Changes to OHS legislation could mean jail time

With the new national Work Health and Safety (OHS) legislation coming into place on 1 January 2012 organisations need to ensure they understand what it means for their organisation.

The changes will apply to all businesses across Australia and will require many businesses to alter their current practices and ensure reliable management of data from a wide variety of sources.

The new legislation will introduce heightened duties for the CEO, COO and Directors of organisations or any officers making major decisions, with a requirement that you take reasonable steps to eliminate risk.

This means:

• You must acquire and keep up-to-date information on OHS matters (Acts, regulations, Codes of Practice)
• Gain understanding of nature of operational hazards and risks and ensure resources available to identify and risks and to eliminate or minimise the hazards
• Ensure there is an appropriate information flow process about incidents, hazards and risks and timely responses.

In order to ensure that all the elements of the OHS legislation are adhered to there are a number of steps that could be implemented:

• Board designate an OHS champion/senior executive with OHS responsibilities
• Regular reporting and KPIs of hazards, incidents, accidents, WorkCover notices
• Lead and lag indicators of OHS regularly reported
• Reported audits to demonstrate that the OHS management systems are working, reviewed and tested
• Ensure there are appropriate consultation provisions in contractor contracts.

If an incident does occur you are required to:

• Put incident in Register of Injuries
• Advise workers of their rights, including display If you are injured poster
• Complete and lodge any claim, with the worker’s Certificate of Capacity and preferably Employer Injury Claim Report with your Agent within 10 days
• Provide suitable employment and keep open pre-injury employment for the injured worker for 52 weeks
• Have a senior and competent Return to Work Coordinator
• Actively plan Return to Work, including consider supports, aids, modifications to assist return to work
• Consult about return to work with: injured worker, treating health practitioner, provider of occupational rehabilitation to extent reasonably able to do so

With a Greentree Human Resources and OHS solution we can help you reduce the chance of serious risk to your organisation. The ability to record, remind, take people through compulsory steps and measure correctly is crucial. We can provide employees with self service (including incident register) greatly reducing your burden.

This integrated business solution provides the ability to attach your policies or procedures or directly import within the system, providing clarity and instantaneous information to anyone using the system.

Importantly the Greentree software solution allows you to measure key lag and lead KPIs, available in real-time. This means that whoever accesses the system – whether it be the OHS Manager, Board or the HR department – has the most up-to-date and relevant information at their fingertips.

By implementing a OHS software solution for your business, you can diminish the chances of hazards being overlooked and therefore avoid large fines or even jail time.

Don’t leave it to late to ensure your employees are protected and your organisation covered.