Each member of the College has an important role when it comes to Workplace Health & Safety. Make your campus safer.
Managing Director (MD)
The Managing Director (MD) is, along with the Excelsia College Directors, the “Person conducting a business or undertaking” and has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring, so far as reason ably practicable, that the College satisfies all legislative requirements as an employer and provides a safe and healthy workplace. This includes showing a strong commitment to health and safety and ensuring health and safety is an integral part of business planning. The MD has delegated some strategic and operational responsibilities in relation to health and safety.
Board of directors
The Board of Directors have the delegated responsibilities of:
– Providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment;
– Providing adequate facilities including first aid services;
– Providing safe access to and from the workplace;
– Providing necessary information, training and supervision to allow workers to perform their work safely, and
– Developing the Work Health and Safety Management System (WHSMS) in consultation with workers and/or their chosen representatives.
Head of Human Resources
Specific responsibilities attached to this position include:
– Secretariat service to the Work Health and Safety Committee;
– Overseeing the development, implementation and evaluation of health and safety related policies, procedures and practices;
– Submitting all relevant documents to the Managing Director, and
– Providing staff with health and safety related information and training as necessary.
Work Health and Safety Committee
The Work Health and Safety Committee (WHSC) is the major formal mechanism for consultation and cooperation between management and workers in promoting and developing measures to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. The Committee is comprised of management representatives, identified by the responsibilities of their duties and specific expertise, and at least as many worker members chosen to represent designated work groups. It reports directly to the Management Committee.
The Committee has been charged with:
– Assisting in the worker consultation process;
– Developing, implementing and reviewing health and safety related policies, standards, rules and procedures;
– Reviewing accident, incident and injury statistics and details and developing strategies to improve the performance of the College, and
– Assisting in communicating with, and educating workers in, health and safety matters.
The Committee will consist of:
Management representatives based on their area of responsibility;
a member of the Excelsia College board of directors, and at least 5 worker representatives based on designated work groups.
The Committee will be chaired by the elected employee representative and a secretariat service will be provided by Head of Human Resources (or equivalent).
All Health and Safety Representatives are automatically included as worker representatives on the Committee.
Managers
Managers are responsible for:
– Consulting with workers on health and safety matters;
– Ensuring that everyone in their area understands and adheres to health and safety procedures;
– That hazards are identified and appropriately managed;
– That all workers have the knowledge and skills to work safely;
– That protective equipment is provided and used where necessary;
– That health and safety issues are integrated into all planning and considered in purchasing goods and services;
– Ensure incidents, accidents and near misses are reported, and
– Ensure that relevant records are maintained.
Management Committee
Senior Executives are “officers” for the purposes of health and safety and must exercise due diligence to ensure that Excelsia College (across the School) complies with its health and safety duties.
Within their Division they have the responsibility to:
– Establish a work culture that focuses on creating the healthiest and safest workplace possible;
– Actively support health and safety strategies;
– Support and participate in hazard inspections;
– Incorporate health and safety into business planning;
– Take practical steps to ensure that workplaces effectively apply a risk management approach to hazards;
– Foster a culture of reporting incidents, accidents and dangerous occurrences and that appropriate action is taken;
– Ensure all workers get proper training, and
– Review reports submitted from the Health and Safety Committee.
Workers
All workers are expected to:
– Meet any specific health and safety responsibilities attached to their roles;
– Not place themselves or others at risk through their actions or omissions;
– Follow all reasonable instructions, policies and procedures and use provided protective equipment, and
– Report all accidents, incidents and hazards to their manager.
Students and visitors
All non-employees must comply with all relevant policies, rules, procedures and other guidelines.
Visitors must also comply with any reasonable instructions given to them by the Excelsia College representative escorting them through the workplace.
