BBSBWHS521 Ensure A Safe Work Area
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to establish, maintain and evaluate an organisation’s work health and safety (WHS) policies, procedures and programs in a work area to ensure a safe workplace, according to WHS legislative requirements. It takes a systems approach and addresses compliance with relevant legislative requirements.
The unit applies to those working in a range of contexts who have, or are likely to have, responsibility for WHS as part of their broader management role. It is relevant for people with obligations under WHS laws, for example persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) or officers, as defined by WHS laws.
THE VIDEO BELOW PROVIDE YOU WITH AN GENERAL OVERVIEW OF WHS.
All workplaces must comply with WHS legislation to ensure the health and safety of their workers. Your
Overview – Ensure a Safe Workplace in Work Area.
(This is the transcript of the video. You may wish to read the content as well.)
Workplace Health and Safety is a strategy to protect workers, visitors and clients from sustaining injury or illness. Managing workplace safety makes good business sense. If a workplace neglects safety it may result in a financial cost to the business, with a reduction in profitability
Introduction
All workplaces must comply with WHS legislation to ensure the health and safety of their workers. Your duty of care is a legal obligation to ensure your workplace is free of those hazards that might result in work-related injury and/or death. It is important that all workplaces develop and implement WHS policies and procedures that allow them to meet their duty of care and ensure legal compliance.
Workplace safety is a key responsibility of both workers and PCBU for ensuring their actions in the workplace are safe for both themselves and others. Failure to accept these responsibilities can lead to serious damage to property and equipment, serious injury or death may result.
As the PCBU, you have a moral obligation to keep your workers safe from harm. Workplace safety is of vitally importance to the operations of any workplace
Why is Work WHS Important
Safe Work Australia report that “As at 20 December, there have been 118 Australian workers killed at work in 2018. In 2017, the data show there were 190 Australian workers killed at work, compared with 187 workers in 2016.”
Unsafe work conditions impact on workers, when they involved in an incident or accident:
- injury brings pain and suffering,
- they may be unable to work and provide for their family
- Their career is impacted when they cannot return to their pre-injury duties
- They lose contact with friends and colleague as they are unable to participate in their usual activities and social events
- They may need to start a different career in a different workplace
Unsafe work conditions also impacts on the workplaces once an incident or accident occurs:
- Downtime to attend to the injured worker
- Investigation of the incident and responding to the Inspectorate
- Re-allocating the workload to current workers
- Providing support and attending meetings for the worker compensation claim
- Recruitment and retraining a worker in the vacant role
Conclusion
It’s important to understand that most of the above activities are additional to the workplace tasks and services; so it impacts on the productivity of the workplace. It’s imperative that the workplace is diligent in committing to work WHS, if it is to survive.
The workers too, have a duty to ensure that they are not harming themselves or others.