Work Health and Safety Statement
Policy statement
The primary duty of care of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WHS Act), means that the department will take steps to ensure the provision of a healthy and safe work environment, so far as is reasonably practicable. This duty is to eliminate risks to the physical and psychological health and safety of its employees and other workers while they are at work, and others who may be affected by the carrying out of work. If this is not reasonably practicable, risks will be minimised so far as is reasonably practicable.
The goal of the department’s work health and safety management system (WHSMS) is to meet and exceed the requirements of the WHS Act and its supporting laws. The four key objectives of the WHSMS are to:
- Maintain high standards and continuously improve work health and safety (WHS) performance and wellbeing strategies through effective safety management and regular planning.
- Improve consultative and reporting mechanisms for WHS and injury management matters.
- Reduce the frequency and severity of WHS risks through effective hazard management.
- Train, supervise, and support employees and other workers to reduce the risk of work-related injury or illness.
Policy principles
To meet its primary duty of care, the department will:
- Operate in accordance with the WHS Act and its supporting laws and guidance material.
- Implement an effective WHSMS Framework and review it on a regular basis.
- Provide Officers with training and the information to exercise their due diligence requirements and to ensure the department complies with its WHS duties.
- Promote and provide all employees and other workers with the necessary resources, support and training to enable them to carry out their work safely and to achieve safety outcomes.
- Create and maintain a positive safety culture that encourages and supports employees and other workers to apply relevant departmental procedures and processes to protect themselves and others from physical and psychological injury or harm.
- Identify the department’s hazards and assess the risk of injury or harm for each hazard; as far as practicable, eliminate and minimise WHS risks using the hierarchy of controls; monitor the risk control measures; and conduct investigations to identify root causes for appropriate action to be taken to prevent reoccurrences and with a no-blame approach.
- Build an enduring reporting culture where physical and psychosocial hazards, incidents and near misses are reported by our employees and other workers.
- Create and maintain a safe work environment aligned to the department’s values and Code of Conduct with zero tolerance for inappropriate and unreasonable behaviours in the workplace, discrimination, bullying, harassment (including sexual harassment), and any form of intimidating, aggressive or violent behaviour from employees and other workers, customers or visitors.
- Aim to identify and mitigate risk of exposure to potential traumatic events (PTE) and to reduce the risk of short and long term psychological injury or trauma following exposure to PTE.
- Develop targets, measures and indicators that demonstrate performance above the minimum WHS legislative requirements and regularly monitor and report on the department’s performance.
- Achieve continuous improvement in WHS through planning, monitoring, audit and review of measurable targets, objectives and initiatives.
- Encourage open, honest and effective consultation and communication between line managers, employees and other workers and Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) with the view to achieving a common understanding and resolution of all WHS issues.
- Provide high level support to the Health and Safety Committee (HSC) and elected HSRs, such that: support and time is given to undertake WHS related tasks; and action is taken to resolve reported WHS issues in a timely, effective and practicable manner.
- Promote innovation and learning in developing the most effective and efficient ways to meet its WHS duties.
Work Health and Safety Statement
Providing a safe and healthy work environment.
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