Workplace Health and Safety
8.0
Version 6.2 June 2025
Preamble
It is the responsibility of all involved within BigDog Support Services Pty Ltd and Scottvale Health Club Group (BigDog) to abide by State and Federal laws pertaining to Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) and ensure safety, security and appropriate delivery of services to the represented participant groups. However, safety and security must also be afforded those who impart services; therefore, all efforts must be undertaken to limit risk, prevent hazard and resolve dilemmas that occur when any of the above elements come into conflict. Vigilant appraisal of risk, proactive efforts to remove, reduce or redirect risk, will bring about safer working conditions for staff, volunteers and agents of BigDog and delivery of services by BigDog in a manner that minimises risk to service recipients.
Director’s Responsibilities
The Director is responsible for:
Ensuring BigDog complies with all legislation relating to WHS
Eliminating or minimising all workplace hazards as far as reasonably practicable
Providing adequate information, procedures and training to enable all workers and contractors to do their job safely
Consulting, encouraging and respecting all workers’ involvement in the improvement of work health and safety
Providing appropriate safety equipment and personal protective equipment whenever required
Organisation Intent
No Director, employee, volunteer, contractor or agent of BigDog will engage in any activity that they believe is dangerous or harmful to themselves or any others in the course of their duties with BigDog
It will be the intent of the Directors, employees, volunteers, contractors or agents to work within frameworks that provide safe harmonious working conditions for all, by way of commitment to the following.
1. Follow all safe work procedures, instructions and rules
2. Participate in the management of work health and safety
3. Participate in safety training
4. Encourage other workers, contractors and members of the public to act in a healthy and safe way
5. Not act in a manner that may result in their own harm, nor will they involve themselves in activities that they are not fully competent in or that have elements that may result in harm.
6. Take all reasonable steps to immediately reduce, prevent or eliminate a hazard when discovered.
7. Report health and safety matters
8. Use the safety equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) provided
9. Where a hazard is unable to be removed, no services will be provided unless protective protocols are developed by relevant employees and then ratified by the WHS officer and the Directors
10. Where a participant refuses to acknowledge by removal of a potential hazard, the organisation reserves the right to refuse services until a safe environment is established. It is the intent of the organisation through relevant policies eg. Grievance Policy to negotiate a positive outcome in the event of a dispute with regard to WHS.
11. Not involve themselves in the usage of any equipment, tools, chemical handling or procedure where they are not fully conversant with the hazards or the potential dangers and will seek to gain appropriate training or explanation of a procedure prior to engaging in the activity.
12. Ensure appropriate barrier protection is achieved at any time that there is any possibility of contact with another person’s body fluids. PPE must be used at all times where there is a possibility of coming into contact with body fluids e.g. gloves, aprons and showering shoes.
13. Undertake relevant training in workplace safety through designated programs.
It is the intention of BigDog to support Directors, employees, volunteers, contractors or agents in the event of a serious incident, injury or death. Appropriate debriefing and or counselling may be offered to an individual affected by the incident. However, BigDog reserves the right in the determination of the appropriateness of a response given the individual circumstances of the incident, injury or death. It will be the responsibility of the Directors to make this determination after reviewing information gathered in relation to the incident, injury or death.
WHS Officer
BigDog will have a designated duly trained WHS officer to carry out designated inspections and reviews of workplaces, incident investigations and ensure that all requirements are carried out. The WHS officer will be given required resources to complete periodic inspections on sites and to provide appropriate training to relevant staff. The officer will ensure that all requirements are carried out such as test and tagging of electrical equipment, the testing and servicing of fire related products such as fire extinguishers, the replenishment and stocking of first aid kits, the organising of fire drills and the updating of relevant WHS registers.
The WHS officer will, in consultation with the represented program coordinator, develop such procedures as required within designated worksites as well as ensuring the review of practices or procedures established for the monitoring of any protocols.
The WHS officer will carry out designated inspections and reviews of workplaces on a minimum annual basis using the appropriate audit forms or checklist.
Worksites
The Directors, employees, volunteers, contractors or agents will routinely on arrival to a worksite, inspect for any impending dangers and take all reasonable steps to remove these dangers prior to commencement of work
All designated worksites are to have in place First Aid and Fire Safety equipment to meet the requirements of the site.
Supporting Documents
Policies
8.1 Workplace Bullying
8.2 Response to a Pandemic
8.3 Workplace COVID-19 Vaccination
8.8 Smoke Free Workplace
8.9 Transport
Fatigue Management
Sexual Harassment
WHS Incident
Forms
Hazard Assessment Form
Hazard Report Form
House Audit Checklist
House Risk Assessment
Participant Activity Risk Assessment
Staff Audit Checklist
WHS House Audit
WHS Incident Report
WHS Induction Checklist
WHS Maintenance Request Form
WHS Safety Audit
WHS Vehicle Inspection
Information Sheets
How to wash and dry hands
Individual Lifting
Stretching Exercises
Sunsmart
WHS Induction Manual
WHS Risk Assessment Rating
WorkCover Information
Training
https://bigdogsupportservices-ngotrainingcentre.talentlms.com/index
NGO Keeping safe at work – 2020
NGO Manual Handling Part 1 – 2020
NGO Manual Handling Part 2 – 2020
NGO Safe Food Handling Part 1 – 2020
NGO Safe Food Handling Part 2 - 2020
Fire Extinguishers
WHS Induction Training
Legislation
Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023
National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013
Safe Work Australia Act 2008 (Cwth)
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cwth)
Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (QLD)
NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators
BigDog Support Services Pty Ltd (BigDog) is a registered NDIS provider and is required to apply the scheme’s practice standard and quality indicators.
The standards have been developed to create an important benchmark to assess provider performance and ensure that high quality and safe supports and services are provided to NDIS participants.
The four core modules are:
1.0 Rights and Responsibilities;
2.0 Governance and Operational Management;
3.0 The Provision of Supports; and
4.0 The Support Provision Environment.
2.2 Risk Management
Risks to participants, workers and the provider are identified and managed Support delivery is linked to a risk management system which includes:
o Incident Management
o Work Health and Safety
4.1 Safe Environment
Each participant accesses supports in a safe environment that is appropriate to their needs.
4.1.2 Where supports are provided in the participant’s home, work is undertaken with the participant to ensure a safe support delivery environment.
4.1.3 Where relevant, work is undertaken with other providers and services to identify and treat risks, ensure safe environments, and prevent and manage injuries.
Delegation of Authority
Name Position Details
Courtney Carroll Director Authorise review and implementation
Ann Paull Secretary Company Secretary
Peter McGrath Operations Manager Ensure information dissemination
Monique Paull HR Lawyer Ensure compliance by workers
William Carroll WHS Officer Safety Compliance and Audits
Version Details
This policy will be reviewed every twelve (12) months unless circumstances deem it necessary to review earlier. The review process will involve an analysis of the usefulness of the policy and to note any changes which are required to improve the policy. If minor changes are made in wording or to clarify the intent, the version number will indicate this by adding a ‘point’ i.e. Version 1.0 indicates the original version and 1.1 with the first round of minor changes made. A significant change or intent of the policy will be indicated by a whole new number i.e. Version 2.0.
The following rules also apply in interpreting this policy:
• Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.
• A singular word includes the plural and vice versa.
• A word that suggests one gender includes the other genders.
Date V Details
July 2009 1.0
March 2011 1.1 Replace BDS with BigDog Replace Service Provider with BigDog
March 2012 1.2 Header includes new logo and page of pages
October 2012 1.3 WHS Vehicle Inspection Form included
October 2013 2.0 HSQF Indicators replace Service Standard Indicators Training sub-heading added to Supporting Documents
May 2014 2.1 Change of WHS Officer details
Updated term 'Client' to NDIS term 'Participant'
July 2016 2.2 Added Director and contractor Changed ‘their person’ to ‘themselves’ Changed staff to employees Remove mention of the company solicitor Changed quarterly to annually
Changed WHS House Audit form to appropriate audit form or checklist
Added information to duties of WHS Officer
January 2019 4.0 New logo and document template
January 2020 5.0 Removed HSQF Standards Indicators and Policy matched with NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators
Front cover updated to Standards colour identification
Supporting Policies updated
January 2021 5.1 Updated Responsible Officers details Changed ‘the director’ to ‘the directors’
Date V Details
Introduction of BigDog Training Portal and modules
January 2022 5.2 Policy review and update of Responsible Officers and supporting Policies
January 2023 6.0 Disability Services Act 1986 replaced with Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023 and policy review process included.
June 2025 6.2 Scottvale Health Club included in policy Steven Paull has retired, responsible officers updated