Purpose and Objectives
Company is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, for contractors and visitors to the workplace. Adopting and promoting the provisions of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 and its associated Regulation, Codes and Standards is paramount, together with significant importance placed in the areas of hazard/risk management, injury prevention strategies and a focus on continuous improvement will ensure WHS plans are achieved.
Scope/Coverage
The procedure applies to all workers of Company and visitors including contractors, volunteers, work experience students, trainees and clients.
Policy Statement
Company primary WHS objective is to eliminate or reduce risk by developing proactive strategies and adopting a risk management approach to WHS in order to provide an injury/illness free workplace. We understand that creating and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment is a major part of our overall responsibilities and that all employees with management or supervisory responsibilities are accountable for the health and safety of employees and visitors in their respective work areas.
Definitions
Dangerous Incident – A dangerous incident means an incident in relation to a workplace that exposes a worker or any other person to a serious risk to a person’s health or safety emanating from an immediate or imminent exposure to:
- an uncontrolled escape, spillage or leakage of a substance; or
- an uncontrolled implosion, explosion or fire; or
- an uncontrolled escape of gas or steam; or
- an uncontrolled escape of a pressurised substance; or
- electric shock; or
- the fall or release from a height of any plant, substance or thing; or
- the collapse, overturning, failure or malfunction of, or damage to, any plant that is required to be authorised for use under a regulation; or
- the collapse or partial collapse of a structure; or
- the collapse or failure of an excavation or of any shoring supporting an excavation; or
- the inrush of water, mud or gas in workings, in an underground excavation or tunnel; or
- the interruption of the main system of ventilation in an
- underground excavation or tunnel; or
- any other event prescribed under a regulation but does not include an incident of a prescribed kind.
Serious Injury or Illness – A serious injury or illness of a person means an injury or illness requiring the person to have:
immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital; or
- immediate treatment for –
- the amputation of any part of his or her body; or
- a serious head injury; or
- a serious eye injury; or
- a serious burn; or
- the separation of his or her skin from an underlying tissue (for example, degloving or scalping); or
- a spinal injury; or
- the loss of a bodily function; or
- serious lacerations; or
- medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance; and includes any other injury or illness prescribed under a regulation but does not include an illness or injury of a prescribed kind.
Notifiable Incident – A notifiable incident means:
- the death of a person; or
- a serious injury or illness of a person; or
- a dangerous incident.
Workplace Incident:-An incident resulting in a person suffering –
- A work injury; or
- A work called illness; or
- An incident resulting in a dangerous event; or
- Another matter decided by the Minister to be a workplace incident.
Incident Reporting Process
- All incidents occurring in the workplace shall be reported immediately to the supervisor.
- The Incident Report Form is to be used to report, record and investigate all workplace incidents.
- Incidents that come under the definition of a ‘Notifiable Incident’, as outlined in the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland website and as above in ‘Definitions’, shall be reported to WHSQ.
- The SA shall ensure that:
- All workplace incidents are reported to WHSQ in the approved form (Form 3) within 24 hours of the incident occurring.
- All workplace incidents are recorded in the approved form within 3 days of becoming aware of the incident.
- All workplace incidents, if resulting in a death, are reported to WHSQ immediately and in the approved form within 24 hours of the incident happening.
- The CEO and/or relevant managers are notified immediately.
- The Incident Investigation procedure is initiated (Incident Investigation). NOTE: Please refer to Electrical Incident Reporting, Recording and Investigation for procedures on handling serious electrical incidents and dangerous electrical events.
- Supervisors are to take responsibility and assist the injured worker in completing the Incident Report Form.
- Supervisors are to investigate or assist the Health and Safety Representative (HSR) and/or and Safety Advisor (SA) investigate all reported incidents using the – Incident Report Form.
- Risk assessments must be conducted during the investigation to ascertain the risk score before any control measures are implemented and a risk assessment is to be conducted after the controls measures are implemented to ascertain if the risk has been effectively controlled (preventative action).
- The HSR or Supervisor is to ensure that all sections of the Incident Report Form are complete before signing and forwarding it to the relevant manager.
- The department manager is to sign the Incident Report Form and forward it to the SA.
- The SA is to sign the Incident Report Form and maintain the original document on file for at least five years.
- All incidents are to be tabled and discussed at the H&S Committee meeting.
- Control measures that have been implemented are to be monitored by the supervisor and formally followed up by the SA.
- Staff are to be advised of the reporting requirements through the conduction of a Toolbox Talk and issuing Reporting Incidents and Causes of Accidents: records are to be kept for five years.
Responsibilities
Company employees, contractors and visitors to our workplaces must follow safe work practices as prescribed under the legislation and in our Policies and Safe Work Procedures, and that they make every effort to reduce the risk of injury to themselves and others.