Every year, October marks National Safe Work Month in Australia, representing a great opportunity to access a wide range of Free Safety Advice. This month is all about encouraging businesses to focus on getting some great workplace health and safety practices up and running.
This year’s theme is ‘Be a Safety Champion’.
The purpose of this theme is to inspire and empower every worker, to be a champion for health and safety, no matter their occupation or industry. This makes sense, because it is everyone’s responsibility to uphold strong safety practices.
In workplace safety, businesses often have good intentions. They are aware that they have a legal obligation to ensure they have safety practices in place. However, it is not always easy to know where to start.
During National Safe Work Month, you can find some fantastic resources – many of them free – to give you some direction. At Action OHS Consulting, we provide the following advice to any organisation looking for guidance in safety.
1. Look at your operations.
Start by making a list of how you think people might get injured or hurt in your workplace. Then make a list of the things you are doing (or could do) to prevent these injuries/harm from occurring. This is essentially a fantastic beginning for a great safety program.
2. Talk to your people.
Set-up a meeting with your workforce – or better still coordinate a lunch or coffee. Invite them to share “anything that makes them feel unsafe”, or “how they think things could be done in a safer way”. Then listen. At the end of the meeting, discuss how future hazards and incidents can be reported and establish some processes so your people know what to do.
3. Seek guidance.
Start by going to the Safe Work Australia or WorkSafe Victoria websites this National Safe Work Month, and find great guidance materials or local events you can attend to learn more.
FREE SAFETY ADVICE AND TOOLS FOR WHS MANAGEMENT
PLUS, there are many freely available resources available to all Victorian small and medium sized organisations. These are fantastic starting points for any business looking to establish strong safe practices and keep their people safer at work.
OHS Essentials Visit through WorkSafe Victoria. For businesses with less than 60 workers, this program involves 3 x 2-hour visits by a qualified OHS consultant over a 12 month period for free. Get some great guidance on workplace safety specifically for your needs through this program.
Register for your free visit here
Free cloud-based OHS Software. Our sister organisation, Safety Champion, launched its “Go Free” Plan. This is a forever free version of Safety Champion Software and is perfect for small and medium sized organisations wanting to keep safety processes on track on an ongoing basis.
Learn more about what software can do for you here
Remember – safety doesn’t have to be as hard or as complicated as you might think. So, follow the steps above this National Safe Work Month to learn how you can be a safety champion in your workplace today.
