Learning Topic 3 Contribute to OHS participative processes
This topic should provide you with the ability to recognise how to work ethically in the community services industry, both respecting and protecting the rights of clients. You will learn to:
Contribute to workplace meetings in a constructive manner to improve safety.
Provide assistance to workgroup members to contribute to workplace safety
Apply knowledge of roles and responsibilities of OHS representatives and OHS committees
Section 3.1: Raise OHS issues in accordance with organisation procedures
Individuals and groups in any workplace have an important role in raising OHS issues or requesting health and safety information and data. Both employers and employees may initiate these actions.
Employers have a legal responsibility under Section 8(1) of the OHS Act 2000 to provide a safe and healthy workplace and to inform workers about any risks that may be present in carrying out their jobs. For example, technical and farm assistants working in an agricultural research organisation may be required to use the hydraulic corer to take soil samples. Therefore, they must be trained in how to use the corer safely, be instructed about any risks associated with coring, such as exposure to noise, and be provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) and trained in its use.
On the other hand, employees are also responsible for raising OHS issues or requesting information or data that is relevant to their workplace. For example, a laboratory worker who has noticed that the extraction fan in the fume hood isn’t working should raise this OHS issue with their supervisor, or organise maintenance and tag the equipment to alert others to the fault.
An employee may request further training or OHS information from their employer. On the other hand, their expertise may allow them to recommend to their supervisor or employer a safer or more effective way of managing risks. For example, a kitchen hand browsing in a catering supply company noticed a new slip-in cuff product that could be worn over the hands to reduce the risks in handling hot cooking pots. This OHS idea was conveyed to management.
This exchange of information is the essence of workplace OHS consultation.
Consultation mechanism used within workplaces include:
Management meetings - OHS needs to be discussed and acted on at these meetings
OHS Committees - where representatives of employees and management regularly meet to discuss and recommend OHS action.
Team/Unit meetings - often informal, meetings held within a Unit/Team when a need arises. These meetings can be used for discussion of issues and to provide information about safety issues. Good management is placing OHS on the agenda for each meeting. These can also been known as work groups.
Employee feedback - use employee surveys and suggestions boxes to let management know what is happening and to give feedback.
Information provision – give feedback and provide OHS information to employees through flyers, circulars, website or intra-net pages, notice boards and video announcements.
Getting the message across
As part of the consultation process there also needs to be two-way communications between management and employees. This includes:
Employees being made aware of what actions have been undertaken as a result of their feedback through formal consultative mechanisms such as OHS Committees.
Employees being made aware of OHS initiatives through notice boards, staff and section meeting, circulars and supervisor communication.
Employees also require feedback on statistical data analyzed, including the success of OHS policies, procedures and programs introduced within the organization.
Consultation and risk management
To participate constructively in the consultative process for managing OHS, employees need information and training on work hazards they may face, and in relevant strategies for protecting health and safety. Without this information and training, workers will not be able to play an effective role in identifying, assessing and controlling OHS risks.
They also need to be given information on the employer’s duty of care in maintaining a working environment and work practices which do not present risks to workers’ health or safety.
Another important pre-requisite for participation in consultative procedures is that workers must be assured that they will not be dismissed or otherwise disadvantaged by exercising their functions as OHS representatives or committee members, or for reporting health and safety problems to their supervisors.
Consultation action and feedback
To ensure the ongoing effectiveness of consultative arrangements employees must receive feedback to the issues they raise and the suggestions they make. If this doesn’t happen, the whole process can lose credibility and lead to a reduction in commitment to the consultative arrangements.
