanging experiences, can be valuable. Examine previous injury data to see if there are any problem areas or if any patterns are emerging.
Fix —Once you’ve identified and assessed the hazards in your workplace, any issues should be addressed as soon as feasible and as thoroughly as possible.
Review: Risk management to meet occupational health and safety standards is a continual activity that must account for any changes in the workplace. As a result, procedures and risk controls should be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they are effective and relevant.
How can training assist you in fulfilling your workplace health and safety obligations?
To meet your workplace health and safety duties, you must give training. All training aims to improve knowledge retention in order to modify behavior. The majority of businesses have safety inductions, toolbox meetings, and safety talks.
Many companies offer extra training in high-risk activities, emergency response, first aid, and manual handling. One of the primary goals of offering safety training is to upskill employees so that they can execute their tasks more efficiently and safely. To make certain that they are not endangering themselves or others.
Conclusion
As an employer, you must analyze, reduce, and control risks to the health, safety, and welfare of those who work in and visit your workplace. In this post, we discussed employer and employee responsibility for meeting workplace health and safety duties.
We looked at the four steps to managing risks and hazards in the workplace, as well as the supervisor’s crucial role. Finally, we talked about how training is an important part of managing workplace dangers.