Healthy, safe and productive working lives…. The Australian Strategy incorporates safety and health

Speaker : Janice Batt

Safe Work Australia

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The  Work  Health  and  Safety  Act  Primary  Duty  of  Care

Sec;on  19  

(1)  A  person  conduc;ng  a  business  or  undertaking  must  ensure,  so  far  as  is  reasonably  prac;cable  (what  could  reasonably  be  done  at  a  par;cular  ;me  to  ensure  health  and  safety  measures  are  in  place),  the  health  and  safety  of:

(a)  workers  engaged,  or  caused  to  be  engaged  by  the  person;  and (b)  workers  whose  ac;vi;es  in  carrying  out  work  are  influenced  or  directed  by  the  person  –

 while  the  workers  are  at  work  in  the  business  or  undertaking.

The  defini)on  of  ‘health’  includes  psychological  health  as  well  as  physical  health

There  has  never  been  a  more  exci;ng  ;me…  

Changing  Nature  of  work  

1900’s Today  

Cadbury  -­‐  Quaker  aSempts  to  provide  good  work  for  their  workers

Today’s  ‘good  work’  is  well  designed  and  aims  to  improve  health  &  wellbeing

Design  &  management  of  work,  work  processes  and  

systems  of  work  to  eliminate  or  minimise  hazards  and  risks

Design  of  structures,  plant  and  substances  to  eliminate  or  minimise  hazards  and  risks  before  

they  are  introduced  into  the  workplace

Work  Design

How:  process  of  designing  good  work

Principles  of  Good  Work  Design  

What:  defining  elements  of  good  work  design

Why:  evidence-­‐based  reasons  for  work  design

Good Work Design

Ten  principles  that  help  to  achieve  good  work  design

•  Evidence-­‐based •  Easy  to  understand •  Interconnected  with  each  other •  Limited  in  number

Developed  with  Work  Health  and  Safety  Queensland  and  Comcare  

Based  on  extensive  consulta;on

www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au

Why use the principles?

•  Healthier  and  safer  workplaces •  Improved  worker  wellbeing  and  produc;vity  

•  Improved  useability  of  products •  More  efficient  and  effec;ve  work  and  work  processes  

•  Organisa;ons  and  business  are  opera;ng  within  regulatory  requirements  

•  Reduced  workers’  compensa;on  claims  and  costs  from  deaths,  injuries  and  illnesses

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We  boil  at  different  degrees

Individual  resilience  versus  organisa;onal  resilience

h8p://preven)on.workplace-­‐mentalhealth.net.au  

WHS  Risk

14 IGAP  Research  Centre  |  Faculty  of  Business  and  Economics

•  EXPANDING  THE  SCOPE

Don’t forget hidden hazards and risks:

!  PSYCHOSOCIAL HAZARDS −  How work is done: autonomy,

workload / workpace, deadlines and stress points

−  Context in which work is done: interaction / relationships with managers, supervisors, colleagues, clients

!  RESOURCING AND PROCESSES −  How are WHS risks identified

and controlled in financial decisions relating to staffing, procurement, performance management, budget allocation, organisational change etc.

Safe  Work  Australia’s  3  step    Emerging  WHS  issues  program

• Horizon  scan  &  network  to  iden;fy  poten;al  issues  of  na;onal  significance.  If:

•  issue  meets  agreed  defini;ons:  e.g.  changes  in  economic,  poli;cal  or  social  priori;es,  labour  market  condi;ons,  technologies,  systems  of  work  or  work  organisa;on....

•  issue  also  meets  certain  criteria:  ie.  It  is  “new”  and/or  “increasing”,  and

• Members  agree,  SWA  commissions  expert  intel  and/or  develops  policy  

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Virtual  Seminar  Series

h8p://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/australian-­‐strategy/vss/pages/vss

•  Presents  the  latest  thinking,  research,  developments  and  best  prac;ce  in  work  health  and  safety

•  will  remain  available  as  a  las;ng  and  free  resource  on  the  web  and  on  our  YouTube  channel.  

Thank You!

For  more  informa;on: contact  Janice  BaS  at

Janice.baS@swa.gov.au   or  Visit  

hSp://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au