What Your Business Needs to Know About OHS

Whether your business is big or small you have an obligation as an owner or employer to make sure your working environment is safe. There are no excuses or exceptions: so listen up. As an employer you have a legal responsibility to protect the health and safety of employees, volunteers and outworkers. You are also responsible for making sure no one else, like your customers or visitors or passing traffic are put at risk by your work practices. Here at Safety Concepts we have gathered together a quick checklist you can put to use right now. In most cases it is all you need to know about your primary responsibility under state OHS law.

The OHS Act in your state or territory requires employers to:

• Maintain equipment and machiinery in good safe condition,
• Maintain clean and safe facilities such as in eating areas and toilets’
• Provide a safe workplace and safe systems of work,
• Have in place an occupational health and safety policy,
• Train and induct all employees in the policies and safety rules,
• Provide medical and first aid supplies,
• Monitor and record work related injuries, deaths,
• Report any incident that could have caused injury or death.

Here is a check list of essential OHS actions for your business:

• Develop an OHS Policy
• Make sure everyone in the business is aware of their responsibility for health and safety
• Identify all potential hazzards and dangers in your workplace
• Put in place safeguards and controls to reduce the chance of these hazards injuring someone
• Discuss health and safety issues with your staff regularly and allow them to contribute
• Ensure all workers have sufficient supervision and training to work safely
• Regularly check all tools, equipment and machinery to reduce hazards
• Put in place and promote an accident reporting and review system
• Put in place and train staff in emergency procedures
• Stock a good first aid kit in easy access
• Keep records of your safety activities
• Review work practices regularly to make sure they are still appropriate.

If you are able to say you have all these things in place you have an OHS management system in your business. If you said no to any of the bullet points you should sit down now and fix it. By using this as a guide you are off to a big start creating a safety culture at work.