Chapter 4

1. Chapter 4 Follow health safety and security procedures

2. On successful completion of this chapter you will be able to: • Follow workplace procedures for health, safety and security • Follow emergency procedures • Participate in the organisation’s OHS practices

3. State and Territory Authorities • Responsible for making, administering and enforcing OHS laws. Specifically: • Protecting the health and safety of employees and the public (while in a workplace) • Facilitating compliance with OHS legislation • Work in conjunction with the ASCC

4. OHS legislation objectives • Reduction of work-related accidents. • Elimination of risks to health and safety at work. • Protection of people at work against risks to health and safety. • Provision of involvement of employees in the identification and management of health and safety issues.

5. Regulations • Designed to support OHS legislation • Are more detailed requirements for dealing with specific workplace hazards • Are legally enforceable

6. Standards • Developed to assist with legal compliance and facilitate national OHS consistency • Not legally binding unless adopted into regulations • There are both national standards and industry-specific standards

7. Codes of practice • A practical and flexible guide for meeting OHS standards in the workplace. Examples include: • Manual handling • Hazardous substances • First aid

8. OHS inspectors • WorkCover inspectors are appointed under each state and territory’s OHS legislation and have the authority to visit most workplaces. • May visit in response to a complaint or as part of a strategy that focuses on a specific hazard or on an industry. • The have right of entry at any time as required or requested • It is an offence to refuse access or obstruct and inspector

9. What can OHS inspectors do? • Visit and inspect most work sites • Enter a work site at any time as required or requested • Investigate an incident of serious injury or fatality • Take photographs and samples • Seize property • Initiate a court order • Examine and copy documents • Conduct interviews and enquiries • Seek assistance from technical experts, interpreters or others • Issue improvement notices • Issue prohibition notices • Prosecute

10. What is an ‘Improvement Notice’? • A written directive requiring a person or organisation to fix a breach of the law.

11. What is a ‘Prohibition Notice’? • A direction to an individual or organisation to stop an activity that is, or has the potential to be, a risk.

12. Penalty notices • On the spot fine for a breach of the Act • Issued by inspectors

13. Australian Safety and Compensation Council (ASCC) • Previously NOHSC • Leads and coordinates efforts to prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace - set national OHS agenda • Does not make or enforce laws, but… • Develops national standards • Compile OHS statistics • Facilitate OHS training initiatives • Improve compensation arrangements • Improve rehabilitation and return to work policies • Provide practical OHS guidance

14. ComCare • Commonwealth OHS statutory authority responsible for workplace safety, rehabilitation and compensation in the Commonwealth jurisdiction • Administers the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act

15. Responsibility for OHS in the workplace • Responsibility for OHS in the workplace

16. Employer obligations for OHS • Employers have a duty of care to employees and the general public while on the work site. To facilitate this, employers must: • Maintain equipment • Train staff in the use of equipment • Ensure safe storage, handling and use of hazardous substances • Ensure safe work practices • Provide adequate information, instruction and training to enable employees to do their job safely • Monitor the health of employees • Involve employees on OHS initiatives • Monitor, record and evaluate workplace incidents.

17. Employee obligations for OHS • Employees have a duty of care to colleagues and the general public while on the work site. To facilitate this, employees must: • Perform their duties competently • Take reasonable care for their own, their colleagues and the public’s health and safety • Cooperate with employers to comply with OHS requirements • Report breaches of safety and potential risks • Work and behave in ways that are safe • Follow instructions and rules imposed by the employer.

18. Duty of care • The responsibility one person has for another, in the eyes of the law, for that person’s health and safety.

19. First Aid in the workplace • First Aid is the application of emergency care, in the first instance, to an injured person. • Employers are required to provide adequate facilities for employee welfare – including first aid facilities • Find who, in the workplace, has first aid training – just in case!

20. OHS policies and procedures • Policies and procedures are developed to help employers and employees meet their obligations under OHS requirements.

21. How do enterprises meet their OHS obligations? • Policy and procedure development and implementation • Safe work practices • OHS representatives and committees • Reporting mechanisms

22. What is a policy? • The position, an organisation takes on an issue • It can also be a standard, rule or regulation. • An organisations policy usually forms part of its overall goals to achieve OHS in the workplace.

23. What is a procedure? • A procedure describes how to carry out a task or duty • Usually a step by step guide that helps ensure compliance and consistency in the way a task is completed or an event responded to • Failure to follow a (legal) procure is a breach of employee responsibility under OHS legislation

24. Types of policies and procedures • Policies and procedures are developed to manage any (potential) eventuation, including: • Emergency situations • Manual handling • Safe work practices • Security issues • Reporting and recording OHS matters • Risk and hazard identification and control • Use of PPC&E.

25. With what is ‘security’ concerned? • Security is concerned with protecting: • People • Assets

26. What is a security hazard? • Any situation that has the potential to threaten the safety or wellbeing of people and/or assets

27. A security system may include: • Written procedures (for all security issues) • Staff training in prevention and procedure in the event of security breaches • Regular review of existing systems • Clearly defined lines of authority in the event of security breaches • Security staffing • Security checks • Reporting systems for security breaches • Evaluation of management of security breaches after the event.

28. Security procedures • Security procedures for hospitality enterprises are likely to include the management of: • Emergency evacuation • Theft (by staff and customers) • Bomb threats • Armed robbery • Premises and property security • Access control • Guest room security • Safety deposit boxes • Luggage storage and scanning • Keys and locks control • Disturbances • Financial control • Record keeping

29. Who is a ‘suspicious person’? • Anyone who gives the impression that something might be wrong by their looks or behaviour. • Be alert to people who • Rush off hurriedly when you look at them or approach them • Avoid eye contact • Attempt to access ‘staff only’ areas

30. What is a ‘disturbance’? • Any event or occurrence that interrupts the normal activities of an organisation. • Be alert to: • Loud arguments/unruly behaviour • Scuffles/violence • Intoxicated people • Vandalism • emergencies

31. Communicating OHS and security policies and procedures • Ask employer for copy of policies and procedures (and read them!) • Participate in drills • Participate in OHS training • Participate in workplace OHS committees

32. Implementing procedures • While it’s unlikely we’re involved in the development of procedures (although you may like to recommend to an employee that OHS procedures be developed), active participation in their implementation is an opportunity to be informed and be safe in the workplace. • Implementation requires that: • The procedure be tested • Employees be informed about it • The procedure be reviewed (to measure appropriateness/effectiveness)

33. What is a Safe Work Practice? • The completion of tasks in a manner that is safe - to prevent injuries and accidents. Eg. • Using PPC&E • Appropriate manual handling • Appropriate knife and equipment use • Correct handling of chemicals, poisons and dangerous materials • Hazard identification and removal • Observing safety signage

34. What is PPC&E? • Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment (PPC&E) • Items used to protect employees while performing their job. • Examples in hospitality include: • Uniforms • Disposable and chemical resistant gloves • Face masks • Hairnets • Aprons • Glasses/goggles • Tongs • Trolleys

35. What is ‘manual handling’? • The physical manoeuvring of items – lifting, pulling, carrying, pushing, holding • Appropriate manual handling will prevent injury • Almost every job in hospitality requires some manual handling.

36. Using knives and equipment • The kitchen is one of the most dangerous places in which to work (in hospitality). Kitchen staff are exposed to: • Sharp surfaces • Hot surfaces • Heavy lifting • Repetitive tasks • Hot environment • Small work spaces

37. Chemicals, poisons and dangerous materials • The hazards and risks associated with chemicals and poisons are many; primarily due to: • Poor handling • Inadequate training • Spillage • Leakage • Poor storage

38. What is a hazard? • A hazard is anything that can potentially cause harm. • Hazards are identified through: • Workplace inspection • Monitoring of reported incidents • Job safety checks • Employee consultation • Safety audits

39. What is a risk? • A risk is the likelihood that a potential hazard will result in injury or disease. • Risks are measured in terms of the extent of injury that may result.

40. What is risk control? • The elimination or minimisation of the likelihood of an injury occurring if exposed to a hazard. • Risk control measures include: • Total elimination of the risk • Job redesign or product substitute • Additional training • Use of PPC&E

41. How can risks and the likelihood of injury be minimised? • Wearing personal protective clothing • Following OHS procedures • Reporting faults • Correctly manually handling • Cleaning spillages immediately • Correctly storing equipment and chemicals • Correctly using equipment

42. What is hazard management? • The identification of potential hazards in the workplace and the implementation of steps to eliminate those hazards.

43. Types of hazards in the workplace • Physical – those hazards that impact on the body. • Psychological – those hazards that impact on our mental well-being.

44. Physical hazards • Noise • Vibration • Heat stress • Cold stress • UV rays • Fatigue

45. Physical hazards • Can also include: • Chemical handling • Manual handling • The use of knives and equipment • Handling hot surfaces

46. Psychological hazards • Psychological hazards can result in stress and anxiety • Reduced staffing levels • Task repetition • Dealing with complaints • Long shifts/shift work • Increased productivity • Bullying • Harassment

47. What is bullying? • A form of harassment. It can be verbal, physical or psychological. • Examples of bullying include: • Teasing • Gossiping • Telling lies • Starting rumours • Taunting • Physical abuse

48. Bullying • Often, people don’t recognise themselves as a bully – they excuse their behaviours with comments like: • ‘We were just joking/having a bit of fun’ • ‘We’re just playing. It’s just a game’ • ‘Can’t they take a joke? They should lighten up’

49. Safety signage • Safety signage alerts employees and visitors to the site to an immediate danger (or potential hazard) in the workplace. • Safety signage is intended to prevent injury. It can only do this if we take notice of the sign!

50. Reporting requirements • All security breaches, accidents, ‘near misses’ and injuries in the workplace, no matter how big or small, should be reported to management. • In many instances, there is also a legislative requirement to report accidents and injuries. • Reporting assists with the analysis of hazards and risks which in turn contributes to the development of strategies to prevent further occurrence.