WHS Policy and Procedures

WHS Policy and Procedures Overview

WHS Policy and procedures are a key component of the AS/NZS ISO 45001 Occupational health and safety management system and can be combined or kept separate. Some organisations combine their policies and safe work procedures. In those cases, a policy statement should include specific information about work procedures. These documents form the safety management system that assists to ensure the health and safety of workers and others in the workplace.  

Other organisations separate the two by having an overall Work Health and Safety policy and other associated policies (e.g., drug and alcohol policy), and a separate range of WHS related procedures. Importantly, there must be no inconsistency with the written policies and procedures, and how they are actively put into practice by the organisation.

The training provided by our qualified Safety Consultant is especially helpful to Health and Safety Representatives to better understand the legislation so that they can assist Management to develop strategies to protect workers.

WHS policy and procedures are important because they

– clearly demonstrate that an organisation is addressing its legal obligations
– highlight that the organisation is committed to working within a set of WHS principles
– clarify functions and responsibilities within the organisation
– help ensure those safe systems of work are devised, adequately recorded, effectively communicated to workers and consistently implemented throughout the organisation
– improve management of workers by defining what is, and what is not acceptable workplace behaviour
– save time and reduce workplace injuries by allowing WHS matters to be handled through an existing and consistent procedure
– provide employees with clear information regarding required workplace behaviour

This training is especially helpful to Health and Safety Representatives to better understand the legislation so that they can assist Management to develop strategies to protect workers.

WHS Policy and Procedures Outline

The policy and procedures that an organisation adopts will depend on the nature and size of the business. Many are common to most businesses (e.g., accident reporting), while others relate more to specific activities of the business (e.g., handling hazardous chemicals). We have a robust WHS Safety Policy and Procedure documentation set that can be readily adapted to your organisation to assist in the initial setup. Following consultation and amendments this set of procedures will greatly speed up compliance requirement process.

How to implement effective WHS Policy and Procedures
Our Safety Consultant can assist you through this process of developing your system or creating one or a hybrid of both. In any instance the Safety Consultant will be able to provide feedback and guidance through implementation to review. The Consultant can assist with the issues around the safe work environment and general WHS Obligations of the business. 

The following steps are necessary to implement an effective policy and procedures system in the workplace:
– consultation with all relevant stakeholders including employees, safety representatives, and contractors
– tailor the policy to the relevant business
– define all obligations and procedural steps clearly
– make the policy realistic by ensuring that the organisation has the time, resources and personnel to implement the policy
– communicate and publicise the policy to make it available for all workers
– train all workers in the policies and procedures
– be consistent in policy implementation by ensuring that WHS policies and procedures are put into effect throughout the organisation
– regularly review and evaluate all policies and procedures to ensure they remain relevant and effective enforce the policies and procedures.

Why have safety policy and procedures?
Having a policy shows you’re committed to safety and preventing work-related injury and illness. It also sets the rules and standards you expect everyone to follow. Having safe work procedures in your workplace means that everyone will have access to the safe way to do their job.

Safe work procedures should:
– clearly explain how to perform the task (step-by-step)
– point out any potential risks involved in the task
– tell you how to eliminate that risk to avoid injury or damage
– provide a useful tool for training and supervising your workers

How can DRA Assist?
The procedures you will need in your business will vary based on the industry you’re in and the hazards in your workplace. Our Safety Consultant includes your workers when developing your policies and procedures, as they know the tasks they perform better than anyone. This general consultancy and set of recommendations ensure that the procedures will be realistic and more likely to be followed.

We can assist you with each State and Territory processes to develop clear procedures to be implemented for workers to comply with and assist with the work health and safety issues in the workplace.    

When are you required to review your policy and procedures?
You need to review them when:
– you have an incident at your workplace
– changes occur in the workplace
– your workers tell you the procedure doesn’t work
– legislation rules or regulations change

How do I know if I’m managing safety effectively?
Our Safety Consultant provide a Safety Auditing process where we can assess how well your Policy and Procedures are performing and if workers are complying with them. The report we provide includes an action plan with recommendations for implementation to assist in improving your safety system.

We offer a range of health and safety courses, safety training and WHS consultancy services.

Contact us today for an obligation free quote on any of our services.

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