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Safety @ work
Safe workplaces
PCBU’s must provide a safe working environment. Each PCBU has a duty of care to ensure that you, the worker, is safe from injury or illness while at work.
These safety requirements include:
- providing a safe work environment;
- providing safe systems of work;
- providing information, instruction and training;
- providing supervision;
- providing equipment, plant and substances in a safe condition;
- providing adequate welfare facilities; and
- monitoring the health of workers and the conditions at the workplace to prevent illness or injury of workers.
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 workers and having systems that identify and minimise hazards and associated risks.
Policies and procedures - PCBUs are required to have a general work health and safety (WHS) policy that describes their commitment to WHS and how responsibilities are delegated to everyone in the workplace. The WHS 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: 7 January, 2013
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
