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Taking Action

Monitoring

Monitoring should be done regularly, as required by Section 19 (3) (a).

Monitoring is

the collection

recording and

comparison

of objective measures of risk.

Monitoring and evaluation should be accompanied by Control strategies.

By identifying and using objective measures of the risk before the controls were put in place you can compare "before" and "after".

There are three kinds of measures which can be made.

Environmental

For example

noise levels
air-borne contaminants
periods of exposure

Biological [Medical]

For Example

hearing loss
levels of contaminants in blood
lung capacity

OH&S Performance

For example

all injuries
lost-time injuries
sick days
surveys - subjective worker response

Evaluation of Control Methods

The best control measures act on the environment, rather than relying on people to act safely.

Why is this?

Workers should be concentrating on their jobs, not avoiding accidents;
A safe environment is safe for everyone, including visitors;
Workers are not machines which can be programmed (trained) and left;
Many workplace factors can affect people’s behaviour - long hours, shiftwork, insufficient training etc.
Measures which reduce the consequences of exposure should also be given higher priority than those which only reduce the likelihood.

Why?

While a chance of exposure remains, however unlikely, someone could be harmed, and it would be better if this harm was minimised.

The hierarchy of control reflects these ideas:

It’s better to create a safe work place than put the onus on workers to be safe.
Reducing the consequences of exposure to a hazard is preferable to only reducing the likelihood.

Deciding on and implementing a control measure is not the end of the process.

Control measures have to be evaluated in order to determine:

whether the risk has actually been controlled; and
that no hazards have been created by the control measure.

Risk control measures must also be maintained.

For example

interlocking guards have to be kept in working order,
work procedures have to be monitored to ensure they are being followed and
hearing protectors have to be kept clean and checked for damage.

New risk assessments must also be done whenever circumstances change.

Evaluation of Control Strategies

Once the control strategies have been implemented, their effectiveness must be evaluated.

This involves the monitoring of some objective outcomes, which may be environmental, biological or OHS performance (e.g. injury statistics).

Monitoring should be planned into the control strategy.

Hazard Identification

Then

Risk Assessment

Then

Risk Control

Then

Evaluate and Start Again

Worksite Inspections

Inspections help Health and Safety Representatives to:

spot hazards,
be systematic - inspect all aspects of the work environment and practice,
check that relevant legal requirements are being met,
check that any agreed improvements have been made,
highlight the Health and Safety Representative's presence,
discuss OHS issues with work-group members,
draw problems direct to management's attention when they accompany the Health and Safety Representative.
provide useful resource for OHS Advisor, union, inspector, consultant, etc.

Safety Inspection Process

Develop plans:

Record key locations or workers and equipment.

Location of doors, fire escapes, extinguishers, windows, machinery, workstations, storage areas, first-aid facilities, lifts & hoists.

Work flow or production process - number and location of workers, shift arrangements, and maintenance.

Develop checklists of possible hazards.

Your employer, union or WorkCover may have suitable or easily adaptable checklists you can use.

Do inspection.

During working hours;

Using checklists, and entering hazards identified on the hazard inspection summary sheet;

Accompanied by management representative if possible

Prepare written report, by completing Hazard Inspection Summary Sheet:

Suggest action needed for hazards identified.

Give hazards a risk rating.

Develop action plan, using OHS&W Action Plan Sheet:

Draw up time-lines.

Detail responsibility for ensuring action is taken.

Auditing

Worksite inspections and "audits" are not the same thing.

A WORKSITE INSPECTION = checking for hazards

AN AUDIT = checking systems.

A worksite inspection can be seen as part of an audit, but only quite a small part.

Safety auditing is

a planned checking of systems

carried out at regular intervals

to achieve corrections.

Health and Safety Representatives must be part of this process.

A worksite inspection can reveal certain hazards, but if the systems are not

in place

working properly

with follow-up

then nothing will change.

Regular system of auditing

can check that the systems are in place, and working, and changes can be made when necessary.
encourage people to check things out regularly, as part of the daily round.
provide material for productive discussion by the workplace health and safety committee and employer.

The essential features of a safety audit

audits are repeated at intervals and
the information collected is used.

Auditing procedures are often used as accreditation tools, e.g. for self-insurer status, for bonus schemes, and for international standards.

Safety audits can cover

individual jobs,
particular processes,
whole departments,
locations and
complete companies.

Safety audits may look at

safety checking procedures,
operator training
paperwork systems,
equipment and
work practices.

Routine Hazard Report Procedure

Best Practice procedure for dealing with hazards is routine reporting.

A useful procedure is

A book or a pad

in which any employee can enter a hazard.

Record is checked by the supervisor

(or other designated person)

usually once a day.

Supervisor decides

what is to be done,

who is to do it, etc. and

oversees the process to make sure that the correct action is carried out by the due time.

O.H.S. Committee follows up

on any issues raised

(especially those which have not been satisfactorily resolved)

Hazard Report Form