How the Health and Safety Representative can assist in Consultation Cooperation and Coordination.

The Person Conducting the Business or Undertaking (PCBU) is required to consult with workers and others as part of the planning and implementation process for their activities. This process is called Consultation Cooperation and Coordination. This process must be completed in partnership with workers and other PCBUs who have a WHS duty in relation to the same matter to assist in ensuring worker safety.

Practical guidance in the who what how and when of this requirement is outlined in the Model Code of Practice available from Safe Work Australia. The Health and Safety Representative (where elected by the workers co-workers) can play an important role in this process.

The Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination, provides advice on how the Health and Safety Representative can assist with,

Who must consult, cooperate, and coordinate and with whom.
When must you consult, cooperate and coordinate with others?
Who has duties in relation to work health and safety consultation cooperation and coordination?
Why is consultation important?
When to consult with workers.
What is effective consultation?
When to consult, cooperate and coordinate activities with other duty holders.

So, what is effective communication and how can a Health and Safety Representative help?

The Health and Safety Representative can assist in the two-way flow between both parties by consolidating the ideas of the work group and presenting them as a single proposal. Then take the recommendations back to the workgroup to discuss the outcomes. The Health and Safety Representative is trained in this process and can act a conduit between the workers and management to better manage the information flow.

What is consultation and where does the Health and Safety Representative fit in?

Consultation is the process by which management must discuss the development of systems, policies, practices, and issues of mutual concern with workers or their representative. It involves seeking acceptable solutions to problems through a genuine exchange of views and information. The Health and Safety Representative is trained in this process and understands the benefits of ensuring a sound consultation process. An important principle of consultation is reaching an agreeable outcome on an issue or topic that is satisfactory to all parties and persons and moves towards a safer and healthier environment.

Using the Health and Safety Representative to assist in building a good Consultation Cooperation and Coordination process.

Developing a resilient safety culture will greatly increase the effective communication and consultation between management and workers. Once this culture sufficiently developed the health and safety issues at the workplace will be better understood and be included in robust conversations towards resolving issues so far as reasonably practicable. The process around consultation cooperation and coordination should not be viewed as a mere legal requirement, but as an important means of improving the employer’s decision-making about safety and health matters.

To better support the role of the Health and Safety Representative in your Business, do you ….

have a process to consult with your HSR on work health and safety matters at the workplace.
confer with your HSR, whenever reasonably requested by the representative.
allow your HSR access to information that you have that relates to the hazards and risks affecting the health and safety of the workers in the work group.
allow your HSR access to information relating to the health and safety of the work group workers.
allow your HSR to attend interviews concerning work health and safety between one or more workers with an inspector or a person from your Business.
provide your HSR with reasonable resources, facilities and assistance to enable your HSR to exercise their powers and perform their functions under the WHS Act.
allow a person assisting a HSR to have access to the workplace when require.
permit your HSR to accompany an inspector during an inspection of any part of the workplace where a member of your HSR work group works.
provide any assistance to your HSR required by the WHS Regulations.
allow your HSR reasonable time to perform their powers and functions under the WHS Act.
pay your HSR when performing their role, the same amount they are entitled to receive when performing their normal duties.

If you are interested in our WHS Consultancy services, you can contact David, Andrew or Mark to discuss your Health and Safety Issues.

We have qualified and certified Safety Consultants that can assist you in your business and offer a range of WHS consulting services along with general and specific health and safety training courses.

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How the Health and safety Representative can assist in Consultation Cooperation and Coordination