Find Casey 2021 - December Edition

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FIND CASEY | DECEMBER 2021

findcasey.com.au

Providing Your New Employees With A Safe And Healthy Start To Their Employment With You OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY By Mark Felton

As we come out of another lockdown, with the promise of an ongoing period of normality, a number of businesses are ramping up with a degree of confidence, and are working hard to hire new staff. How do employers continue to maintain a culture of continual improvement for the health and safety of their team, whilst adding new members? As an employer you have an obligation to provide and maintain safe plant (machinery and equipment), provide and maintain safe systems of work, ensure the safe use, handling, storage or transport of plant or substances, keep workplaces in a safe condition, free of risks to health (for example, ensure fire exits aren’t blocked, and the worksite is generally tidy), provide suitable facilities for welfare, give your employees the necessary information, instruction, training or supervision to enable them to do their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health. But how do you ensure that you do this from the very first moment a new employee joins your organisation? You do this by creating, and continually adapting and improving, an Induction Program. An effective Induction Program will greatly reduce something being missed that may result in an incidentimpacting on the health of the new team member and/or those around them. An effective Induction Program is consistently applied in a consistent time frame, and clearly outlines the employer’s expectations of their employees. It covers the risks that are associated with the roles carried out, along with the steps that must be taken

to properly manage these risks. It is then imperative that an acknowledgement from the new employee, confirming their participation and understanding of the training received, is effectively recorded. Some businesses have informal systems that are delivered by key personnel. What happens if this key person is away or things just get busy and important elements are overlooked. How does an employer defend themselves when an employee has hurt themselves because of a poor understanding of the risks involved and the expectations of their new employer?

improvements, to ensure that going forward they are sound and comply with the Act, and most importantly keep them and their employees informed, and healthy and safe, whilst boosting profitability. Please feel free to contact Mark Felton at Beaumont Advisory on 0411 951 372 or mfelton@beaumontlawyers. com.au for an obligation and cost free initial discussion.

I can assist employers by reviewing their current systems with them, and how they relate to the tasks carried out, highlighting any shortcomings. I can then assist in the development of an effective Induction Program. Checks are put in place to monitor the effectiveness of any

Mark Felton Occupational Health & Safety Beaumonth Advisory www.thebeaumontgroup.com.au

Mark has a varied work experience, including 12 years in manufacturing as a manager and 19 years as a financial planner. He uses his wide range of experience and knowledge to quickly identify the right course of action, and uses his expertise to help you solve any problems.

Areas of Expertise º

WHS/ OHS

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Manufacturing

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Regulatory Compliance

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Safe Working Practices

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Succession Planning

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Business Management