Every business has a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace. This applies whether you employ permanent, casual, contract or labour hire workers.

Workplace risks are not limited to physical hazards such as unsafe equipment, heavy lifting or slippery floors. They can also include fatigue, excessive workloads, bullying, poor communication and other risks to psychological health.

Although work health and safety laws vary between Australian states and territories, the basic approach to managing workplace risks is consistent.

Here are five simple steps every business can follow.

1. Talk to Your Workers

Your workers often have the best understanding of the hazards they face each day.
Ask them:

• What could cause an injury or illness?
• Are there tasks they believe are unsafe?
• Is the equipment suitable and properly maintained?
• Have they experienced any near misses?
• Are workloads, hours or workplace behaviours creating health risks?
• What could make the work safer?

Consultation should happen regularly, not only after an incident. Workers should also be consulted when equipment, procedures, staffing, hours or workplace conditions change.

Creating an environment where people feel comfortable raising concerns can help
identify problems before someone is harmed.

2. Identify the Hazards

A hazard is anything that could cause harm.

• Common workplace hazards include:
• Slips, trips and falls
• Lifting, pushing or repetitive movements
• Vehicles, machinery and equipment
• Electrical hazards
• Chemicals and hazardous substances
• Noise, heat and weather exposure
• Fatigue and long working hours
• Bullying, harassment or workplace violence
• High workloads or unclear responsibilities
• Remote or isolated work

Inspect the workplace and observe how tasks are actually performed. Review incident reports, near misses, maintenance records and feedback from workers.

Remember to consider people who may be more exposed to risk, including new employees, young workers, temporary staff and anyone unfamiliar with the workplace.

3. Assess the Risk

Once you identify a hazard, consider how serious the risk is.
Ask:

• What could happen?
• How serious could the injury or illness be?
• How likely is it to happen?
• Who could be affected?
• Are the current safety measures working?
• How quickly do we need to act?

The higher the likelihood or potential harm, the more urgently the risk should be addressed.

Not every hazard requires a complicated written assessment. However, recording significant risks and the action taken can help your business stay organised and demonstrate that safety has been properly considered.

4. Control the Risk

The most effective solution is to remove the hazard completely wherever reasonably possible.

For example, you may be able to remove unsafe equipment, stop using a hazardous product or redesign a task so the risk no longer exists.

If the hazard cannot be removed, consider whether you can:

• Replace it with something safer
• Separate workers from the hazard
• Use guards, barriers or other physical controls
• Change the process or working environment
• Introduce safe work procedures
• Provide suitable training and supervision
• Supply appropriate personal protective equipment

Training, procedures and personal protective equipment are important, but they should not be the only controls when a safer physical or practical solution is available.

Workers must also receive the information, instruction, training and supervision they need to perform their duties safely.

5. Review Your Safety Measures

Managing workplace risk is not a one-time exercise.

Safety controls should be checked regularly to make sure they are still suitable and working as intended.

Review them when:

• An incident or near miss occurs
• A worker raises a concern
• Equipment or work processes change
• New information becomes available
• Work moves to a different location
• Duties, staffing levels or working hours change
• An existing control is not working effectively

Keep practical records of important inspections, training, incidents, hazards and corrective actions. The level of documentation should suit the size of your business and the risks involved.

What About Labour Hire Workers?

When a business engages labour hire workers, both the labour hire provider and the host business have health and safety responsibilities.

Before the placement begins, both businesses should communicate about:

• The duties the worker will perform
• Known workplace hazards
• Required skills, qualifications and licences
• Induction and training
• Supervision
• Safety equipment
• Emergency procedures
• Incident reporting

Labour hire workers should receive the same level of site-specific induction, supervision and protection as other workers performing similar duties.

The host business should also tell the labour hire provider before changing the worker’s duties, hours, equipment or work location.

Make Safety Part of Everyday Business

Good workplace safety starts with leadership, communication and consistent action.
The five key steps are:
1. Talk to your workers.
2. Identify the hazards.
3. Assess the risks.
4. Control the risks.
5. Review your safety measures.

Health and safety requirements vary between Australian jurisdictions. Victoria has its own occupational health and safety laws, while other states and territories have adopted versions of the national model WHS laws.

Businesses should always check the requirements that apply in their location and industry.

Signature Staff works with businesses and temporary employees to support safe and suitable labour hire placements.

To discuss your temporary staffing or labour hire requirements, contact Signature Staff on (07) 4050 3888 or learn more about our temporary and contract staffing solutions.

This article contains general information and is not legal or specialist work health and safety advice.
Further Information

Visit Safe Work Australia for general guidance or contact the work health and safety regulator in your state or territory.