1. WHS consultative activities
Employees often have the most knowledge of the risks or harm which can occur when completing daily tasks, using certain machinery/equipment and relating to staff and customers, so good WHS management will involve consultation with employees.
‘Consultation means giving staff the chance to shape the health and safety decisions made in the workplace’
Reference: Worksafe Victoria
Consultation often takes place when:
- identifying hazards and/or risks
- deciding how to control the risks
- designing employees work spaces such as work areas, factories, bathrooms etc.
- developing procedures for WHS
- setting up health and safety working committees
- proposing changes to production, workplace tasks, expanding business etc.
- complying with OHS laws.
Consultation may take place via:
- team meetings
- online surveys
- HSR groups
- interviewing.
Regardless of which methods your workplace uses to consult, all effective consultation should:
Watch this short video about Safety consultation at work, and how the WHS consultation process assisted the employees in this workplace.
Text transcript
If you're a Victorian employer,
you've probably already worked hard
to make changes in your workplace
to keep your employees healthy and safe
during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that's great.
But do you realise it's your legal obligation
to consult with your staff
in developing actions in any matter
that affects health and safety?
If there is a health and safety representative
you must involve them in consultation too.
So, what does it mean to consult?
Simply updating employees
as things change is not consultation.
Instead, consultation means giving staff the chance to shape
the health and safety decisions made in the workplace.
Consultation can take many forms.
Importantly, it needs to be available in a format
and language that each employee can understand.
Meetings, conversations, group talks,
all contribute to you gathering valuable insights and ideas
from those on the frontline.
With the need to become COVID safe quickly.
An employer implemented a range of safety measures at work,
including extra personal protective equipment,
as well as hand sanitising stations.
Although staff welcomed the changes
they were concerned the measures didn't go far enough.
Employees didn't understand how to apply the changes
and they felt there were extra ways
to make the workplace COVID safe.
The employer held a group discussion with the staff
and the health and safety representative
to listen and take on board the employees' input and ideas.
to extra improvements being agreed upon, including training
in how to use the personal protective equipment,
cleaning rules for using shared equipment,
and daily temperature checks.
The result, employees felt safe, supported,
and part of the solution.
or confirmed COVID positive case in your workplace,
there are a number of things you will need to do.
and health and safety representatives
Your staff will need to understand how they will be impacted
and be given the opportunity to contribute
to any workplace changes.
You can stay up to date with what you need to do
by visiting our website for further information.
consultation is always your responsibility.
It's an ongoing requirement that is as important as ever
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learning Activity 10
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