As managers, we have a responsibility to ensure we create and maintain a safe working place for our employees and are active, imaginative and flexible in our approach to safety.
We welcomed Catherine Dunlop, Partner from Maddocks and one of Australia’s leading lawyers in employment, safety and people, to a recent Manager Briefing to outline our OHS legislative obligations, what it means for us, and our responsibilities and accountabilities.
What is OHS/WHS law?
OHS/WHS law relates to our duties, including work owing to a range of parties, to our duty to consult, and our duty to eliminate risks to health and safety so far as reasonably practicable, and where this is not possible, to minimise any risk.
We are committed to this ongoing process and following the steps to meet our obligations under OHS legislation. This process covers identifying hazards (known risks and control), assessing these risks, controlling them where we can, or minimising risks if they can’t be eliminated, and review of control measures.
Where can managers get it wrong with safety?
In the session, Catherine discussed the following points where managers can get it wrong, and outlined what we can do to address this:
- Acceptance of safety risk as normal
- Assuming safety is the responsibility of others – if it is in the area of your management and control, safety is your responsibility
- Not asking questions about how an injury or safety incident could have been prevented
As a manager, it is important to ‘put on your safety lens’ and understand the issues that arise, the safety implications of these issues and to recognise what they tell you. Lastly, think about whether there is something different that can be done to reduce or eliminate the risk. If you are not sure, ask questions or reach out to our safety team, they have support available to guide you.
Questions for managers
When modelling Health and Safety leadership, reflect on your understanding of your role and demonstrate preferred behaviour. Ask yourself:
- How would your team measure your approach to safety?
- How do you show safety leadership?
- What is the safety standard that you accept?
It is important to check how comfortable you are in your understanding of accountabilities and risk. There are times when the risk can’t be eliminated but there are always options to minimise risks.
Encourage discussion amongst your teams. If you are visible and seen as a leader in the safety space, it is much easier for your employees to be responsive and to feel comfortable having these important discussions.
If you could not join the session, a recording is available; we invite you to watch the video or you can download the presentation slides.
Further support to keep our employees safe
We have many safety resources available to support managers in their role:
- Manager Safety Training available on LATTE
- PROMPT procedure documents
- Safety Intranet page
- Safety Advice Line – call 9594 6140 or email safety@monashhealth.org
- Manager Safety Toolkits (coming in November)
Approved by Karen Lowe