Workplace Health and Safety Policy Statement:

Transcription

1 Workplace Health and Safety Policy Statement: The health and safety of people, both employees and the general public is of prime importance in all East Coast Apprenticeships areas of operations. 1. The directors and management of East Coast Apprenticeships and their host employers recognize their obligations to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) Provide a safe and healthy place of work; Provide and maintain plant, equipment and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health and safety of our employees, and members of the general public and contractors; Eliminate or minimize all hazards to health and safety within the workplace; Provide training, instruction and safe systems of work to all our employees in a safe and healthy work environment; Communicate relevant health and safety regulations to all our employees; Comply with the provisions of the Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 and Regulations and amendments. 2. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS POLICY STATEMENT ARE TO: (a) (b) Comply with all relevant legislative and statutory requirements, advisory, and industry standards, making adequate provisions of resources to meet these requirements; Provide relevant information, instruction, training and professional supervision to ensure the health and safety at work of all our employees;

2 (c) (d) (e) (f) Ensure personal protective clothing and equipment conforms with relevant codes and Australian standards and is used as per manufacturers/suppliers specifications; Take all reasonable measures to protect persons, whether employees, visitors or contractors, from risk to their health and safety, arising from the activities of East Coast Apprenticeships. Also to ensure that premises, plant equipment and processes, or access from such operations which are conducted by East Coast Apprenticeships are safe and without a risk to health; Provide adequate facilities for first aid treatment in accordance with relevant legislative and statutory requirements; Provide and display all fire and emergency evacuation procedures; (g) Encourage co-operation between management, supervisors, all other employees of East Coast Apprenticeships and host employers, to promote and maintain at all time safe and healthy workplaces. The directors and management further recognizes that all management and supervisory staff must be fully committed to the objectives, if they are to be achieved. Employees also have a fundamental obligation to themselves, their fellow workers and to their employer under the Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995", to adopt and maintain appropriate health and safety standards in all their work activities. Alan J. Sparks, C.E.O. 11/08/2006 Workplace Health and Safety Policy Reference: A. Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 Introduction The Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 applies to all workplaces, workplace activities and specified high-risk plant. It applies

3 to everyone who may affect the health and safety of others because of workplaces, workplace activities or specified high-risk plant; and everyone whose health and safety may be affected by workplaces, workplace activities or specified high-risk plant. The objective of this Act is to prevent a person s death, injury or illness being caused by a workplace, by workplace activities or by specified high-risk plant. Group Training Companies have a specially defined role under the Act in relation to Host Employers and the placement of apprentices and trainees for the purposes of training. The Act defines the employer of an apprentice or trainee who is employed by a group training organisation, the employer is when the apprentice or trainee is engaged to do work for a host employer the host employer. The role of Field Officers in the assessment and monitoring of the workplace is to be carefully managed. Field Officers are not qualified Workplace Health and Safety Officers as defined by the Act and should never present themselves as such. They do however carry a responsibility on behalf of East Coast Apprenticeships in promoting the safe working environment of their apprentices. This duty of care is central to the Act. The actions of a Field Officer do in no way negate the obligations and responsibilities of the Host Employer as define in the Act as the employer of the apprentice during placement. East Coast Apprenticeships promotes the welfare and wellbeing of all apprentices and promotes a strong partnership with the Division of Workplace Health and Safety and our Host Employers. East Coast has established a protocol for the assessment and on going monitoring of the environment into which we may chose to place an apprentice with a Host Employer. Aim This policy statement defines and explains the procedures for promoting Workplace Health and Safety in partnership with the Division of Workplace Health and Safety and a Host Employers legislated responsibilities. New Host Employer Process This flowchart reflects the process to be followed when engaging a New Host Employer:

4 New Host Identified Initial Interview & Provision of Startup Kit including Safety Placement of Apprentices On-going Visit Monitoring The contents of the Startup Kit are detailed at Attachment 1. The Monitoring for Group Training Companies is at Attachment 2. On-going Monitoring On a regular basis, Field Officers and at times other staff of East Coast Apprenticeships may visit a Host Employer s workplace for administrative or pastoral care requirements. Inherent in the responsibilities we accept for pastoral care and under our general obligations in accordance with the Act when it is practicable to do so, visits are to incorporate the monitoring of the environment into which we have placed apprentices. Monitoring may not be intrusive but applied to what is observed. Where there is a matter of concern, the following actions must be applied: Observed Safety Concern Immediate action to remove risk Report circumstances to Host Employer/supervisor Report circumstances to East Coast s WHSO Remove apprentice if necessary Document Occurrence Incl Monitoring East Coast WHSO to take appropriate reporting action to Division of WHS

5 Note: remove the risk. It is essential that immediate action is taken to Summary East Coast Apprenticeships is committed to the welfare and well-being of our apprentices and to the promotion of Workplace Health and Safety. We welcome any measures that reduce workplace risk and improve safety. These procedures are to be reviewed regularly with the aim of continuous improvement.