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Safety @ work
Safe workplaces
What characterises a safe workplace?
The occupational health, safety and welfare (OHSW) laws require that employers provide a safe working environment. Each employer has a duty of care to ensure that you, the employee, is safe from injury or illness while at work.
These safety requirements include:
- a safe work environment
- safe systems of work
- information, instruction and training
- supervision
- equipment, plant and substances in a safe condition.
How are workplaces made safer?
Workplaces are made safer by having good policies and procedures in place to manage hazards in the workplace, providing appropriate information, training and supervision for employees and having systems that identify and minimise hazards and associated risks.
Policies and procedures - Employers are required to have a general occupational health, safety and welfare (OHSW) policy that describes their commitment to OHSW and how responsibilities are delegated to everyone in the workplace. The OHSW policy should be supported by other policies and procedures that address particular hazards or issues in the workplace such as emergency response, manual handling, dangerous machinery, first aid, injury and incident reporting, hazardous substances, etc.
Safe operating procedures - (SOPs) are documents explaining how to work safely and efficiently in hazardous work situations, such as when operating machinery or using chemicals. SOPs are instructions for doing a job or task the right way and will describe the proper tools, materials and equipment you will need and how to use them safely. This may include information on: personal protective equipment (PPE), pre-operational safety checks and potential or known hazards.
Machine guarding protects you and others in the work area from getting hands, hair or other parts of the body or clothing caught in a machine. It also protects you from falling objects or material/debris flying out of the machine. Guards should be fixed and designed so they make the machine safe to use, and if removed the machine cannot be operated.
Reporting systems assist in gathering information about all workplace incidents and to identify any hazardous work. ‘Remember, if the hazard is not identified and reported, it can't be fixed’.
Last updated: 21 October, 2010
Telephone 1300 365 255
Employers and employees within South Australia can contact their local SafeWork SA office, or the Help Centre, for the cost of a local call. This service is available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm, and on Wednesdays from 8.30am to 4.15pm (excluding public holidays)
Email: help@safework.sa.gov.au
