Safety Inspections of QLD Mid Tier Businesses

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) has announced they will be conducting a safety audit of every medium sized business across the State in 2010. The first wave of inspections will start this month and the project is expected to take 12 months to complete.

Under this major project WHSQ inspectors will be visiting every medium sized business in Queensland to check the systems they use to meet their workplace health and safety obligations under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995.

WHSQ aims to use the initiative aims to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities occurring in business, increase awareness and knowledge of workplace health and safety risks and improve the capability of mid tier businesses to effectively manage workplace health and safety risks in consultation with workers.

There are nearly 8000 medium sized businesses in Queensland, employing 18 per cent of the state’s workforce. While these businesses only employ about 1 in 5 of the workforce; they account for over 1 in 3 workers’ compensation claims lodged every year.

The Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Strategy 2004-12, sets targets for a reduction in fatalities and injuries. They include:

• 40 per cent decrease of work-related injuries, and 
• 20 per cent decrease in work-related fatalities.

Over the next few months half of Queensland’s medium sized businesses will receive a letter advising them of the initiative. If you are a medium sized business and you don’t receive a letter in March 2010, you will receive a letter later in 2010 advising you are part of the second wave.

The letter will be sent to both the business owner and the workplace health and safety officer of each medium sized business. The inspection will focus on assessing the effectiveness of your health and safety systems, and identifying opportunities for improvement. Inspectors will draw on their enforcement options under workplace health and safety legislation to address any health and safety issues identified.

Before the inspection takes place WHSQ are offering businesses the opportunity to attend one of the 50+ free workplace health and safety advisory sessions being held across Queensland. This enables businesses to learn more about effective safety management systems and ask questions about the upcoming inspections.

For more information please visit Worksafe QLD.