OH&S

How the COVID-19 crisis is making workplaces safer

How the OH&S Help Desk are applying the learnings from COVID-19 to make your workplace safer by Action OHS Consulting.

COVID-19 has provided an unprecedented impact on the way we live, work, and interact. It has required every business to explicitly consider the health and safety of its workers, and any person impacted by its operations.

Rather than reciting your legal health and safety duties, we checked-in with the OH&S Help Desk – manned by the team at Action OHS Consulting – to get their thoughts on key learnings with a self storage lens that can be taken from COVID-19, to help you build towards a safer workplace.

FOUR LEARNINGS:

1COVID-19 reinforced the importance of clear rules. Remember March, pre-shutdown? They were the days! Whilst, self-isolation and social distancing was encouraged, groups of people continued to flock to pubs, restaurants and beaches – this was until laws were established. The learning here is that for order to be established and maintained, both workers and stores require clear rules. For compliance, it’s important that the purpose and relevance of the rule is understood. If you are not able to explain how the rule will positively impact your workplace, it’s unlikely to be followed.

2COVID-19 was risk management 101. Three-months in, we have found that the stores who have contacted the OH&S Help Desk were able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the risk management process through their actions. Everyone we have spoken with has been able to identify ways a worker or storer could contract COVID-19; and, could talk to controls that they had implemented to prevent the spread. Controls implemented, for the most part, were similar, and included a combination of: l Ensuring that hygiene facilities were easily accessible for both workers and storers. l Introducing contactless storing, deliveries and payments. l Restricting access to meal areas, etc. l Managing schedules to limit workers shifts overlapping. l Limiting the numbers of people on site at any one time. l Maintaining logs of people onsite.

3COVID-19 made it very clear that health and safety duties extend beyond physical hazards. Across the storage industry, this includes site-based hazards such as manual handling; slips and falls; forklift movements; traffic management; or fire and emergency. Psychosocial hazards should now be part of your consideration. Are you managing hazards such as customer aggression, cash handling, bullying, mental fatigue or stress? If you don’t think these are relevant to you; remember, in January, these hazards would have been more likely than a pandemic. 4 Throughout this pandemic we have seen evidence that every business can make significant change overnight. It is incredible to see how swiftly businesses have implemented new processes and improved communication. Indeed, many SSAA members have moved mountains to stay in the game – kudos. It demonstrates that things that are important get done. How will the importance of safety be maintained in your workplace, even after the risk of COVID-19 disappears? l

The OH&S Help Desk has been established by the SSAA to support its members. This advisory service is free. Free call 1800 067 313 (Australia); 0800 444 356 (New Zealand); or email admin@selfstorage.com.au.