10/10/2019
SAFETY OBLIGATIONS
The role and influence you have in a business determines if you are an ‘officer’ under WHS laws. This is different for each person and each business.
1. Are you the owner or operator of a small business?
2. Do you make big decisions about all or part of your business?
3. Can you affect your business’s financial standing?
If you answered yes to any of these, you may be an officer and have an obligation under WHS laws to demonstrate a proactive approach to WHS matters.
As an officer, you must exercise due diligence to ensure your business meets its WHS duties. This includes:
- making sure your workers and other persons are protected against harm, and
- making sure your business has suitable safe work systems in place.
You are legally responsible for doing these things under WHS laws.
HOW YOU CAN MEET YOUR DUTIES AS AN OFFICER?
Here are some ways you can meet your officer duty. This will help make sure your business protects workers and others against harm to health and safety.
a) Keep your WHS knowledge up-to-date.
b) Understand your business and its WHS hazards and risks.
c) Make sure your business has reporting processes for incidents, hazards and other WHS issues.
d) Ensure your business is properly resourced to manage WHS risks and the resources are being used.
WHAT IF I DON’T MEET MY DUTY?
You can be prosecuted if you fail to meet your duty as an officer. This can happen even if there hasn’t been an incident at your workplace, or the business has not been held liable.
All Purpose Safety & Training can partner with you to ensure you are meeting your duties as an “Officer”. Give me a call to ask how.