Many organisations believe that Work Health and Safety Management Systems (WHSMS) are complicated, not necessary and have nothing to do with the way business is conducted: “It’s just safety and that’s the responsibility of the Safety Officer”…
This comment could not be further from the truth – safety is everyone’s business!
Any person that conducts a business (PCBU), manages workers or performs work have legal “obligations” to conduct their work safely. Safety obligations and responsibilities may not be “transferred” to another person; however, some types of roles (within organisations) may have more responsibility for safety than others.
For businesses to achieve their business objectives and goals, processes (or systems) are followed so that the business produces a good product/service and satisfies its customer requirements. It makes good business sense to use systems as they allow for processes to be completed the same way every time, “systematically”, ensuring the achievement of a good end result.
In order for businesses to “effectively” manage their workplace risks (prevent harm), a systematic approach is usually adopted so that good safety outcomes are always achieved. A systems approach not only makes good business, but also produces good safety outcomes. The use of systems is supported by current WHS legislation as effective use of a system may be seen as a way of demonstrating (to Regulators) that the organization is committed to operating their business, safely.
WHS Management Systems do not need to be complex and complicated, they should detail “how” the organization will manage their business risks and achieve legal compliance. It’s that simple – if an organization doesn’t have many risks, a small system is all that’s required!
If your organization has a complex, difficult to use system or if you do not have a systematic approach for managing your safety risks, give Vicki at ISM a call.
ISM offers one and two day packaged WHS solutions to small business.