Health and Safety Workplace Partnership Program

2011 Health and Safety Workplace Partnership Program

In 2007 the South Australian Government developed and funded an important occupational health, safety and welfare (OHSW) initiative to improve the level of training, resources and information for South Australian workers. The Health and Safety Workplace Partnership Programme 2007 enabled the establishment of a grants scheme for employee associations to assist in improving OHSW outcomes in targeted industries.

Following the completion of projects under the initial Programme, the Minister for Industrial Relations approved a continuation of this program for a further 3 years. The new scheme, known as the 2011 Health and Safety Workplace Partnership Program (PDF 27kb) (the Program), will maintain the South Australian Government's commitment to making South Australian workplaces safer.

The Program continues to target specific industries that represent a large proportion of workers' compensation claims in South Australia. These comprise the community services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, construction, transport and storage industries.

Following a call for grant applications in 2010, the Program is providing annual grants to employee associations registered under the Fair Work Act 1994. Over three years, commencing in the 2010/11 financial year, the Program is making available up to $950,000 per year to successful grant applicants (PDF 40kb).

The intention of the Program is to build on the workplace consultation and participation framework established under the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act 1986 for HSRs and Committees.  Grant recipients are required to actively promote, encourage and facilitate higher levels of worker participation in OHSW matters to complement the role of employers in providing safe and healthy workplaces.

Significant benefits are expected from the combination of the Program with the resources employee associations currently allocate to improving OHSW in workplaces.

2007 Health and Safety Workplace Partnership Programme

In December 2006, the Hon Michael Wright MP, Minister for Industrial Relations, announced that the Rann Government's had established a grants scheme that aimed to help employee associations improve the occupational health, safety and welfare of South Australian workers.

This grants scheme was called the Health and Safety Workplace Partnership Programme 2007 (the Programme) and was an important component of the South Australian Government's efforts to make South Australian workplaces safer.

The Programme targeted specific industries that represented a large proportion of workers' compensation claims in South Australia. These comprise the community services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, construction, transport and storage industries.

The Programme provided annual grants totalling $1 million per year to approved employee associations registered under the Fair Work Act 1994 from 2008 until 2010. The purpose of the grants was to improve the level of OHSW training, resources and information that is available to employees and association officials in the targeted industries.

Significant benefits were expected from the combination of the Programme with the resources employee associations currently allocate to improving OHSW in workplaces.

Summaries of 2007 Programme Funded Projects

The following summaries of the projects that received funding under the 2007 Government Programme provide only a brief overview of the respective projects.

These projects were funded after assessment of extensive application documentation from eligible employee associations in accordance with the Programme Guidelines.